Enrollment Regulations

The Office of the University Registrar’s web page http://www.csuohio.edu/enrollmentservices/registrar/ should be referenced for complete up-to-date information for registration information, course schedules, and procedures.

Enrollment Deadlines

Students are responsible for adhering to specific enrollment deadlines and procedures each term. This information is located on the University Registrar’s Web site. Enrollment/withdrawal deadlines vary by term.

Credit Hour Load

In order to qualify as full time graduate students, individuals must register for at least nine graduate credit hours. For the summer term, a full-time load is six credit hours per six-to-eight-week session, with a maximum of nine credit hours. All students who wish to take more than sixteen credit hours may do so only by completing an overload request approved by their program advisors and their Graduate Program Directors.

Attendance Requirement

Students are expected to attend class. If a student expects to be absent for an extended period of time, notification should be given to the course instructor. Non-attendance does not constitute a withdrawal.

Course Numbers and Codes

Graduate Courses are numbered 500-899, and are coded as follows:

1. Course number
2. Course title

Courses numbered 500-599 are master’s-level courses, but are open to selected Cleveland State University graduating seniors. See the Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Courses section in this Catalog. Courses 600-699 are master’s-level courses and are not open to undergraduate students.  Courses numbered 700-899 are doctoral-level courses. Graduate certificate, licensure, or master’s level students may not register for 800-level courses.

Grades

The grades for graduate courses are as follows:

An “I” grade may be assigned by the instructor when the following conditions are met:

1. The student has the potential to pass the course.
2. The student has not completed all requirements for reasons deemed justified by the instructor.

It is highly recommended that a contract be developed between the student and the instructor delineating when and how final course requirements will be met.

Note: There is no grade of C+, C- or D for graduate (500 to 899) courses. However, a C+ or D is a possible grade for graduate students enrolled in courses numbered 100 through 499.

Withdrawal Policy

During the academic year, a student may withdraw from a course through the end of the tenth week of the semester in a 16-week semester. Academic Calendar dates are subject to change. Please check CampusNet for the most up to date information about specific course dates. Courses scheduled outside of the traditional semester schedule are indicated in CampusNet as ALT(alternative) session courses. Add/drop/withdrawal deadlines for ALT courses are adjusted according to the length of the session. Withdrawal deadlines can be found online at http://www.csuohio.edu/enrollmentservices/registrar/calendar/.

After the final date for withdrawal, a student may officially withdraw from a course only by means of a petition approved by the College of Graduate Studies Petitions Committee (see the  Exceptions and Petitions  section of this Catalog).

Please note that the University Graduate Council has determined that poor academic performance on a midterm examination or in other course requirements does not constitute sufficient grounds for granting a student a late withdrawal from a course.

Withdrawal from a course without approval, as indicated above, constitutes a failure, and a grade of F will be recorded on the student’s record.

Administrative Withdrawal

The University has the authority to withdraw students from classes. Such withdrawals can occur upon the request of instructors or academic departments for various reasons, including lack of prerequisite course work or inappropriate placement results. Additionally, the University may cancel a student’s enrollment for lack of payment or payment arrangements.

Grade-Point Average

The academic standing of a graduate student is expressed as a cumulative grade-point average. This is determined at the end of each semester by dividing the total quality points (the summation of the credit hours multiplied by the point value for each class) by the total credit hours attempted in courses in which the student has received a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C, or F. All grade-point averages are carried to two decimal places (unrounded). After being admitted to a graduate program and registering as a graduate student, grades for all 400- to 800-level courses taken are computed into a student’s grade-point average.

Academic Standing

To be considered in Good Academic Standing, a graduate student must maintain a graduate grade-point average of 3.0 or above.

Change of Grade

Once the Office of the University Registrar receives a letter grade, a faculty member may change the grade

1. because of an error in computation;
2. due to a recording error; or
3. because of circumstances he or she deems “extraordinary” which bears on the appropriateness of the grade awarded.

A change of grade request for a graduate course requires the approval of the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

Repeating a Course

Repeating a graduate course does not eliminate an earlier recorded grade on the student’s transcript. With the exception of courses designed to have variable content from semester to semester, a repeated course will not count more than once in meeting graduate degree requirements. When a student repeats a course, both grades are counted in computing the graduate cumulative grade point average.

Audit of Courses

The grade of No Credit (N/C) is given when a student audits a course. A student who audits a course pays regular tuition but does not receive a letter grade or  credit for the course. Only a student registered in the course may audit it.

An Authorization to Audit form must be presented when registering. It must include the signature of the student’s program advisor. A student may not change his or her grading status in a course from audit to a regular grade basis, or vice versa, after the first week of classes.

Academic Support Courses

The courses listed below are graded on an S/U basis. Graduate students do not receive credit toward meeting degree requirements. A grade of U does not influence a graduate student’s gradepoint average, nor are U grades considered in the University’s academic warning and dismissal regulations for graduate students.

English as a Second Language

ESL 095  ESL 096  ESL 097

Descriptions of these courses can be found at http://www.csuohio.edu/undergradcatalog/courses/courindex/esl.htm

Credit by Examination

A graduate degree, certificate, or licensure student may request to receive credit by examination for a course with departmental approval and with the permission of the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies. The grading of such examinations is conducted by a faculty member or committee from the department in which the student takes the examination. Performance must be at the B level or better to receive credit by examination. The student must pay a $20 fee for each examination. Graduate Credit by Examination forms are available online at http://www.csuohio.edu/sites/default/files/creditbyexam.pdf or in the College of Graduate Studies Office (Parker Hannifin Hall, third floor).

Cross Registration

In July of 2011, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio University The University of Akron, and Youngstown State University approved an agreement that allows graduate degree-seeking students to cross-register for graduate courses at the Eastern Ohio universities.

In order to cross register for a course, a student must be in good standing, with a grade-point average higher than 3.0, and be within the time limits for completion of the degree program.

Cleveland State University students must use the Approval for Acceptance of Graduate Course Work at Northeast Ohio Public Universities form that may be downloaded at http://www.csuohio.edu/sites/csuohio.edu.graduate-studies/files/crossregistration.pdf to apply to take graduate-level courses at one of the other universities in the program. The student attends the course at the host university but still registers at Cleveland State University for a Special Topics course with a title and course number corresponding to the course at the host institution [e.g., a special topics listing might be SOC 685 KSU Multivariate Time-Series Analysis (4-0-4)].

A student must receive approval at Cleveland State University for cross registration from the department chair and the student’s academic advisor, who determines whether or not the course work is appropriate to the student’s degree program. The student must demonstrate that the course at the host institution is necessary for his or her program of study and that the course is not available at Cleveland State at a reasonable stage in the student’s degree program. The student also must receive approval at the host institution from the course instructor, department chair, and the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

Students may not cross register for thesis, research, and dissertation credits.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is subject to departmental regulations and is not permitted without the approval of the Graduate Program Committee concerned. Departments may limit transfer credit to less than the maximum permitted by the College of Graduate Studies.

1. All transfer credit must be earned at an accredited graduate college or university and not have been utilized to fulfill a requirement for any other degree.
2. Transfer credit cannot exceed nine graduate hours for master’s degree students, and one-third of the total graduate hours required for certificate, licensure, and doctoral degree students. Requests for an extension of the limit on transfer credit must be approved by the department/program graduate committee. Such requests do not require review and approval by the College of Graduate Studies Petitions Committee.
3. All credits requested for transfer must carry a letter grade of A, A-, B+, or B in graduate courses. No S/F graded courses may be transferred. Petitions are not considered for an exemption from this requirement.
4. All transfer credit must be within the six-year statute of limitations on course work applicable to fulfillment of graduate degree, certificate, or licensure requirements at the time of program completion. Requests for an extension of the six-year limit on transfer credit must be approved by the departmental/program graduate committee. Transfer credits taken ten or more years previous to the anticipated point of degree completion also must be reviewed and approved by the College of Graduate Studies Petitions Committee.
5. Students seeking transfer credit must have Regular Graduate Student Status and be in good academic standing at both Cleveland State University and the school at which the credits were earned.
6. Students admitted to Cleveland State must receive prior approval to take courses elsewhere as Transient Students for transfer into their programs.
7. Credit awarded in transfer is not recorded on a transcript until the student has completed twelve hours of graduate (500- to 800-level) course work at Cleveland State University and has achieved a graduate grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Graduate Credit Transfer forms may be downloaded at http://www.csuohio.edu/graduate-studies/current-students/graduate-students-downloadable-forms. They are also available in the College of Graduate Studies and program offices.

Application of Credits Toward Multiple Advanced Degrees

1. A student who has earned either a master’s or Juris Doctor degree at Cleveland State University may apply toward a subsequent advanced degree a maximum of ten credits of graduate or law school course work earned toward the first degree under the following conditions:
   1. The department granting the second degree has determined the acceptability of the credits;
   2. The credits were earned with a grade of B or better; or a grade in the Juris Doctor program that the department has determined is equivalent to a “B” in a master’s program; and
   3. The credits were earned within the six-year statute of limitations on course work applicable to fulfillment of graduate degree requirements at the time of graduation from the second degree program. Work over ten years old at the anticipated point of degree completion also must be reviewed and approved by the College of  Graduate Studies Petitions Committee.
2. Cleveland State University students earning a doctoral degree should earn no more than one third of the credits toward that degree from their CSU master’s or J.D. degree. For example, in a sixty credit hour doctoral program, no more than 20 credits hours can be carried forward from the master’s or J.D. degree. The following conditions must be met:
   1. The department granting the second degree has determined the acceptability of the credits;
   2. The credits were earned with a grade of B or better in a master’s program or a grade in the Juris Doctor program that the department granting the Ph.D. has determined is equivalent to a “B” in a master’s program;
   3. The credits were earned within the six-year statue of limitations on course work applicable to fulfillment of graduate degree requirements at the time of graduation from the second degree program. Work over ten years old at the anticipated point of degree completion also must be reviewed and approved by the College of Graduate Studies Petitions Committee.

Petitions to extend the time period to complete the second degree at Cleveland State University must receive the approval of the departmental/ program graduate committee. If approved by the departmental/program graduate committee, petitions to extend the time period to complete the second degree do not require review and approval by the College of Graduate Studies Petitions Committee unless the work is ten or more years dated at the anticipated point of degree completion.

Undergraduate Courses Taken for Graduate Credit

With program approval, a registered graduate student may use a maximum of eight 400-level credits taken to meet master’s degree requirements. These courses may not be offered by the department/program in which the graduate degree would be awarded. No 400-level courses taken by a student as an undergraduate may be used for graduate credit.

A graduate student may not use courses below the 400 level to meet graduate degree, certificate, or licensure requirements, although the student may take such courses for remedial purposes or to remove deficiencies.

Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Courses

An undergraduate student who is pursuing a baccalaureate degree at Cleveland State University may take one or more (maximum of nine credit hours) graduate courses, at the 500 level only, if the student meets all of the following conditions:

1. The student must be within thirty credits of graduation;
2. The student must have an overall grade-point average of 2.75 or better through the preceding semester;
3. The student must have a 3.0 or better grade-point average in the major field.
4. The student must obtain permission from his or her advisor, the instructor of the course, and the department chair, via signatures on the Undergraduate Request for Graduate Course form which can be found at http://www.csuohio.edu/sites/default/files/undergradstudentpermission.pdf

An undergraduate student who is deficient in any of the above conditions may not take a graduate course unless the request is approved by the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

Credit for these courses-up to a maximum of nine credits for courses in which the grade received is B or above-may be applied at a later point to a graduate degree program provided that the credit was not used to satisfy baccalaureate  degree requirements. Internal transfer of credit is subject to transfer credit regulations and procedures.

Post-baccalaureate students who are enrolled at the undergraduate level but are not pursuing a second bachelor’s degree may not register for graduate-level classes. Post-baccalaureate students who are pursuing a second bachelor’s degree at Cleveland State University may register for 500-level courses as long as the above four noted conditions are met. Course registration will be canceled for students who do not meet these requirements.

Graduate Program Transfer

An admitted and enrolled graduate student may request to transfer to another graduate degree program. The individual should meet with his or her current graduate advisor and Graduate Program Director, and the Graduate Program Director of the “new” graduate program, before submitting a Program Transfer Request Form to the Graduate Admissions Office (for domestic students) or the Center for International Programs and Services (for international students).

After consulting with his or her advisor and the two Graduate Program Directors, the student should complete this form fully and submit it. The form should be submitted at least six weeks before the desired term of transfer. Once the form is received, a copy of the student’s admission file will be submitted to the Graduate Program Director of the “new” program. The transfer is not effective until the “new” program renders a favorable decision, and the Graduate Admissions Office or the Center for International Services and Programs approves admission to the new program. The Graduate Program Transfer Request form is available at http://www.csuohio.edu/sites/default/files/TransferRequest.pdf.