2026-2027 Academic Catalog

Category: Academics

Academics

  • Class Level

    Undergraduate Students

    Class level is determined at the time of admission and at the end of each subsequent semester during which the student is enrolled based on the number of credits earned. Degree-seeking students are classified as follows:

    For students following the 2024/2025 catalog year (or later):

    • Freshmen up to 29.5 credits completed or in progress
    • Sophomores 30 – 59.5 credits completed or in progress
    • Juniors 60 – 89.5 credits completed or in progress
    • Seniors 90 or more credits completed or in progress

    For students following the 2023/2024 catalog year (or prior):

    • Freshmen up to 29.5 credits completed or in progress
    • Sophomores 30 – 62.5 credits completed or in progress
    • Juniors 63 – 92.5 credits completed or in progress
    • Seniors 93 or more credits completed or in progress

    All students, regardless of catalog year, will be eligible for assigned priority registration following the class levels defined for the 2024/2025 guidelines. 

    Financial Aid eligibility will factor in a student’s current assigned catalog year to determine class level. 

    Graduate Students

    Class level is determined at the time of admission and at the end of each subsequent semester during which the student is enrolled based on the number of credits earned. Degree-seeking students are classified as follows:

    • First Year up to 29.5 credits completed or in progress
    • Second Year 30 – 60 credits completed or in progress

  • College Liability

    The College assumes no responsibility for the loss of or damage to student property. While the College exercises great care with regard to the safety of students working in studios and shops, it cannot be responsible for injuries that may occur. Students found damaging the work of other students are subject to disciplinary measures up to and including dismissal from the College.

  • Course Overload

    A class schedule containing more than 18 credit hours in one semester is considered a course overload. Students who wish to register for an overload must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and must be in good academic standing. Permission to take above 18 credit hours in one semester is granted by the academic advisor.

  • Credit Hours

    College for Creative Studies uses credit hours as a general measure of academic work and progress toward degrees at both the Undergraduate and Graduate level. The College’s use of credit hours complies with standards established by our accrediting bodies and is consistent with generally accepted practices of peer institutions across the nation. At CCS, one credit hour represents an average of at least three hours of work each week for a period of 15 or 16 weeks. Most classes offered at CCS award three credit hours upon successful completion, hence an average of at least nine hours per week of classroom and outside work, totaling 135 hours in a 15 week semester is expected. For studio courses, three credit hours represents six hours of class time with an average of at least three hours of work outside of class each week. For lecture classes, including Liberal Arts, three credit hours represents three hours of class time with an average of at least six hours of work outside of class each week. Workloads may vary from class to class, depending upon the period during the semester, but students should expect to commit to an average of at least nine hours of classroom and outside work per week for every three credit hour class taken.

    During a 15 or 16 week semester students enrolled in a three credit hour independent study or a three credit fully online course are expected to commit to at least nine hours of work per week or 135 hours. Summer courses that are offered in a condensed term are scheduled to have the same number of classroom hours as a lecture or studio class of equal credit would have over a 15 week semester. Likewise the weekly expectation of outside of class work is adjusted so that the classroom and outside work totals at least 135 hours.

    Students in the undergraduate program may complete more than 3 hours of effort per credit during an elective internship, a CCS travel class or Directed Teaching.

  • Dean’s and President’s List

    Undergraduate students who complete a minimum of 12 credits during a given semester with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 to 3.799 are placed on the Dean’s List. Undergraduate students who achieve a GPA of 3.80 or above are placed on the President’s List. A notation will be placed on the student’s transcript for each semester that Dean’s List status is achieved.

  • Declaring or Changing Majors

    If you are an undeclared student and need to declare your major, or you are a student who wishes to change your major, you must:

    1. Meet with a staff advisor in the Academic Advising and Registration Office (AARO)to discuss your plans. Complete and sign the Change of Major form. It is best to make any changes before registering for the upcoming semester.
    2. Meet with the chair of the department you intend to enter and have him/her approve the transfer of any credits from your old major to the new major (if applicable) and sign and date the Change of Major Form.

      The Program Manager will forward the completed form to the Academic Advising and Registration Office.

    If a student decides to change majors, all classes already taken will count in the maximum timeframe SAP evaluation. It is possible a change of major could impact your SAP standing.

  • Departmental Review Attendance

    The academic programs at CCS are designed to challenge students, prepare them for careers in the visual arts and design, and provide them with opportunities to express their ideas through visual and verbal presentations. At least once each academic year, students are expected to participate in a departmental review. Students who do not attend the review at the scheduled date and time and have circumstances the are beyond their control, should immediately contact the department. Documentation regarding the circumstances may be required from the student. The department will reschedule the review at a time mutually agreeable for the department and student. Students who do not attend their scheduled review and do not make arrangements with the department to reschedule are ineligible to register for the next semester. If a student has registered, he, she, or they will be removed from the registered courses. A departmental hold will be placed on the student’s record until the matter is resolved with the department.

  • Dismissal from the College

    The College reserves the right to dismiss a student at any time for academic dishonesty or improper behavior. Improper behavior is defined as, but not limited to, actions by an individual that may be detrimental to the student, other students, or the College, or damage to College property. It also includes violations of civil, state, or federal law. See the Code of Student Conduct for further details.

  • First Year Experience

    The First Year Experience is a comprehensive transitional 1 credit hour course that begins the week prior to classes and continues throughout the first semester. It explores topics and issues that are pertinent to the success of students at CCS as well as building social interaction with faculty, staff and upper class students.

    Passing this course is required for all freshmen (excluding transfer students with more than 12 transferable credit hours from an accredited U.S. institution) in order to move on to sophomore level classes.

  • Freedom of Expression

    The mission of the College for Creative Studies asserts that we embrace excellence, ethical action, and social responsibility in all aspects in the practice of art, design, and scholarship. To adequately support this mission, CCS must preserve freedom of expression in all its forms. Freedom of expression is essential to basic human dignity. It ensures that members of the CCS community (students, faculty, staff and guests invited by the College) are at liberty to develop their creative abilities to the fullest extent.

    CCS supports the rights of its community members to research and create using all forms of expression. It supports the right to express one’s views publicly as well as privately at venues and in activities both on and off campus.

    The CCS community recognizes that creative expression by its very nature may be provocative. To encourage healthy debate, members of the CCS community and guests must demonstrate respect for the right of others to express views which they find disagreeable or offensive. Likewise members of the CCS community must be sensitive to the various audiences who may encounter their work.

    That being said, CCS also notes that this freedom is not absolute. In certain circumstances, the institution may restrict expression, for example, that violates the law, is harassing or defamatory, invades substantial privacy or confidentiality interests, or does not meet curatorial standards. Moreover, the institution may reasonably regulate the time, place, and manner of expression to ensure that it does not disrupt the ordinary activities of the College.