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2012-2013 Graduate Programs Academic Catalog
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General Admissions Requirements
Race, ethnic origin, nationality, sex or disability are
not factors in our selection process. Applicants
who have been divorced will be considered for
admissions on a case-by-case basis. Columbia
International University reserves the right to deny
or revoke the admission of any candidate whose
behavior or lifestyle is inconsistent with biblical
principles or with the lifestyle standards of the CIU
community. The basic criteria for selection of stu-
dents include the following:
•
Evidence of Christian conversion (normally at
least one year prior to enrollment) and develop-
ment in Christian character.
•
Evidence of Christian character, submission to
the will of God and willingness to accept the
administration’s authority and guidelines.
•
Evidence of the physical and emotional health
needed for academic success and the ability to
participate in the cross-cultural, church, mar-
ketplace and/or ministry roles for which they
are preparing.
•
Evidence of ability to successfully pursue an
academic program. Requirements for individual
degree programs are listed in the Specific
Requirements for each degree (see also
Probationary Acceptance).
•
Evidence of effective use of English (interna-
tional students should see the section
International Applicants for information on spe-
cific requirements).
•
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institu-
tion. (Students holding a baccalaureate degree
from a non-accredited institution may in some
cases still be eligible for admission. See Non-
Accredited Degrees for more information.)
•
Agreement with the Doctrinal Standard. An
applicant will not be admitted who denies any
teaching expressed in the Doctrinal Standard.
(Exception: Students are not required to affirm
the pre-millennial position expressed in Section
8 of the Doctrinal Standard.)
In addition to the general requirements listed
above, the various degree programs have specific
prerequisite and entrance requirements related to
their professional fields. (See the following sec-
tions.) Acceptance by the Graduate Admissions
Office into a Graduate Program does not guaran-
tee admission to candidacy or graduation.
College of Counseling Specific
Requirements: M.A. in Counseling
In addition to satisfying the general admissions
requirements listed above, students applying to
the
Master of Arts in Counseling
program must
satisfy the following:
1. Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s
degree from a regionally accredited college or
university with a minimum overall 3.0 GPA on
a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 GPA in their major field of
study, or a minimum 3.0 GPA for the last 60
credits in their undergraduate degree.
Students with a lower GPA may document their
ability to succeed in a Graduate Program by
one of the following:
a. score above the 50th percentile on the GRE
(Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative
Reasoning and Analytic Writing), or
b. complete a minimum of nine graduate level
credit hours from a regionally accredited
college or university with a minimum
B- grade in each course.
International applicants must have completed
the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s level
degree.
2. Applicants must have a minimal understanding
of the language and concepts of psychology
to be successful in the program. Therefore the
following undergraduate courses with a mini-
mum 2.7 (B-) grade (or a score of 50 on the
CLEP or 55 on the DANTES examinations) are
prerequisites for full admission:
a. Introduction to Psychology or General
Psychology
b. Developmental, Lifespan Developmental, or
Human Growth and Developmental
Psychology within a social science or
educational program:
Applicants without these courses can be condi-
tionally accepted pending successful comple-
tion of the courses. However, applicants are
strongly encouraged to complete these