Graduate Academic Catalog 2012-2013

2012-2013 Graduate Programs Academic Catalog

relevance to the student’s academic and voca-

tional goals, but that are not directly covered in a

regular course. FDS courses provide opportuni-

ties for independent learning to develop creativity

of mind, to reinforce the habit of initiative by pro-

viding situations that call for it and to cultivate the

capacity to continue the students’ education

throughout their life. Students may not elect to

take a regularly scheduled course through FDS

unless the course has been changed by the

Graduate Program and created the need for pro-

gram completion through this alternative.

Students wishing to register for FDS must dis-

cuss the proposed study with the appropriate

faculty member and obtain an FDS form from the

academic dean’s office or make an electronic

request to the faculty member after discussing

the proposed study. (If filing electronically, a stu-

dent must use the

mailbox.ciu.edu

address.) The faculty member should make sure

the form is completed properly and the electronic

request has all the necessary information, includ-

ing the course title, proposed requirements,

including a minimum of one professor-student

contact per credit hour, and hours of credit

(check the Course Description section of the cat-

alog for the appropriate course designation and

number). Once the instructor has signed the form,

it should be signed by the student’s academic

advisor and then delivered to the academic dean

for approval. If requesting registration electroni-

cally, the form needs to be approved by the pro-

fessor and then forwarded to the student’s

academic advisor. If the advisor approves, then

the request is forwarded to the academic dean

for approval. If the dean approves the request,

the registrar will be forwarded the request. Once

the approval has been granted, the student is

registered for the course through the Office of the

University Registrar. A maximum of 12 semester

hours of a student’s program may be taken by

FDS. The regular grading system is used for

these courses.

Appealing a Grade

Any student who questions a final grade in any

subject should contact the instructor immediately.

If the grade is to be changed, the instructor will

notify the registrar by means of a Change of

Grade form stating the reason for the change.

Students may appeal a grade within 90 days of

issue with one exception. At the time of gradua-

tion, grades may no longer be appealed unless

the student is willing to forego the desired gradu-

ation date for a future date to allow for the grade

to be changed before final transcripts are issued.

If a contested grade dispute is not satisfactorily

resolved between the instructor and the student,

any appeal should go to the program director for

resolution. If not resolved at that level, it may be

appealed to the academic dean. No grade may

be contested after three months have elapsed

beyond the date of issue, except if a documented

appeals process is still pending.

Grade Point Average Computation

1. Formula:

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is

calculated by the accepted formula of quality

points earned divided by credit hours attempt-

ed. Columbia International University has

adopted a 4.0 grading system for the compu-

tation of quality points.

2. Inclusion in Cumulative GPA:

The cumulative

GPA is calculated only on the basis of courses

taken at Columbia International University

(including courses taken through Columbia

Extension and the Korntal branch campus) and

institutions with which the university has a joint

course registration agreement.

3. Transfer Credit Exclusion:

Transfer credits

may be applied toward the degree program

when the grade is C or above, but accepted

credits are not computed into the GPA.

4. Exceptional Case Exclusions:

Courses with-

drawn through exceptional circumstances after

the normal withdrawal deadline, such as for

medical reasons, are not calculated into the

GPA.

5. Grade Replacements:

Courses in which a

grade lower than C (C- or below) is earned

may be retaken. Courses in which a grade of C

or above is earned may be retaken only by per-

mission of the course instructor, the student’s

faculty advisor and the dean of the respective

college. In both cases, the new grade replaces

the former grade in the calculation of the