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University College - Columbus State University

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Academics

University College


University College is dedicated to student success. Here everyone, from our top honor students to those who need additional preparation for entrance to four-year programs, finds the support and services to complete educational goals. University College consists of the Center for Academic Support and Student Retention, the Department of Basic Studies, the CSU Honors Program, and the CSU Servant Leadership Program.

Center for Academic Support and Student Retention

Serving both University College and Columbus State University, the Center for Academic Support and Student Retention promotes student success and retention through its programs, courses, and services. The Center promotes the academic and intellectual growth of the students it serves, while encouraging self-sufficiency and the development of critical thinking skills. The course CSUS 1106 - College Success - presents information and activities geared toward improving students' chances of success in the first year of college. Through the Center, academic advising is provided for undeclared, high school joint enrollment, post secondary options, early admission, and audit students.

The Office of Tutorial Services offers free tutorial assistance to students enrolled in learning support and many Area A through Area E core curriculum courses. Free seminars and workshops provide information and strategies that assist students in making satisfactory progress in their chosen fields of study.

Through the Adult Re-Entry Program, the Center for Academic Support and Student Retention provides educational services through community outreach to the region's diverse population of residents who have been away from an educational setting five or more years. The course CSUS 1105 - Learning to Learn - introduces these non-traditional students to skills for survival in higher education. The Adult Learning Resource Center provides amenities that meet the specific needs of this varied population.

The Office of Disability Services coordinates the compliance of Columbus State University with The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, not merely to achieve legality, but to foster academic potential through individualized plans tailored to the particular needs of students with disabilities. Students with documented physical, psychological, or cognitive disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services as early as possible so that proper accommodations may be made in a timely manner.

General Studies 

The Associate in Science (AS) in general studies is designed for those students who wish to aspire to a 2-year general education degree. 

The degree program is not major or career specific. Students should consult carefully with academic advisors and with career counselors in the Career Center and the Counseling Center to discover areas of interest, aptitude and possible future employment. Academic advising for this program is provided in the Center for Academic Support and Student Retention.

Expected Outcomes

Graduates will be able to: 
  • Communicate effectively by means of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the diverse situations encountered as educated citizens; and be able to effectively communicate using appropriate symbolic technological systems. 
  • Think with a deliberate awareness of the process of critical thinking, employ the process, and strive to augment its effectiveness. 
  • Interpret aesthetic significance in an object, work, performance or experience through study or participation. 
  • Apply appropriate knowledge to the interpretation of current problems and related issues concerning environment, health, society, culture, religion, economics, politics, science, and technology. 
  • Develop informed judgments about the past by gathering relevant information, by placing it in context, by interpreting it and by using it to draw inferences about contemporary events. 
  • Use mathematical skills to solve problems and to interpret quantitative information. 
  • Observe and interpret phenomena in a systematic fashion consistent with recognized principles of scientific inquiry. 
  • Investigate ethics and personal values and those of others; be able to analyze interactions between value systems and cultural systems; and be able to distinguish prejudices, stereotypes, opinions, facts and cross-cultural contributions. 
  • Participate in extra-curricular, service, or leadership activity during the course of completing an undergraduate education. 


Department of Basic Studies

The Department of Basic Studies serves highly motivated students who desire to pursue a college education but need additional academic preparation to enter four-year programs. These students fall in the following categories:

  • Adult students who graduated from high school five or more years prior to admission and need refresher courses before being main-streamed into regular classes
  • Students whose SAT or ACT test scores are too low for regular or limited admission into a four-year college
  • Students who failed to complete required college preparatory courses while in high school.

The following non-degree credit classes are offered by this department:

  • Learning support courses in English, mathematics, and reading
  • Learning support classes in science and social sciences for students with CPC deficiencies
  • Computer literacy modules for transfer students in such areas as presentation graphics, word processing, and information retrieval.

To improve the chances that students admitted to University College will succeed, the Board of Regents has certain restrictions in place. While in University College, students are not eligible for fraternity or sorority membership, intercollegiate athletics participation, or affiliated residence halls and/or apartments. This policy indicates the seriousness with which students should approach the opportunity to remediate the deficiencies and exit University College.

Admission Requirements

Students who do not meet the requirements for admission to Columbus State University may be considered for admission to the Department of Basic Studies in University College. Please refer to the undergraduate admissions section of this catalog for specific requirements.

Learning Support Requirements

Although institutional credit is granted for learning support courses, no degree credit is awarded. Students placed into learning support courses must be enrolled in required courses until all subject areas have been satisfied. Students may earn a maximum of 20 degree credits while enrolled in learning support courses, but may not enroll in degree credit courses which require the content and skills of learning support courses as prerequisites.

During each semester of enrollment a student must first register for all required learning support courses before being allowed to register for degree credit courses. There are two exceptions:

  • When two or three learning support areas are required and a student is enrolled in at least one learning support course, then College Success (CSUS 1106) or physical education or other activity or performance courses may be taken that semester instead of one of the required learning support courses.
  • If a required learning support course is not available, a student may enroll in a course for degree credit if the student has met the course prerequisites.

Students who have accumulated 20 semester hours of college-level credit and have not successfully completed required learning support courses must enroll in only learning support courses until requirements are successfully completed. Students with transfer credit or credit earned in certificate or prior degree programs who are required to take learning support courses for their current degree objectives may earn up to 20 additional hours of college-level credit. After earning the additional hours, such students must enroll only in learning support courses.

Students with learning support requirements who are enrolled in both learning support courses and credit courses may not withdraw from the required learning support courses with a W unless they also withdraw from credit courses.

Students are eligible to take the COMPASS exam in English after successfully completing ENGL 0098 or ENGL 0099. To exit the English subject area, students must pass an essay examination and must receive a minimum COMPASS score of 60. Students are eligible to take the COMPASS exam in reading after successfully completing READ 0098 or READ 0099. To exit the reading subject area, students must receive a minimum COMPASS score of 74. Students are eligible to take the COMPASS exam in mathematics after successfully completing MATH 0098. To exit the mathematics subject area, students must receive a minimum COMPASS score of 37.

After two unsuccessful attempts to satisfy any required subject area, students are placed on probation. After three unsuccessful attempts to satisfy any required subject area, students are excluded from University College. Students may not be considered for readmission within three years of the exclusion. Prior to exclusion, however, a student may appeal for one additional course attempt under the following three conditions:

  • The student is individually evaluated and determined to have a reasonable chance of success;
  • The student is in an exit level course; and
  • The student has reached the limit in only one learning support subject area.

Progression and Exit Requirements

All students referred to University College for further screening and subsequent enrollment must meet exit requirements before they are eligible to transfer to a four-year state institution. For traditional students, these include the completion of all learning support requirements and 30 semester hours of degree level credit with a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Students may transfer to a two-year state unit if they meet the freshman admission standards of that unit before completing the 30 semester hours of other requirements. University College students are limited to courses offered by University College and courses in Areas A through F of the core curriculum.

CSU Honors Program

The CSU Honors Program is designed to attract exceptional students to Columbus State University. The program offers opportunities for students to enrich their educational experiences, with special academic courses, cultural activities, and social interactions. Honors Scholarships are available each year for entering freshmen. Admission into the program is highly selective, requiring a high school or college GPA of 3.5 or higher and a total SAT score of 1200 or higher, among another criteria. The CSU Honors Program features small classes (15 students maximum), special luncheons with guest speakers each semester, and study abroad opportunities. For more information about the CSU Honors Program, contact the chair of the CSU Honors Program committee at (706) 568-2054.

CSU Servant Leadership Program

The CSU Servant Leadership Program is for students who are interested in leadership from the perspective of service. Insight and skills are developed through both academic and experiential learning. Stipends are available for a limited number of entering freshmen. Recipients are selected on the basis of demonstrated potential in the areas of service, leadership, academics, and commitment to the development of self and others. In return for the stipends, students participate in a leadership seminar each semester and engage in volunteer service through community agencies. They also participate in mentoring as both a mentor to an at-risk child and as a mentee. In addition to the stipend recipients, other students may take the seminars and participate in aspects of the program. The program is a collaborative effort between university, business, professional, and private interests. The mission is to help students become servant leaders who, in turn, enable others to grow into healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous servant leaders themselves.
   

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