2017-2018 Graduate Academic Catalog

Page 14 2017–18 Graduate Academic Catalog Academic Information Credit for Prior Learning Credit for Prior Learning Students may earn up to 25 percent of the required program hours through all forms of prior learning credit combined, including transfer credit, institutional test-out credit, and/or assessed credit for non-traditional learning experiences. Hours earned do not count toward the hours required for full-time status or as hours in residence toward graduation with honors. 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 to 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 with the assigned course equivalency and a transfer grade of “K.” 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. For international colleges or universities, the international equivalent of regional accreditation or Ministry of Education recognition will be considered. If transcripts are in a language other than English or are from a non-U.S. college/university, the original transcript must be submitted to a credential evaluation service. The original transcript should be submitted along with the official evaluation from the evaluation agency. The cost for credential verification and translation is the responsibility of the applicant. Cedarville recommends the following credential evaluation/translation services: • International Consultants of Delaware • World Education Services (WES) • Academic Evaluation Services, Inc. • International Education Research Foundation Additional information concerning the transfer of credits is available from the Office of the Registrar, upon request. Institutional Test-Out Qualified students may earn credit toward graduation by passing the appropriate examinations with a grade of “B” or better. A student interested in testing out should obtain a test-out request form from the Office of the Registrar, obtain approval for the test out from the Program Director or Dean of the school in which the course is offered, and pay the test-out fee of $10 per credit hour in the Cashiers Office. No fee, other than the initial test-out fee, must be paid to receive institutional test-out credit. Tests must be taken at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the course. Upon completion of the approval process, the student is responsible to contact the program advisor, program director, or dean of the school in which the course is offered to schedule the test. At the conclusion of the testing process, the test-out form will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar, denoting whether or not the student met the minimum criteria for credit. If applicable, credit for the course and a designation of test-out will be added to the student’s transcript with a grade of CE (credit by examination). This grade is not computed into the cumulative GPA. A student may not test out of a course previously audited. Non-traditional Learning Credit for prior learning in non-traditional settings may be granted on a limited basis by individual graduate programs. External certification and assessment by organizations such as the American Council of Education strengthens the student’s petition but does not guarantee credit. Students interested in requesting credit for prior learning should contact the Program Director or Dean of their respective program. Transient Study Coursework to be completed at other institutions by a student enrolled at Cedarville University as a nondegree-seeking student 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 18 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. Intent to Graduate To graduate, whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony, you must submit an “Intent to Graduate” form and pay any applicable fees. An Intent to Graduate form is available at www. cedarville.edu/gradintent . After you return your intent form to the registrar, your transcript will be audited to verify completion of degree requirements. You are encouraged to indicate your intent to graduate at least one semester in advance so that you can be informed of any problems in meeting your degree requirements. Intent to Graduate forms must be received no later than March 15 of the commencement year. After that date, eligibility to participate in commencement will be deferred to the following year. A graduation fee of $100 will be charged to your account after your eligibility for graduation is confirmed. Graduation with Distinction Upon the recommendation of the faculty and approval of the Cabinet, for Pharm-D graduates who earns a GPA of at least 3.90 will graduate “with Distinction”; and one who earns a GPA of at least 3.95 will graduate “with High Distinction.” Graduation distinctions are determined on the basis of the actual cumulative grade point average without rounding. No graduation honors have been approved for master degree levels.