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Graduate Admission Requirements Policy

Purpose

This policy establishes the policy and procedures for graduate applicants who seek admission to a Columbia College Graduate Program.

Scope

This policy applies to all applicants to the Graduate Program at Columbia College.

Policy

The standards of admission to Columbia College graduate programs require evidence of personal integrity and responsibility, academic preparation and leadership potential. Each graduate program has multiple admission categories. Criteria for admission apply to all categories of any graduate program at Columbia College unless otherwise specified.

Graduate applicants are expected to present undergraduate coursework achievement commensurate with graduate program requirements. It is required that applicants have completed a sound undergraduate degree program from a regionally accredited institution(s).

Applicants may apply for full program admission during their final semester, session or quarter of undergraduate academic study. Each applicant’s record is carefully examined to determine if the student has potential for successful completion of a master’s degree program at Columbia College.

Columbia College does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal or state law in the administration of its educational policies, admission, financial assistance, employment, educational programs or activities.  Columbia College reserves the right to deny or rescind admission at its sole discretion.  Please note that Columbia College reserves the right to use photographs of its students in publications & media that promote the college.

By submitting an application, you are giving your express written consent for Columbia College to contact you regarding our educational programs and services using email, telephone or text - including our use of automated technology for calls and periodic texts to the wireless number you provide.  Message and data rates may apply.  This consent is not required to purchase goods or services and you may always call us directly at 573-875-7515 or 877-999-9876. 

Columbia College’s mission is to provide quality education in a variety of flexible formats to fit the needs of all of our students.  As such, by submitting an application, applicants understand that their program may require a combination of in-seat and online coursework and may not be available at all locations.   

In compliance with the Clery Act, the College discloses crime statistics for crimes committed on campus, in certain off-campus buildings, or on property owned/controlled by the College during the last three years.  The Annual Security Report and Fire Safety Report can be obtained in paper copy by contacting the Campus Safety Office and electronic versions can be obtained by visiting the reports and stats page.  

Columbia College reserves the right to randomly check any and all applications for a criminal, suspension or dismissal history. Applicants with a felony or misdemeanor conviction must provide details regarding the crime(s). 

The College reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant and to deny and/or rescind admission to any applicant who provides false or misleading information to the College.

Admission Deadlines

Columbia College has a rolling admissions policy and allows applicants to submit applications anytime throughout the academic year. Please note, applicants applying within two weeks of the start of a session may not have time to complete all admission requirements for review or get financial aid in place before the start of the session. 

Admission Procedures 

In general, the admission requirement for full admission to Columbia College graduate programs is a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0, for students’ entire academic career. Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0 may be eligible for conditional admission, as described in the individual program sections. Please note: GMAT and GRE are not used in graduate program admission review.

To be considered for full or post-baccalaureate admission to the Columbia College Graduate Program, an applicant’s file must include the steps and materials outlined below.

Note: All official college transcripts should be submitted electronically to EvalTrans@ccis.edu or mailed to: Office of the Registrar, Columbia College, 1001 Rogers Street, Columbia, MO 65216.

All unofficial and non-transcript documents can be submitted electronically (Graduate@CCIS.edu) or sent to: Recruiting & Admissions Division, Columbia College, 1001 Rogers Street, Columbia, MO 65216.

Every applicant to any Columbia College program or Location, must complete the following steps for admission. Additional requirements may apply to specific applicant status (i.e. full, post-bacc, non-degree, readmit, international, etc.). See specific applicant status policies below for more information.

  1. Submit a completed application
  2. Authenticate identity (see Student Authentication below)
  3. Provide proof of graduate program readiness and pre-requisite completion (see below)
  4. Provide supportive documentation including but not limited to a resume and a goal statement (see below)

Proof of Graduate Program Readiness

Official transcripts must be submitted from all of the following in order to evaluate for the required 3.0 cumulative GPA, pre-requisites & college readiness:

  • All institutions where a bachelor’s degree was earned
  • All institutions where any of the required prerequisite courses were completed
  • All non-U.S. institutions where any coursework was completed 

Note: All other transcripts may be submitted as unofficial copies.

If interested in transferring master’s level credit into their graduate program, students can submit official master’s transcripts for transfer credit evaluation to the Office of the Registrar after admission. Transcripts can be submitted electronically to EvalTrans@CCIS.edu or mailed to: Office of the Registrar, Columbia College, 1001 Rogers Street, Columbia, MO 65216.

Supportive Documentation  

The following documents are required as support for the graduate application:

  1. A personal goal statement of 300-500 words.
    The goal statement should establish a correlation between the goals of the graduate degree program and the applicant’s personal and professional goals. Note: MAT and M.Ed. applicants should base their personal statement on their teaching philosophy and leadership goals. These can both be uploaded within the online application or sent in after application submission by emailing it to Graduate@CCIS.edu. 
  2. Current resume.
    Applicants may upload this directly within the application or email it to Graduate@CCIS.edu.

Additional Program Requirements

M.Ed. applicants

In addition to the Admission Procedures and requirements for admission, applicants for the M.Ed. must:

  • The personal goal statement that is submitted (in steps above) must demonstrate that the applicant has goals and personal qualities which are compatible with the goals and competencies focused upon in the program. This statement must illustrate the candidate’s professional competency thus far, including impact on students and student achievement; and
  • Current US teaching certificate. It is a state requirement that principal licensure is not recommended until teachers have at least two years of experience. 

MAT applicants

As part of the Admissions Procedures and requirements for admission, applicants for the MAT should note:

  • The personal goal statement submitted as part of the admission requirements must elaborate upon the general admission personal goal statement, and demonstrates that the applicant has goals and personal qualities which are compatible with the goals and competencies focused upon in the program.

The College reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant and to deny and/or rescind admission to any applicant who provides false or misleading information to the College.

Admission Requirements

Full Program Admission

Students applying for Full Program admission to any graduate program must complete all Admissions Procedures, as outlined above, and successfully complete the pre-requisites (if applicable) for their specific program prior to admission. The MAT and MED programs do not have additional pre-requisites for full program admission.

Admission Requirements

Full Program Admission

Students applying for Full Program admission to any graduate program must complete all Admissions Procedures, as outlined above, and successfully complete the pre-requisites (if applicable) for their specific program prior to admission. The MAT and MED programs do not have additional pre-requisites for full program admission.

MBA Pre-requisites

The following MBA prerequisite courses must be completed and students must have no more than one grade of C in any of the undergraduate prerequisites course in order to be considered for full admission: 

Course code Course title Credit hours
ACCT 280 Accounting I 3
ACCT 281 Accounting II 3
MKTG 210 Principles of Marketing 3
MGMT 230 Principles of Management 3
FINC 350 Business Finance 3

MBA Accounting Pre-requisites

In addition to the five general MBA prerequisites, admission to the Accounting emphasis of the MBA program requires the following undergraduate prerequisites with grades of B or higher.

Course code Course title Credit hours
ACCT 381 Federal Income Tax-Individuals 3
ACCT 382 Intermediate Accounting I 3
ACCT 383 Intermediate Accounting II 3
ACCT 385 Accounting Information Systems 3
ACCT 386 Cost and Managerial Accounting 3
ACCT 489 Auditing I 3

MSCJ Pre-requisites

To be review for admission, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • A baccalaureate degree in criminal justice

Post-Baccalaureate Admission

Students who hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university but who have not completed necessary undergraduate prerequisites for the respective graduate program may be admitted as post-baccalaureate (post-bacc) and enroll in undergraduate courses.

Students who are being reviewed for post-bacc program admission to any graduate program must complete all Admissions Procedures, as outlined above.

Note: Applicants cannot be admitted as both a Conditional and Post-Baccalaureate status. If Post-Bacc students do not meet minimum GPA requirements in addition to missing pre-requisites, their application will be reviewed by the Dean of the program School for admission approval.

Students admitted under the status of post-baccalaureate must complete the requirements of the status in order to be fully admitted to their graduate program. Once a student’s post-baccalaureate requirements have been successfully completed, the student’s record will automatically be updated to reflect full admission at the beginning of the next academic semester (i.e. Fall, Spring or Summer). The student will be notified of this change, and will then be eligible for graduate course enrollment.

For MAT only:  Once admitted to Columbia College, students completing post-baccalaureate courses fall under the same program retention requirements as full program students. The consequences for earning grades of C or lower in post-baccalaureate undergraduate courses are the same as those listed for graduate courses (see Grading and Academic Standing).

For MSCJ only: Applicants possessing a baccalaureate degree in a field other than criminal justice may apply and be considered for admission as a Post- Baccalaureate and must complete the following MSCJ prerequisite courses with an earned grade of B or higher in each course in order to be considered for full admission.

Course code Course title Credit hours
CJAD 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
CJAD 415 Criminal Procedures 3

Conditional Admission

Applicants who do not meet minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA admission requirements may be considered for conditional admission. (A cumulative GPA calculation is done using a straight 4.0 grading system with no consideration of pluses and minuses in the calculation.) Students last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework are evaluated for conditional admission. Grades, goal statement, and resume will all be considered carefully. Applicants should submit all materials for full program admission, and explain in their goal statement any circumstances that support their candidacy for admission to the college’s graduate programs. 

All pre-requisites must be completed prior to review as a conditional applicant. Applicants may be approved for conditional admission at the discretion of the Dean of the program’s School. 

Note: Applicants cannot be admitted as both a Conditional and Post-Baccalaureate status.

Additional degree-specific requirements for conditional admission are listed below: 

  • MBA - Conditional admission is based on appropriate professional experience or other preparation. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in each of the first two graduate courses (6 hours) for which they are enrolled. When this condition has been met, students will automatically be updated to full program status.
  • MSCJ - Conditional admission is based on appropriate professional experience or other preparation. Students may enroll in a maximum of six (6) hours under the category and must earn a grade of B or higher in all courses. When this condition has been met, students will automatically be updated to full program status.
  • MAT - Conditional admission is based on appropriate professional work and teaching experience, and/or potential for academic success at the graduate level. Students who are granted conditional admission are limited to one course per session until a GPA of 3.0 has been maintained through six (6) hours of coursework. When this condition has been met, students will automatically be updated to full program status.
  • MED - Conditional admission is based on appropriate professional work and teaching experience and/or potential for academic success at the graduate level. Students who are granted conditional admission are limited to one course per session until a GPA of 3.0 has been maintained through six (6) hours of coursework. When this condition has been met, students will automatically be updated to full program status.
  • Students admitted conditionally must complete the requirements of the program in order to be fully admitted to their graduate program. Once a student’s conditional requirements have been successfully completed, the student’s record will automatically be updated to reflect full admission at the beginning of the next academic semester (i.e. Fall, Spring, or Summer). The student will be notified of this change, and will then be eligible for graduate course enrollment.

Transfer Students

Students who have earned graduate credit at another regionally accredited institution may submit a request for evaluation of transfer credit. Requests must be submitted prior to the successful completion of 12 hours of graduate coursework at Columbia College. To be considered, the credit must be completed with grades of B or higher within the last seven years. No more than nine semester hours of graduate degree requirements may be fulfilled by transfer coursework. Students who wish to request transfer credit must contact their campus for instruction and additional details. Detailed information about transfer of credit can be found here: Evaluation of Credit and Testing.

Non-Degree Seeking Students

Students who hold a baccalaureate degree but do not wish to earn a graduate degree at Columbia College may enroll in graduate courses as non-degree seeking students. Non-degree seeking students with a bachelor’s degree may complete a maximum of twelve (12) semester hours of graduate-level coursework. There is no limit to the number of hours a non-degree seeking student can take if the student has an advanced degree. Non-degree students are not eligible for federal financial aid. Students enrolling at Columbia College under this non-degree status may be considered for degree-seeking status in a subsequent semester by completing the full degree-seeking application process. Non-degree seeking students cannot change/update to degree seeking in the middle of an academic semester.

For all programs, official transcripts from degree-granting institutions (undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate) and institutions where any of the required prerequisite coursework was completed are required. All other transcripts may be submitted as unofficial copies. To be reviewed for non-degree graduate admission, applicants must complete the Admissions Procedures AND provide the following program-specific requirements:

  • MBA non-degree: Non-degree seeking applicants must submit a resume and a completed application for graduate admission, accompanied by a personal goal statement (300-500 words). Applicants must present a minimum 3.0 undergraduate cumulative grade point average.
  • MED non-degree: Those applying as non-degree seeking students must submit a resume and a completed application for graduate admission, accompanied by a copy of current teaching certification.
  • MAT non-degree: Those applying as non-degree seeking students must submit a resume and a completed application for graduate admission. 
  • MSCJ non-degree: Non-degree seeking applicants must submit a resume and a completed application for graduate admission.

Non-degree seeking students are required to remain in good academic standing (not on academic or disciplinary probation). Non-degree seeking students who do not enroll in one or more consecutive semesters (Main Campus Day) or six consecutive sessions (Main Campus Evening and Nationwide/Online locations), must reapply for non-degree admission. Non-degree seeking students are not eligible for financial aid.

International students who wish to enroll part-time at Columbia College may be considered for admission as a non-degree student. Students must be degree seeking to be eligible for a SEVIS I-20 Form from the College at applicable locations. Non-degree seeking international students must show proof of English proficiency.

Enrollment for non-degree seeking students is on a space-available basis only. Course selections may be limited. Many courses include prerequisite/corequisite requirements. (See course descriptions for details regarding specific courses). Non-degree seeking students must provide proof that course prerequisites have been met prior to enrolling in the respective course(s). Failure to meet these preliminary requirements may result in being dropped from the course(s).

Changing Locations (Location Transfer)

Students attending online, nationwide or main campus evening can cross enroll or update/change their location without needing to reapply. Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor at their current location prior to changing locations. By meeting with an advisor, students will be able to make an informed decision prior to changing locations and taking into consideration possible impacts to:

  • Institutional aid
  • Degree program availability
  • Course availability
  • Degree completion

If you are an applicant/admitted student and are not currently enrolled, please contact the Admission Office to change before enrolling in classes. Note that this process cannot be completed by logging into your previously submitted application.

Students wishing to change master’s degree programs cannot do so by completing the change of location- they must complete a new application. Contact the Recruiting & Admissions Division for more details.

Pre-Graduate Students

Students who have earned over ninety (90) undergraduate semester hours toward the baccalaureate degree at a regionally-accredited college or university who wish to start their graduate studies early may apply for admission in the Pre-Graduate category. Pre-Graduate students may complete a maximum of nine (9) graduate hours without full program acceptance. After completion of the baccalaureate degree and up to nine (9) graduate semester hours, Pre-Graduate students must submit complete application materials to be considered for full program admission (see Full Admission policies). Pre-Graduate students are subject to the same academic regulations and requirements as all degree-seeking students.  MAT and MSCJ Pre-Graduate students may enroll in designated courses only. MSCJ Pre-Graduate status is limited to main campus students only.

  • MAT - Students in the BEACON program who have earned 90 hours of credit or more, and who will finish their bachelor’s degrees through these programs at Columbia College, may apply for Pre-Graduate status. Applicants must meet all other qualifications for the Teacher Certification Program, including cumulative GPA of 3.0, passing scores on all sections of the MoGEA exam, and a passing score on the appropriate MOCA exam. Applicants for Pre-Graduate status must submit a completed and signed application for graduate admission, and transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Those accepted as Pre-Graduate students may take up to nine (9) semester hours of graduate coursework toward certification. In order to complete EDUC 698 Graduate Student Teaching (MAT Only), students admitted with Pre-Graduate status must complete their bachelor’s degrees and must reapply in order to be considered for Post-Baccalaureate admission to the MAT Program. Graduate coursework taken toward certification requirements does not fulfill Education Certification Minor requirements for students in the BEACON program.
  • MSCJ - Students applying for Pre-Graduate status must submit a completed and signed application for graduate admission accompanied by transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Applicants must have earned more than 90 undergraduate semester hours toward the baccalaureate degree at a regionally accredited college or university and have an overall GPA of 3.0. Eligible degree programs are those closely related to the criminal justice area at regionally accredited colleges or universities. Those accepted as Pre-Graduate status students may take up to nine (9) semester hours of graduate coursework in the MSCJ program while observing all existing MSCJ program requirements.

Teacher Certification Program

Columbia College offers a variety of teacher certification programs. All candidates for the teacher certification programs are expected to meet general admission requirements to Columbia College. (See Admissions Requirements for more details.) Not all programs for teacher certification are available at all Columbia College locations. See specific program details in catalog and on our website. Contact the Recruiting & Admissions Division for more program specific information.

Note: Acceptance to Columbia College does not guarantee acceptance to the teacher certification course sequence. 

Admission to the teacher certification program is on a moderately selective basis. Additional details regarding selection criteria for the teacher certification course sequence is available online.

Master's Post-Baccalaureate

The Columbia College Master’s Post Baccalaureate program (MAT.PB) is designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree and wish to pursue teacher certification along with a master’s degree. (This program, with graduate level courses is currently only offered through the main campus in Columbia, Missouri. Students at the Lake Ozark or St. Louis locations may be admitted if they wish to commute to enroll in graduate courses.)

  • Completed at least six hours of the Post-Baccalaureate core at Columbia College, which must include EDUC 505. Post-baccalaureate core courses are: EDUC 505, EDUC 542, EDUC 550 and EDUC 550 (or their undergraduate equivalents);
  • Attained a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 (includes all coursework, Columbia College and other) with no grade of less than C in the professional education and content area courses; (Note: State overall GPA requirements will increase from 2.5 to 2.75 and content area and professional education GPAs will increase from 2.8 to 3.0 beginning with the Spring 2017 semester. See Dismissal on Grading and Academic Standing page for more information.)
  • Completion of application materials for admission to the Teacher Certification Program. (Application materials are available on the Teacher Certification page).

Undergraduate Post-Baccalaureate

The Columbia College Undergraduate Post-Baccalaureate Certification Program (UPB.CERT) is designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree and wish to pursue teacher certification but not a master’s degree. This program is available through the main campus in Columbia as well as at two nationwide locations - Lake of the Ozarks and St. Louis, Missouri. (Not all certificate options are available at all three campus locations.)

Students interested in applying to the undergraduate program must follow the undergraduate admissions procedures as outlined in the undergraduate catalog.

Other Admission Policies

International applicants have additional requirements and guidelines (see International Student Admission Policy). Proof of English proficiency is required for all international students and non-native English speakers (see English Proficiency Requirement). 

Readmission applicants have additional requirements and guidelines (see Readmission Policy).

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