Special Academic Policies for Students Taking
Information Technology Courses

All normal Clayton State University admission, progression, and graduation requirements for certificate, associate degree, and baccalaureate degree apply to the Information Technology Department. Because of the unique laddered nature of the ITCL program, there are some special policies that apply to IT students as explained below. For further information and appropriate paperwork when necessary, contact the Department of Information technology (770) 961-3636, TEC-105

1. Enforcement of Clayton State University application deadlines. It is essential that potential IT students apply to Clayton State University by the published deadline and attend a schedules new student orientation session. Because math placement, transcript evaluation, and careful advisement are so critical to the IT program, students who apply late and/or miss orientation may find that they cannot be accommodated in IT courses during their first semester of attendance even if they are otherwise qualified.

2. Learning Support Requirements. Any student who is required by the University to take Learning Support (LS) courses must exit all LS requirements (mathematics, English, and reading) before enrolling in any course with IT prefix. See item 3 below for additional information abut mathematics placement.

3. Mathematics Placement Testing. All new students admitted to Clayton State University are required to take mathematics placement testing unless they already have credit for Math 1101 or Math 1111 or higher level math (other then Math1231 - Introductory Statistics). Math placement is especially critical for Information Technology. Therefore, there are special provisions for IT students as follows:

1. IT students who have math credit with a grade lower then C are required to take the math placement test. Students who fail to take the placement test will be delayed from entering math courses and will therefore be delayed from participation in the IT program.
2. IT students who have math credit with a C or better are required to take the math placement test if their math credit is more then three years old.
   The result of this testing (and the student's admission status will determine whether the student is adequately prepared to take college-level mathematics coursework.

• Students who score well on their placement test will have a recommended placement of MATH 1101 or higher.
• Students admitted on limited or non-traditional basis whose placement test (COMPASS) results call for Learning Support math (MATH 0096, 0097, or 0099) must take the course(s) and must exit the series before they may take any IT courses.
• Students admitted as regular or transfer students whose placement test results indicated placement below MATH 1101 are strongly recommended to remediate before undertaking college-level math. Students in this category who choose to attempt MATH 1101 or MATH 1111 without undertaking the recommended remediation do so at their own risk and are cautioned that failure to make a C or better in the math course will interrupt their progress in the IT program.
• Students who have math credit of C or better that is more than two years old may be recommended, but not required, to remediate or to re-take college- level math.

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4. Core Curriculum. The ITCL includes the full University System of Georgia General Education Core Curriculum (Areas A-E); however, because of the laddered nature of the program, there is not a standard Area F, and some areas of A-E are more narrowly defined. In addition, the ITCL differs from the traditional academic program because Core Curriculum courses are spread across all four years rather than concentrated at the freshman-sophomore level.

5. Post-Baccalaureate Students. Individuals who already hold the bachelor's degree in another field are welcome to enter the ITCL by following post- baccalaureate admission process indicated in the Admissions Information chapter of this catalog. Post-baccalaureate students are presumed to have completed the equivalent of Core Curriculum Areas A-E subject to normal Clayton State University residency and total hours requirements and subject to the following special ITCL provisions:

1. A post-baccalaureate student must meet the ITCL requirement for grades of C or better (or K) in MATH 1101 and MATH 1221 (or higher) even if the student earned the bachelor's degree with lower math courses and/or lower grades. (See item 3 for math placement information.)
2. A post-baccalaureate student must meet the Clayton State University requirement for a C or better (or K) in Composition I (ENGL 1101) even if the student earned the bachelor's degree with a lower grade in the equivalent course.

Notes: Post-baccalaureates are exempt from Critical Thinking (CRIT 1101); Post-baccalaureates must meet the IT requirement of a C or better (or K) in Composition II (ENGL 1102).

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6. Residency Requirement. Normal Clayton State University graduation residency requirements apply for each level of the ITCL subject to the following provisions:

1. Students who earn credit for IT courses via credit by examination administered by Clayton State University may petition the Dean of CIMS to have such credit counted as in- residence credit.
2. The following lower division courses must be taken in residence:
               ITFN 2001, Professional Development Seminar
               ITFN 2012, Internship
               ITFN 2123, Foundations of Project Management.
3. The following upper division courses must be taken in residence:
               ITFN 4003, Portfolio Development
               ITFN 4014, Internship.
4. All other upper division courses with a prefix beginning IT must be taken in residence unless the Department Head and Dean specifically sign off on transfer course equivalency to allow the course to be counted toward the B.I.T. This "sign off' does not waive the minimum University residency requirement.

7. Advisement to Take Information Technology Courses. Any student
    taking a course with a prefix beginning IT must be advised each semester by the Department of IT. For non-IT majors, this IT advisement is in addition to advisement they may have received from another school of the University.

• Students new to Clayton State University are advised at orientation as indicated in item 1 above. 
• Continuing IT majors must attend one of the announced group advisement sessions.
• Non-IT majors wanting to take an IT course must make an appointment with an IT advisor.

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Note: Due to high demand, opportunities for "drop-in" IT advisement are very limited; appointments or group sessions are highly encouraged.

8. Changes in IT Curriculum. Normal University policy on catalog requirements apply to the ITCL. (See the Graduation Requirements chapter.) The statement that, "Changes are often necessary in order to keep up with changing knowledge in fields and to improve instruction" is especially relevant to the ITCL. If a student remains in continuous enrollment, completed courses that counted toward graduation will continue to count even if the curriculum is changed; however, course requirements that lie ahead of the student may be changed, and the student will be held to the provisions of the updated curriculum. In such cases, advisors will work closely to assist majors to ensure a smooth curricular transition. The ITCL Worksheet (tri-fold paper and on the Web) is updated and widely distributed periodically and will contain the most current curriculum. Students are responsible for securing the latest copy of the worksheet.

9. Transfer of IT Coursework - in and out of Clayton State University.

1. Transfer in: Clayton State University endeavors to give students due credit for equivalent college-level course work transferred to Clayton State University from other accredited colleges and universities. However, because of the unique laddered nature of the ITCL, coursework accepted by the University for transfer mayor may not apply toward graduation in the ITCL. The Department of IT will assess each course to determine if it will apply as a direct equivalent or a substitution for a Clayton State University IT course. Validation examinations may be required.
2. Transfer out: Clayton State University is fully accredited and, therefore, other colleges and universities will accept in transfer Clayton State University coursework that is equivalent to their courses in accordance with their transfer policy. However, ITCL students should be aware that due to the unique laddered nature of the ITCL program, IT courses at Clayton State University may not be considered equivalent to those at other institutions and vice versa. Thus transferability is more limited in the IT field than in more traditional disciplines. It is especially important to note that Clayton State University includes in lower division IT courses much content that other institutions offer at the junior-senior level. This is advantageous from a career development standpoint, but it may further constrain transferability.

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10. Transient Students. Transient students must meet all transient requirements listed in the Admissions Information section of the catalog. In addition, due to the unique and highly sequenced nature of the ITCL, transient students wishing to take IT courses must be approved by the Head of the Department of IT or the CIMS Dean to insure that all course prerequisites/corequisites have been met and to confirm that space is available.

11. Credit by Examination or Certification. Credit for many, but not all, IT courses may be earned by examination or certification in accordance with University policy. (See the Academic Information chapter.) IT students should be aware that recognized industry certifications (e.g., MOUS) are not necessarily equivalent to Clayton State University courses but may include areas covered within a course.

12. Course Exemptions. In some cases, IT students may be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills that are sufficient to exempt a student from a course but not sufficient to award academic transcript credit for the course. In such cases, the IT department will arrange for the student to take a substitute course.

13. Grade Requirements. ITCL students must earn a grade of C or better (or K) in the following courses:

1. All courses with a prefix beginning with IT (e.g., ITFN and ITSK)
2. ENGL 1101 & 1102; COMM 1001 & 1002; CPTG 1010; CRIT 1101
3. Any MATH course counted toward C.I.T., A.A.S.I.T., B.I.T.
4. All upper division courses (3,000-4,000) counted toward graduation.

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14. Corequisites and Prerequisites. Because the ITCL is designed to enable students to develop skills through a series of connected and sequenced Courses students should be aware that corequistes and prerequisites are more pervasive in ITCL than in more traditional programs. As a consequence, the following University policies are of particular relevance to IT students:

• It is the student's responsibility to be aware of and fulfill the corequisite and/or prerequisite standards as indicated in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog. In most cases, a grade of C or better (or K) must be earned in the prerequisite course.
• A student who registers for a course for which the student does not meet the corequisite/prerequisite standard will be dropped from the course. (This most often occurs when a student pre-registers with the assumption that he or she will complete with an acceptable grade the prerequisite course in which the student is currently enrolled but fails to do so.)
• A student who withdraws during the semester from a course that has a corequisite must also withdraw from the corequisite course. For example, MATH 1101 & ITFN 1101 are corequisite courses, so withdrawing from MATH 1101 necessitates withdrawal from ITFN 1101 as well.
• Passing the Regents' Test is not required to earn a certificate from Clayton State University.
  The Regents' Test is required for associate and bachelor's degrees. Students are required to take the Regents' Test during the next semester of enrollment after they have completed 30 semester hours of credit. See Regents' Test Policy section of this catalog for details and exceptions.

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15. Hardware and Software requirements. Like all students at Clayton State University, students in the ITCL are expected to have ready access to a notebook computer with specifications and software appropriate to their program of study. All Clayton State University students are expected to have ready access to the Internet and to e-mail and to regularly monitor their Clayton State University e-mail accounts for official communications from faculty members and administrators. All of these general requirements are especially important for ITCL students, and ITCL students must be aware that the level of hardware and software appropriate for those majoring in Information Technology is more sophisticated, and often more expensive, than that used in other programs. The responsibility for meeting these standards and costs rests with the student.

16. Learning Profile and Data Collection. As part of certain classes, ITCL students may be required to establish a Learning Profile that ascertains such information as foundation in mathematics, communication, and basic computer navigation skills. In addition, the profile may require students to engage in learning/personality profile activities. Also, the IT Department and the University may gather student-specific information for purposes of program evaluation and improvement. Any such data gathered will be protected from inappropriate use or release by law and by University policy.

17. It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with policies and procedures described in the following:

• Clayton State University Academic Catalog and Schedule of Classes
• Student Handbook
• Course Syllabi.

18. Ethical Behavior in the IT field is extremely important and IT students are thus held to a high standard. Because intellectual property available in electronic format is especially easy to copy and distribute, IT students are reminded that they should be fully aware of and abide by all regulations concerning copyright ; plagiarism, and unauthorized assistance. Consult the Clayton State University Student Handbook for policies and consequences of unethical behavior.)

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