General Studies
GENERAL STUDIES Admission Requirements
A. All applicants must either be a high school graduate with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.3, or a general equivalency diploma (GED) recipient with a score of 530 (score of 53 prior to 2002). If an applicant’s GPA or GED score is below the minimum, he/she may be eligible for admission under transfer student guidelines.
Transfer Student Guidelines
A transfer student must be a high school graduate or a GED recipient and have earned a minimum of 12 credit hours of college coursework from a regionally accredited college, with a GPA of at least 2.3. For applicants who have attended more than one regionally accredited college, GPAs from all of these colleges must combine to equal at least 2.3
B. Applicants should have completed and passed the necessary high school courses, or their college equivalents:
• English - three units (May include public speaking or journalism. Not required for GED recipients.)
• Math - two units
• Social Studies - two units (Not required for GED recipients.)
All courses should be completed with a grade of “C” or better; a grade of “B” or better is preferred.
C. General studies degree applicants must have achieved the following testing scores:
• ACT composite score of 20, with a score of 19 on the sub-tests in both mathematics and scientific reasoning, or SAT with a combined score of 1575 or above.
• ACT/SAT testing will be waived for transfer students who have earned a minimum of 12 college semester hours at a regionally accredited institution of higher education with a minimum of 2.3 GPA.
D. Each completed application is given individual attention by the College Admissions Committee, which makes all decisions on admissions to the College. Admission is competitive and the most qualified applicants will be considered first. Admission is not guaranteed.
E. The following additional application guidelines are required for students who are not United States citizens and/or for whom English is a second language:
1. Applicant must be a Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) and present her/his Green Card for an admissions representative to photocopy for the applicant’s Mercy College application file.
2. Applicants with international transcripts are required to submit those transcripts to World Education Services (WES) for a course-by-course level evaluation and calculated cumulative grade point average (GPA). Contact WES at www.wes.org.
3. Applicants for whom English is a second language must complete the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum combined score (internet-based) of 80. This test must be taken within the past two years.
Contact TOEFL at www.ets.org.
4. Please Note: Mercy College has not petitioned the United States Department of Homeland Security for approval for attendance by non-immigrant students and cannot issue immigration Form I-20.
F. COMPASS Placement Testing
Students who have not earned a college degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education may be required to complete a number of COMPASS placement tests before starting classes at Mercy College of Ohio.
Such COMPASS placement tests are designed to provide information about student abilities in reading, writing and mathematics and to provide guidance for determining the course(s) students may need to enhance their success in college.
If a student has been admitted to either the Nursing or Radiologic Technology program and shows a need for additional coursework in reading, writing and/or mathematics as identified by COMPASS placement testing, the student will not be able to start the clinical portion of the program until the courses are successfully completed. All other students must complete additional coursework within the first two semesters at Mercy College or risk dismissal.
If a student does not successfully meet required reading and writing minimum scores after two attempts, the student will not be allowed to enroll at Mercy College.
A student who has never attended an institution of higher education or has been admitted provisionally is required to successfully complete GEN 101: Student Success Strategies, a two credit hour course, within his/her first two semesters of enrollment at Mercy College.
See “Program Admissions Guidelines” available online or from the Student Records office, 5th floor.
Philosophy
In accordance with the College mission statement, the philosophy of the general studies program is to provide education based on the Christian values underlying the educational efforts of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (Grey Nuns). This associate degree program is designed to meet the needs of a variety of students seeking a Christian education.
For those who wish to prepare for admission to a health related program of study at Mercy College or to transfer to another college or university, the courses outlined in this program of
study can be tailored to meet program Prerequisites and are equivalent to the freshman and sophomore years of a Bachelor of Science Degree Program. For students who wish to enroll in a program of study that allows for a broad sampling of liberal arts courses, an opportunity to pursue areas of study of interest to them while providing maximum flexibility in designing their programs of study, the general studies program is an ideal option. This flexible degree is of particular value to those employed in positions where completion of an associate degree is required for job advancement and for those who wish to pursue their educations in a small Catholic college environment.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Associate of Science in General Studies will be able to:
1. Exhibit proficiency and competency within one’s discipline and in service to others.
2. Integrate critical thinking skills to reason logically using data from appropriate disciplines to solve problems and make decisions.
3. Communicate clearly in both written and oral forms of expression.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of Catholic teachings within one’s ethical and professional decision-making.
5. Display an understanding of cultures and experiences that characterize the global community.
Associate of Science in General Studies
The students enrolled in this program will be required to complete the Mercy College associate degree General Education requirements as outlined in this catalog. General Studies students must complete a total of 60-62 credit hours with a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average. For those wishing to transfer to another four-year college or university in Ohio, the Ohio Board of Regents Transfer Module applies to this program of study.
The minimum number of credits required is identified for each area. Students may choose to take courses in excess of these minimums and apply them in the electives area, as long as they are Humanities and/or Social Sciences courses.
AREA MINIMUM