ACADEMIC CATALOG 2018-2019

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213 │COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2018-2019 │ACADEMIC POLICY
Courtesy auditors must register as an auditor (form available from th , but are not required
to pay the auditing fee. Please note that additional course fees may apply. Courtesy audit status is available only to CIU
graduates, CIU employees or employee dependents, the spouse of a student currently registered for the same course, or
a student who has taken the course formerly. No more than one courtesy audit is permitted in a single semester. Courtesy-
audited courses do not appear on the student's transcript.
Classification of Students
The undergraduate student body is divided for class organization on the basis of academic classification:
Freshman: a high school graduate or one who presents satisfactory scores on equivalency examinations
Sophomore: a student who has completed 30 to 59 semester hours
Junior: a student who has completed 60 to 89 semester hours
Senior: a student who has completed at least 90 semester hours
Commencement Participation
The University holds commencement ceremonies in Fall and Spring of each year. Any 30 hour certificate, associate,
bachelor’s, or master’s degree seeking student should meet all degree requirements in order to participate in
commencement. For the Spring ceremony, a student may request permission to participate in commencement prior to
completing graduation requirements under the following stipulations:
• Students must have all degree requirements met by the August degree conferral date of the same year they wish
to participate.
• Students must have no more than nine credits left to complete their degree requirements.
• Students must complete a “Commencement Participation Appeal” form that includes an advisor-approved
completion plan/advising worksheet identifying and articulating how all courses will be completed with anticipated
completion dates.
Permission to walk across the stage at commencement does not constitute the conferral of a degree. Doctoral degree
candidates must have successfully completed all required coursework and met all program requirements as defined by
the department in order to participate in the commencement ceremony. All doctoral candidates must have met the
appropriate graduate application deadline.
See “Graduation” for additional information.
Competency/Proficiency Examinations
Competency examinations at the undergraduate level correspond to proficiency examinations at the graduate level.
Undergraduate-level: A student, when authorized by the student’s advisor, the instructor of record, and the dean, may prove
competency in the knowledge and/or skills of designated courses within the curriculum, similar to the structure established
for CLEP or DSST. If the student passes the instructor’s comprehensive “competency” exam with a minimum of a 2.0 (“C”)
grade or above, the student may either accept the credit for the course based on established proficiency or have the course
waived so that a more advanced course or a Faculty Directed Study may be substituted within the program. For a list of
qualified courses students should contact their academic dean’s office. Students will pay a testing fee whether or not they
are granted credit. All examination scores and documentation must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar
before credit can be granted. No credit can be earned through a competency examination if the student has started a
designated course and/or finished and failed said course at CIU. No more than 12 semester hours of Competency Exam
credit can be used in an undergraduate degree program (see “Standardized Testing” for information regarding CLEP and
DANTES exams).
Graduate-level:
CoE, CICS, and SSM Clinical Counseling: Competency/proficiency exams are not accepted.
Columbia Biblical Seminary: Although the CBS does not accept transfer credit from unaccredited institutions without special
approval, a student may request advanced standing with credit through a proficiency examination for courses completed at
an unaccredited institution. See CIU Policy Library ( for complete policy and procedures.
Diplomas
Graduates are issued a diploma bearing the corporate name “Columbia International University.” Diplomas, certificates, and
final transcripts will not be issued if the student has any remaining financial obligations to CIU. Graduates, upon request,
may receive a Columbia International University replacement diploma, dated with the original graduation date and containing
a marginal subscript indicating “Replacement Diploma: [date of issue].” (A diploma with the new school name is also
available for pre-1994 graduates.) There is a fee for a replacement diploma.