Curriculum

The University Curriculum Committee (UCC) reviews and acts upon Catalog changes involving the curriculum and academic policies. UCC also recommends policies and procedures concerning the matriculation, advising, and registration of students.  Faculty members from each college serve on UCC. Routine catalog changes approved by UCC are available on General Curriculum Reports.

Policy and procedures regarding Academic Certificates and Continuing Education Units are available through the listed menu items.

Students who need to update their degree and/or major curriculum must submit a request; see instructions.

Continuing Education Units (CEU) are non-academic units for recognition of short learning experiences, such as conferences, seminars, or other short programs, presented in organized formats to post-secondary level learners. CEU are not academic credits and are not considered professional development for teacher certification.

Units are awarded based upon contact hours of participation; 10 contact hours equals 1 CEU. Regulation D-5 in the General Catalog and the Faculty-Staff Handbook Section 4250 describe continuing education units in detail. Students may not receive continuing education units and academic credit for the same learning activity.

CEU can be offered by academic departments as well as professional agencies that provide training seminars. CEU are designated as number 001 under the corresponding academic subject.

How to Request a CEU

1. The academic department or agency offering the training completes the CEU Request form and submits it to the corresponding academic department at the university for approval.
2. Once approved by the College the form is submitted to the Registrar; must be a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the first meeting date.
3. The Registrar will generate a Registration Number (CRN) for the semester and notify the coordinator via email with registration instructions to be provided to participants wishing to earn CEU.

Registration and Awarding of CEU

1. Each participant who wishes to earn CEU must complete and submit a CEU Registration form to the Registrar along with the total registration fee. 
2. After each participant is registered and the program is completed, the instructor must enter a grade to confirm satisfactory completion (S). Grades are due within 72 hours after end of the program.
3. CEU will be recorded on a transcript upon completion; the university does not provide certificates of completion for CEU programs.
4. Participants needing confirmation of CEU may request a copy of their official transcript.

The university offers Academic Certificates in various academic disciplines. An academic certificate is a coherent body of work designed to reflect specialized expertise. The curricular requirements of the academic certificates can be found in the relevant department in Part 5 of the Catalog. The following policies and procedures have been adopted to be used by academic departments who wish to offer coursework leading to an academic certificate:

• At least 12 credits of coursework.
• Six of the required credits may be recognized for work completed at another regionally accredited institution.
• The coursework must not be more than five years old unless it is being used in conjunction with the completion of a graduate degree.
• Courses must be completed with grade of C or better unless otherwise specified (some certificates will require grades of B or better).
• In order to enroll in 500-level courses, students must hold an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 2.80 cumulative grade point average or be an eligible undergraduate senior (see Regulation B-8 and the College of Graduate Studies section in Part 3 of the Catalog).

Student Eligibility and Declaration

Currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students may pursue an Academic Certificate by contacting the academic department in which it is offered, and submitting a Change of Curriculum form to the Registrar.

New students wishing to pursue Academic Certificates must apply for admission, either undergraduate or graduate depending on the academic certificate.

Non-Degree seeking students are not eligible to earn an Academic Certificate.

Student Completion

To apply for an academic certificate an application of completion must be submitted to the college in which the certificate is offered; see regulation O-3 in the Catalog for application deadlines. The college will verify that the student has met the minimum criteria and will forward the application to the Registrar for confirmation. A student must be in good academic standing to be awarded an academic certificate. Completion of an academic certificate is recoded on the student's graduate or undergraduate transcript depending upon the level the certificate is offered at. The Registrar will mail the Academic Certificate to the student approximately eight weeks after the end of the term.