The University recognizes that exceptional circumstances arise in some cases, and that some of these may provide a rationale for waiving a core requirement. It is important to note that these circumstances are rare, and still require students to demonstrate they have achieved the necessary proficiency in some other way. In such circumstances, students should complete an academic petition detailing their rationale for requesting a waiver and providing evidence of their mastery of the relevant learning goals. The Core Director reviews these petitions.
Students may not use a Core course to fulfill more than one Core requirement. However, students may use Core courses to fulfill requirements in majors or minors, depending on the expectations of the academic departments and programs.
Students may transfer in credits for the Integrative Core Curriculum, but the courses transferred in must conform substantially to the requirements, including learning goals, of Core courses offered at JCU.
The faculty also recently approved a new transfer credit policy (May 2017), which affects the Core curriculum. The policy is as follows:
Students who are awarded 0-44 JCU equivalent credits are responsible for all core requirements not already met through transferred coursework. For more information about JCU's core requirements, click here.
Students who are awarded 45+ JCU equivalent credits must transfer in or take the following courses at John Carroll to meet core or program prerequisites:
(1) EN 125, Seminar on Academic Writing, or its equivalent.
(2) Some programs of study require foundational coursework in oral communication, foreign language, or quantitative analysis. The prerequisites for these programs will not be waived.
In addition, students with 45+ credits must complete the following core requirements at John Carroll:
(1) One linked pair of courses from the Integrative component of the core curriculum.
(2) One Engaging the Global Community course from the Integrative component of the core curriculum.
(3) Two courses (6 credits) from the Jesuit Heritage component of the core curriculum. Each course must be from a different category. See the list below for more details.
- Lower-Division Theology & Religious Studies
- Upper-Division Theology & Religious Studies
- Philosophy: Values and Society
- Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality
- Issues in Social Justice
- 3-credit CAPA course
We also have a transfer policy specifically for the Jesuit Heritage component of the Core curriculum:
Given the centrality-to-mission of this portion of the Core, students who bring in 0-44 credits to JCU may apply no more than 6 transfer credits to the Jesuit Heritage portion of the Core. No more than 3 credit hours may count toward fulfilling the Philosophy requirement; no more than 3 credit hours may count toward fulfilling the Theology & Religious Studies requirement.
Requests for transfer credit require submission of an online Academic Petition. Syllabi may be required.
Visit the Registrar’s webpage for the online Academic Petition. Faculty and students may check the status of petitions by contacting the Registrar’s Office at petitions@jcu.edu.