2011-2012 Graduate Academic Catalog

Page 9 2011–12 Graduate Catalog Introduction Experience Admissions Academic Info. Financial Info. Campus Services M.Ed. M.S.N. Course Descriptions Appendix Grade Points and Point Averages Cedarville University uses the four-point system to determine academic averages. Grade points are awarded as follows: Grade Grade Points A 4.0 A- 3.7 B+ 3.3 B 3.0 B- 2.7 C+ 2.3 C 2.0 F 0.0 The grade point average is computed by dividing the total grade points earned by the total hours attempted. Grades are issued at the end of each semester. It is the responsibility of each student to discuss his/her academic achievement with his/her instructor. Grade Appeal Process A student who believes that a grade received is incorrectly recorded, inaccurate, unfairly awarded or based on criteria different than that applied to other students in the same class may initiate a grade appeal. The process for grade appeals is available on the website of the Academic Vice President ( cedarville.edu/ academics/avp ) using the “Policies” link from that page. That information may also be obtained directly from the office of the academic vice president. Petitions and Student Complaints Student complaints about any aspect of a graduate program or requests for exceptions to an academic regulation should first be discussed with the appropriate faculty member, director or associate academic vice president of the program. If those discussions fail to resolve the complaint a written request must be initiated by the student and must be submitted to the office of the associate academic vice president or director of the program. Probation and Suspension Policies Students placed on academic probation or dismissal will be notified in writing by their academic department. Academic Probation status refers to any student whose cumulative graduate grade point average falls below 3.00 and is no longer in good academic standing. Students placed on academic probation are expected to return to good academic standing (overall GPA of 3.00 or above) within the attempting of 15 additional graduate credits. Failure to return to good academic standing may result in academic dismissal. Academic Dismissal status refers to any student who fails to make satisfactory progress toward declared goals or who accumulates six semester credits of “C+” or below. The accumulation of six semester credits of “F” will result in mandatory dismissal. A student who is dismissed from a graduate program may not be readmitted for one calendar year and then only if evidence for expecting satisfactory performance is submitted and found to be acceptable. A student receiving veterans benefits who is on academic probation after half of the hours for a given degree program are completed, or whose cumulative grade point average falls below a 2.5, will be reported to the Veterans Administration. The veterans’ benefits for such a student will be terminated unless the student is making progress toward meeting the minimum academic requirements for graduation. Attendance Regular attendance is necessary for the student to receive full benefit from the University experience. University policy allows each faculty member to determine and develop reasonable attendance standards which will meet the particular needs of the course. See syllabi for attendance requirements for individual courses. Course Load A student’s academic load for any given term is subject to reduction or limitation by the associate academic vice president or director of a particular graduate program for poor scholarship or excessive work responsibilities outside of college hours. Students who wish to take more than 12 credit hours in a given term must obtain permission from the associate academic vice president or director of their graduate program. Repeating Courses Any graduate course may be repeated once with the approval of the associate academic vice president or director of the program. When a student repeats a course only the most recent grade is calculated into the cumulative grade point average. Credit hours for a repeated course count only once toward the credits needed for graduation. Students have up to 2 years from the end of the original course to repeat a course. Students repeating courses are required to pay all applicable tuition and fees for those courses. Other program-specific requirements may be listed under the academic program. Independent Study On occasion special student circumstances may suggest that an independent study course option should be considered. Such an option might recognize opportunities to explore areas not covered in normal course structure, reward self-motivated students, and encourage joint study by faculty and students on specialized projects. Individual students and faculty members develop the specific criteria that must be met for the successful completion of independent study projects. However, the following guidelines govern the independent study program: • Only one independent study project may be undertaken in an academic term. • The maximum credit that may be earned for any one independent study project is three semester hours. • The faculty member supervising the independent study and the associate academic vice president or director of a particular graduate program must sign the student’s independent study form. Registration for the independent study must occur at the beginning of the semester in which the work is to be completed. • No more than six semester hours in independent study may be counted toward the graduate degree. • In general independent study projects cannot be taken in lieu of required courses unless special arrangements have been made through the department sponsoring the course and the director of that particular graduate program. • It is the prerogative of individual faculty members to offer independent study courses or not. • Participating faculty members determine the letter grade. Transfer Credits Graduate transfer credit is allowed at the discretion of the University for courses that clearly correspond to courses offered in the graduate and first professional degree programs at Cedarville University.