2014-2015 Graduate Academic Catalog

Page 10 2014–15 Graduate and Adult Programs Academic Catalog Graduate Programs Academic Information 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 Dean of Graduate Studies 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 Dean of Graduate Studies 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 Dean of Graduate Studies 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. Undergraduates in Graduate Courses Students in undergraduate programs at Cedarville University who are interested in taking graduate course work prior to graduation may be eligible to do so with appropriate approvals. Individual graduate programs have the ability to allow or prevent this practice. In some cases credits may count as electives in the undergraduate program as well as meeting requirements of a graduate degree. The requirements and procedures for granting graduate credit to undergraduates are as follows: The undergraduate student: • Must have achieved senior standing at the undergraduate level prior to taking graduate courses. • Must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.70 or higher to take graduate course work. • May not use more than two graduate courses toward requirements for an undergraduate degree. • May take at most two graduate courses prior to graduation from the undergraduate program. • Must meet all prerequisites for the graduate course(s) for which they intend to register. • Must obtain the following approvals prior to registering for the graduate course: • the undergraduate advisor, • the chair/dean of the undergraduate program, and • the director of the graduate program The approval form for this process may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar or from the office of the appropriate graduate program. The GPA requirement may be overridden by permission of both the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Program director. Tuition for undergraduate students taking graduate courses will be charged at the higher of the undergraduate or graduate rates. Graduate credits may be included within a student’s undergraduate block pricing, but the student may have additional charges if the graduate tuition is higher than the block rate. The University reserves the right to limit the number of undergraduate enrollments allowed within any given graduate section. 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.