Admissions

A student seeking the MA in organizational leadership degree from Charleston Southern University who has not submitted all of the required documentation and materials for Regular Admission may be accepted on the provision that he or she submit the missing required materials as determined by the Enrollment Services Office prior to preregistration for the next term. The minimum requirements for Provisional Admission are (1) the completed graduate application, (2) the application fee and (3) evidence of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. Enrollment cannot exceed 9 credit hours of MA-level courses during the provisional period.

Students admitted under Provisional Admission will not be eligible for financial aid.

Nondegree Admission is granted to students who do not intend to apply for regular admission. Such students must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution and have at least a 2.50 undergraduate GPA or permission of the Director. A student may take a maximum of nine graduate hours in the program under the nondegree admission status. Financial aid is not available to nondegree students.

Academically qualified students from foreign countries are encouraged to apply for admission to Charleston Southern University. Applicants must be sufficiently proficient in English to be able to study entirely in the English language. The following must be sent to the Enrollment Services Office in addition to the admission materials for the graduate program:

1. Official Bank Statement
2. Official Course by Course Evaluation (See admissions application packet for approved agencies)
3. Official TOEFL (Students from countries where English is not the primary language will be required to submit a minimum TOEFL score of 550; computer-based score of 213 or Internet-based score of 79).
4. International Student Eligibility Form

Due to Immigration and Naturalization Service requirements and the necessity of having transcripts evaluated, the deadline for admission applications from International students is one calendar month prior to registration day (according to the CSU Academic Calendar) of the academic term of entry.

Applications received after the deadline may be considered for a future entry term if the applicant desires. Students are required to have their academic transcript(s) evaluated by an outside agency prior to admissions acceptance. All fees for these services are paid by the student directly to the party or agency providing them. You may call the Office of Enrollment Services for more information.

When an applicant has been accepted by the university, a Certificate of Eligibility for the nonimmigrant (F-1) student, known as Form I-20 A-B, will be mailed along with an acceptance letter. Students entering Charleston Southern University must assume full financial responsibility for tuition and charges incurred. In the event a student is being sponsored by an individual or company, an Affidavit of Support and supporting financial documents must be submitted by the sponsor on behalf of the student. After issuance of Form I-20 A-B and prior to the drop/add deadline of the respective term, an advance cash deposit is required to be on file within the business office in the amount of the total cost of the term, including any necessary insurance premium. Otherwise Charleston Southern University reserves the right to deny the student attendance for that term.

With prior approval, a maximum of six semester hours of transfer credit may be accepted from a graduate business program at a regionally accredited institution, toward the fulfillment of requirements for the MA in organizational leadership degree at Charleston Southern University. Approval of the Director of the Program or the Dean of the Nielsen College of Business must be obtained during the application process, and the decision whether or not to award credit at that time is final. Students may not attempt to transfer previously taken courses at a later date. Credit will not be given for courses taken more than six (6) calendar years prior to the awarding of the degree at Charleston Southern University. Transfer credit cannot be revalidated if the time limit expires. Only courses with grades in the B or A range will be considered for transfer. Pass/Fail courses may not be transferred into the program. Credit will not be given for courses taken to obtain another master’s degree.

Students currently enrolled in any of the programs at CSU must have prior written approval to take courses from another institution for transfer credit. This approval form must carry the signatures of the director of the program or the dean of the Nielsen College of Business and the registrar. Courses accepted in transfer are recorded as credit only: grades are recorded on a transfer evaluation form, but no grade points or grade point averages are computed. The grade point average used for administering policy and for graduation is computed on academic credit earned at CSU. The primary purpose of the transfer credits policy is to grant incoming students credit for work previously completed. Students are expected to take the appropriate courses offered by Charleston Southern University once they enter the program. Students may be granted the opportunity to take courses offered by other institutions only under special circumstances.