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University College - Columbus State University

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Academics

University College

The mission of University College is to promote academic excellence in all CSU students, from learning support to honors, by providing a broad array of innovative services and programs that

  • encourage student integration and involvement in the larger campus community through First-Year Experience® events;
  • model and inspire participation in lifelong learning activities through instructional excellence as well as academic support and enrichment opportunities; and
  • promote the achievement of the educational goals of all students by enhancing the CSU retention rate, particularly for those students admitted through University College.

Center for Academic Advising

The Center for Academic Advising serves as a central resource to provide students with information about academic programs and other opportunities on the CSU campus. The Center assists students in exploring various programs of study and refers them, when appropriate, to related campus services such as the Career Center and the Counseling Center. Advisors at the Center for Academic Advising work closely with academic departments, and offer specialized advising to transfer students, first-year students who have not selected a major program of study, and continuing students who are considering changes in their academic programs. The Center for Academic Advising supports students and encourages them to make responsible and informed decisions for themselves about their courses of study. The Center for Academic Advising is located in 104 Woodall Hall.

Center for Academic Support and Student Retention

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 Office of Tutorial Services offers free tutorial assistance to students enrolled in learning support and many core curriculum courses. Free seminars and workshops provide information and strategies that assist students in making satisfactory academic progress.

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.

The Center for International Education

The Center for International Education increases an understanding of the world among CSU students, faculty and staff. It cultivates all aspects of an international education by promoting an awareness and appreciation of world cultures and events by offering a variety of programs off-campus and on-campus. CIE provides study abroad and exchange programs for students and faculty. These include summer and exchange programs in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. CIE also brings scholars and speakers to CSU, and it coordinates the international learning community, Latin American Studies Minor, Latin American Studies Certificate, European Union Certificate, African Studies Certificate and Asian Studies Minor. CIE also provides services for international students, including cultural and personal counseling, general academic counseling and advising on immigration matters.

Continuing Education

Continuing Education at Columbus State University successfully extends the university's remarkable standards of higher learning through its comprehensive portfolio of personal enrichment and professional development programs. Courses are held primarily at the Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center on East Lindsay Drive or Uptown Columbus at the historic Rankin Center on Broadway. Continuing Education programs are non-credit courses that encompass personal and professional development, as well as leisure and life enrichment activities, and a wide range of online courses. In addition, many courses earn continuing education units (CEUs), a nationally recognized method for measuring non-credit course work.

First-Year Experience® Program

New students face many challenges when making the transition to university life. CSU's First-Year Experience® Program is designed to help smooth this transition. The FYE components are intended to assist new students in building a foundation for academic success while promoting social, cultural and personal development. Freshman Convocation is a formal ceremony at the beginning of each academic year during which entering freshmen are initiated into the community of scholars. The freshman orientation course, CSUS 1106 – College Success, presents information and activities geared toward improving students' chances of success in the first year of college. Freshman Learning Communities are groups of 24 first year students taking a series of three courses that are linked by a common theme. Other programs include the Freshman Leadership Program, New Student Orientation, and the Adult Re-Entry Program.

The Adult Re-Entry Program provides a special study skills course for individuals who have been out of high school five or more years. The AREP course, CSUS 1105 - Learning to Learn, is designed to review and update reading, writing, and math skills which are necessary for success in higher education. The Adult Learning Resource Center provides amenities that meet the specific needs of this diverse student population.

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

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 non-degree credit classes offered by this department are learning support courses in English, mathematics, and reading.

To improve the chances that students admitted to Basic Studies will succeed, the Board of Regents has certain restrictions in place. While in Basic Studies, 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. These students must also complete College Success (CSUS 1106). 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 75. 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 Basic Studies. Students may not be considered for readmission within three years of the exclusion. Prior to exclusion, however, a student may appeal for two additional course attempts 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.

During the semesters of the first and second additional attempts, the student may enroll in only the learning support course.

Progression and Exit Requirements

All students referred to Basic Studies 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. Basic Studies students are limited to courses offered by University College and courses in the core curriculum.

CSU Honors Program

The CSU Honors Program is designed to attract exceptional students who want to take this educational experience beyond the ordinary. 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, academic travel, and study abroad opportunities.

CSU Servant Leadership Program

Servant Leadership at CSU is a comprehensive program committed to developing future leaders who practice the servant leadership philosophy. The Program is a collaborative partnership between CSU, the Pastoral Institute and the Columbus community. Participants are given the opportunity to develop leadership skills through exciting and innovative leadership classes, hands-on modeling of leadership practices, participation in community service projects, and much more. Scholarship members of the program are competitively selected and awarded a $1,250 stipend each semester for successful completion of the program requirements.

In addition to the traditional stipend program, the Servant Leadership Program at CSU includes the Associate Program. The Associate Program enables any student who is interested in leadership development to take the leadership seminars, participate in community service, and enjoy many of the same benefits as the scholarship students. As stipends become available associate students are eligible to apply for those openings in the program.

The Writing Center

The CSU Writing Center (116 Woodall Hall) provides free assistance for writers of all levels and abilities and from any discipline. Formally trained peer consultants can help writers understand assignments and generate ideas; focus, organize, and develop drafts; document sources to avoid plagiarism; and edit for usage and punctuation errors. Besides consulting with students about class assignments, consultants will also help students prepare for the Regents' Test and compose essays for scholarship and program applications. Additional services include online consultations, workshops on writing issues, and classroom based consulting. For more information, visit our website at http://langlit.colstate.edu/writingcenter.

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