2012-2013 Graduate Academic Catalog

Page 10 2012–13 Graduate Catalog Introduction Experience Admissions Academic s Financial Info. Campus Services M.Ed. M. S.N. Pharmacy Course Descriptions Appendix 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 professional practice degree programs at Cedarville University. The associate academic vice president or director of the academic program is responsible for evaluating all requests for transfer credit within that program. Institutions from which courses are transferred must meet accreditation standards required of the individual program. Transfer credit will not be granted for grades of B- or less. “Credit” or “pass” grades are accepted only if approved by the associate academic vice president or director of the program. The number of allowable transfer credits and the number of years since completion of those credits are detailed within each program. To transfer credit an official transcript must be sent directly from the transfer institution to the registrar at Cedarville. Once received, a copy of the transcript will be sent the director of the graduate program for approval. The director will complete a transfer credit evaluation and identify the approved course equivalencies. This information will be provided to the registrar, after which the credits will be posted to the student’s transcript. Grades of transferred credit are not posted to a Cedarville University transcript or counted in the Cedarville grade point average. Credit hours transferred from institutions where quarter hours are awarded will be assigned the equivalent number of semester hours using the formula of three quarter hours being equivalent to two semester hours. Transient Study Course work to be completed at other institutions by a student enrolled at Cedarville University must be approved by the associate academic vice president or director of the graduate program at Cedarville that would accept the transfer credit. This approval must occur before the course is taken. Students enrolled in other colleges or universities may take courses at Cedarville University on a “permission to take courses” basis. The student must complete a graduate application and be accepted prior to registering for classes. A maximum of six credit hours may be taken at Cedarville University by a transient graduate student. Graduation Requirements Completion of all listed requirements for a program, including a minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 within the given program is required to be certified for graduation. Application for Graduation To graduate, whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony, you must submit an application for graduation and pay any applicable fees. After you return your application to the registrar, your transcript will be audited to verify completion of degree requirements. You are encouraged to apply for graduation at least a semester in advance so that you can be informed of any problems in meeting your degree requirements. Applications must be received no later than 30 working days before commencement. After that date, applications will be deferred to the following commencement. Controlling Catalog The Graduate Catalog in use when a student first enrolls governs his/her graduation requirements unless that catalog is over five years old or that student has left and then sought to re- enroll more than two years later. Consequently, that catalog should be retained and used as a guide in case changes are made in course or graduation requirements during the time the student is enrolled. A student may select a subsequent catalog if the student wishes, but all requirements from that catalog must be completed. Student Responsibility Each student assumes full responsibility for knowing Cedarville University standards, regulations, and procedures along with those of the graduate and professional practice degree programs. While all personnel at Cedarville University endeavor to help students in every way possible, the responsibility for meeting requirements stated in this catalog rests with the student and not the advisor or the University. Students are responsible for tracking their progress toward meeting all graduation requirements. Academic Integrity Honesty and integrity are marks of Christian character. One way students live out this commitment to excellence is by adhering to very high standards of academic integrity. Cedarville’s academic integrity policy and pledge encourage honesty from students and provide an atmosphere of accountability.