2017-2018 Graduate Academic Catalog

2017–18 Graduate Academic Catalog Page 11 Academic Information Controlling Catalog To complete registration, students must make financial arrangements for payment of the amount due. (See Financial Registration Policy on page 15. ) To register for graduate courses, please visit cedarville.edu/gradregister . Course Load A student’s academic load for any given term is subject to reduction or limitation by the Dean of Graduate Studies or director of a particular graduate program for poor scholarship or excessive work responsibilities outside of college hours. Attendance Regular attendance and/or class participation are necessary for the student to receive full benefit from the University experience. University policy allows each faculty member to determine and develop reasonable attendance/participation standards that will meet the particular needs of the course. See syllabi for attendance requirements for individual courses. Undergraduates in Graduate Courses Students in undergraduate programs at Cedarville University who are interested in taking graduate coursework 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 coursework. • 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: • Undergraduate advisor, • Chair/dean of the undergraduate program • Director of the graduate program The approval form for this process may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar. 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 or if the total credits exceed the block rate. The University reserves the right to limit the number of undergraduate enrollments allowed within any given graduate section. Drop/Add Policy Changes in the course schedule made after the beginning of a course must be made through the Office of the Registrar. Course drop/add forms are available on the registrar’s website. The form must be signed by the student and submitted to the Office of the Registrar in person, by email, or by fax. No courses may be added after the first class without the additional approval of the appointed Controlling Catalog The Graduate Catalog in use when a student first enrolls in a graduate degree program 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. 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 or director 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 Dean of Graduate Studies or director of the program. Academic Advising Each student is assigned to an academic advisor by the director of their graduate program: • Online Student Success provides advising for M.S.N. and M.B.A., and Reading Endorsement students. • School of Biblical and Theological Studies provides advising for M.Div. and M.Min. students. • School of Pharmacy provides advising for Pharm.D. students. A student’s academic advisor offers counsel concerning course scheduling and helps navigate various resources and processes for a successful graduate school experience. Students are encouraged to consult their academic advisor prior to registration, when considering any changes in their educational program, or if they encounter an academic problem. Degree-seeking students may review their academic program progression by using the Program Evaluation option in Student Planning at cedarville.edu/ studentplanning. Registration Process Registration dates for each session are listed in the annual graduate academic calendar. Early registration periods are designated for active graduate students. New graduate students must be accepted for admission through the graduate admissions office before they are eligible to register. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this early registration opportunity. Students who register early for a term but do not enroll for the following semester must notify the Office of the Registrar of their change in status. Registration information and instructions are distributed from the Office of the Registrar by email prior to the respective registration periods. Additionally, information regarding course offerings and sections, is available online at cedarville.edu/gradschedules. Prior to submitting a course registration, the student is encouraged to consult with his/her academic advisor to discuss course options and class schedules. Although each student has an academic advisor to help with scheduling, the student is responsible for the chosen class schedule, course of study, and progress through the program. Graduate students may register online using a web-based interface called Student Planning. The online registration process may be completed from any computer through which the student has Internet access. Registration instructions using Student Planning may be found at cedarville.edu/gradschedules. After the online registration process has been completed, the student’s confirmed schedule becomes an active registration in the administrative computer system.