August 26, 2005
TO:
Robert Mrtek, Chair
Senate Committee on Educational Policy
FROM:
Roger Nelson
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
On January 12, 2005, the Senate Committee on Educational Policy approved a document
called SCEP Guidelines for Adding, Eliminating, Suspending, Revising, and
Reorganizing Academic Programs and Units. This document was intended to provide
specific detail about the types of programmatic changes submitted to OAA—Academic
Programs and whether those changes need to be sent to the Senate as an action item, an
information item, or not at all (see
http://ossssql1.admin.uillinois.edu/oaa/content/files/SCEPGuidelinesUpdated8.06.doc).
Listed among the programmatic changes in that document are the guidelines that stipulate
that changes to “campus admission requirements” would require SCEP/Senate approval,
while “changes to admission requirements to a major or college” would be reported to
SCEP.
We have since realized that the broad statements made in these guidelines regarding
admissions requirements/criteria may not appropriately address the varied and
complicated admission requirements that are currently in place and frequently changed.
Some admissions requirements are very minor and may not be considered strictly
academic in nature (e.g., three letters of recommendation, personal statement); others
may be major and have academic implications, either on program quality or on student
performance (adding or removing courses as admission requirements to a college or
major).
The attached detailed list of admissions requirements/criteria is intended as a source of
analysis and discussion on this topic. Which of the attached admissions
requirements/criteria does SCEP feel that it and the Senate need to act on? Which of the
attached admissions requirements/criteria does SCEP feel require no action but about
which SCEP should be informed? Given the fact that admissions requirements to
individual degree programs change very frequently, we are trying to create a balance so
that many admissions requirement changes can be made quickly and easily; but at the
same time identify those requirements that are of sufficient importance to require review
and approval or routing for information.
I ask that the Senate Committee on Educational Policy review the attached and advise us
on which items require approval or routing as information. Should you have any
questions, I will be happy to respond.
Copy: R. Betts
C. Hulse
L. Kaufman
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Description of Admission Requirements
8/9/05
Purpose: These admission criteria are examples of those that may be added, changed, or
removed as requirements. They may also be changed from required to recommended or
vice versa. This document is provided as a basis for analysis and discussion on what
sorts of admission requirement changes should be sent to the Graduate College and
Senate committees for review (information or approval).
Notes: Beginning freshman admission requirements appear on pages 7 and 8 of the
Undergraduate Catalog 2005-2007.
Some programs have matriculation requirements that must be fulfilled after admission
has been offered (e.g., once admitted, a student in Pharmacy must show proof of
inoculation, hold a valid technician license, fulfill HIPPA requirements).
Samples of different types of admissions criteria are listed below.
For graduate programs in Education, Math, English, admission requirements sometimes
vary by concentration.
1) Course Prerequisites: These may or may not be part of a degree, and may be
required for entrance to a major, for transfer students, or for degree program:
a) Doctor of Pharmacy program requires 60 semester hours of preprofessional
coursework. This coursework is technically not part of the PharmD degree, which
requires 133 total hours.
b) For transfer students in the College of Engineering, specific coursework is
required in order to apply. This courswork ultimately becomes degree
requirements.
c) Example of an admission requirement changing to a recommendation: CBA
previously required UIC intercollege transfers to have taken MATH 160 and
MATH 165 with a grade of C or better before admission. This has been changed
to “recommended” before enrollment. Also, CBA used to require completion of
one of the ENGL comp courses and college-level calculus or finite math with
grades of C for all transfer students. Now, students are encouraged to complete
them before enrollment in the college. These courses are required for all CBA
undergraduate degrees.
d) The BS in Human Nutrition degree requires 60 semester hours of “pre-human
nutrition” coursework for admission. Ultimately, these hours become degree
requirements for the BS in Human Nutrition degree.
e) For admission to the Communication major in LAS, students need to complete
COMM 101 with a grade of C or better, which is also a major requirement. For
admission to the Criminal Justice major in LAS, students need to complete CRJ
101 with a grade of C or better, which is also a major requirement.
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f) For admission to the Neuroscience major in LAS, students need to have
completed BIOS 286 or PSCH 262. Completion of one of these courses is also a
major requirement.
g) For admission to any major in the Department of Mathematics, Stat and Computer
Science, “concurrent registration in MATH 180” is a requirement.
h) Prior degrees/prior coursework: At the graduate level, admission to advanced
degrees typically requires an earned baccalaureate or master’s degree, the field of
which may not be prescribed (described as “no restrictions”), or a very specific
degree required, or general background coursework or specific prerequisites
required.
i) “Engineering.”
ii) “BS degree in nursing from an accredited program or baccalaureate in another
field and have graduated from a nursing program preparing the student for
registered professional nursing. For the student with a baccalaureate degree in
a field other than nursing, NUSC 210, 242, and 385 are required, and other
courses may be required in other concentrations.
iii) “Industrial Engineering or a related curriculum, but must be from an ABETaccredited university or the equivalent.”
iv) “Civil Engineering or a related field.
v) “baccalaureate field in the physical sciences, engineering, computer science,
math, biology, or medicine.”
vi) “26 hours of biological sciences beyond the introductory level, two semesters
of organic chemistry, two semesters of physics, and mathematics through
introductory calculus.”
vii) “Prior academic work must include 20 semester hours of physics, including
PHYS 401, 421, and 441, or their equivalents”
viii) “prior academic work should include introductory calculus, statistics,
intermediate microeconomic theory, and intermediate macroeconomic theory”
ix) “All applicants must have had the following background coursework:
mathematics through the level of calculus covering integration and
differentiation, and statistics through regression analysis.”
x) “The formal prerequisites to the program are basic background in mathematics
and business statistics, which can be fulfilled with an online mini course (for
the MA in Real Estate”
xi) “prior academic coursework should include biology, general chemistry,
histology, and other related sciences”
xii) “Applicants must have a solid background in biology and inorganic and
organic chemistry, and at least one year of physics and mathematics.”
2) Changes in Class standing
a) Class standing entrance requirements may change. For example, the College of
Education at one time changed admission from the junior year to the sophomore
year for the B.A. in Elementary Education.
b) The campus entrance criterion for transfer students changed from 24 semester
hours (advanced freshman standing) to 36 semester hours (sophomore standing.
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3) Admission tests with specific scores
a) ACT/SAT test scores for beginning freshman
b) Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) for PharmD
c) At the graduate level:
i) GRE, GMAT, sometimes listed with scores and sometimes listed with a time
limit (e.g., the GMAT/GRE score must be from a test administered within 5
years of the requested date of entry); or other stipulations, e.g., “General GRE
scores are required for financial aid applicants and all students with degrees
from outside the U.S.”
ii) For graduate education programs leading to state certification, passing scores
on the Illinois Basic Skills Test are required.
4) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for international students, with
score indicated (also at graduate level)
5) High School rank/subject patterns required for their major (many undergraduate)
6) Policy statements relating to coursework: Some programs have specific policies
about prior course work. For example, science courses taken more than 5 years prior
to application/matriculation are not accepted (undergraduate Medical Laboratory
Sciences program).
7) Portfolio of design work or audition
a) for “advanced placement” in undergraduate Architecture
b) acceptance into the BFA in Graphic Design, Industrial Design,
Photography/Film/Electronic Media
c) for admission to the performance concentration of the BA in Theatre, an audition
is required
d) At graduate level, e.g.,
i) Portfolio review is required for admission to different options of the Master of
Architecture program as well as to the MFA degrees in the College of
Architecture and the Arts.
8) Placement tests
a) Many undergraduate colleges require Pre-Enrollment Evaluation Program set of
tests
b) undergraduate music transfer students required to take a placement test in music
theory,
9) Specific Cumulative GPA
a) For transfer students from other institutions, UIC students seeking intercollegiate
transfer, admission criteria to various colleges may be raised or lowered. For
example, the CBA intercollege transfer UIC GPA and cumulative GPA was
changed from 2.75/4.00 to 2.50/4.00. The CBA transfer student GPA changed
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from 3.00/4.00 GPA to 2.50/4.00. The College also eliminated the 3.00/4.00
GPA requirement for the 36 hours of earned course work prior to enrollment.
b) Various programs may have several different gpa requirements, like a specific
natural science course GPA (nursing transfer GPA).
c) GPA requirements may be different for U.S. students versus international
students. Some program majors have a GPA requirement for admission, e.g.,
Communication, Neuroscience
a) At graduate level, a minimum GPA is used as an admission criterion for just
about every graduate program. Some get very specific:
i) At least 3.00 in mathematics and science courses other than independent study
or research courses, and 2.75 for final 60 semester hours of undergraduate
study.
10) Required grades in transfer courses. For example, Nursing requires transfer
students to have a “C” or better in all required transfer work.
11) Licensure
a) RN/BSN students are required to have an RN license
b) At the graduate level, applicants to graduate nursing must have license to practice
as a professional nurse (with exceptions).
12) Skills or background
a) Reading/writing proficiency for BS in HIM
b) Word Processing Skills for the BS in Nursing, proficiency and clarity in both
written and spoken English,
c) 100 Service Learning Hours (BA in Elementary Education)
d) At the graduate level – at least one year of teaching experience (some graduate
education).
13) Health-related requirements, e.g., current CPR certification and various health tests
and vaccinations for the BS in Nursing
14) Personal characteristics
a) For BS in HIM – ability to convey maturity, desire to work with people and
ability to direct work of others, thorough understanding of the professional health
information manager’s role and responsibilities
b) For PharmD, good moral character, strong potential for professional outlook and
behavior, evidence of leadership and maturity, mental and physical competence to
complete all tasks related to profession
15) Completed Application, sometimes in addition to or different from the University
application
16) Personal Statement
a) Writing samples may be required
b) Also at graduate level, often required.
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i) The MS in Accounting program requires a resume.
17) Personal Interview, Also at graduate level, e.g,, the PhD in Business Administration
18) Letters of Recommendation
a) Transfer students in the PharmD must present a recommendation letter from their
most recently attended college of pharmacy.
b) Also, letters of recommendation are often required for admission to graduate
programs
19) Other
a) Requirement that student have at least “3 semesters left” of coursework before
completing the degree (Honors College)
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