CPoS Definitions
The definitions below pertain to Course Program of Study (CPoS) requirements, degree-pursuant courses, and enrollment.
- Course Program of Study (CPoS)
- Degree-Pursuant Courses
- Non-Degree-Pursuant Courses
- Enrollment
- Enrollment Standards for Financial Aid (Title IV Federal and WV State)
- Required Electives
- Free Electives
- Dual Degrees and Double Majors
- Minors
- Areas of Emphasis
- Second Degree
- Honors
- Undergraduates Taking Graduate Courses
- Graduates or Professionals Taking Undergraduate Courses
- Prerequisites
- Repeated Courses
- Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s
- Major Change
Course Program of Study (CPoS)
CPoS is the required curriculum for awarding a degree, certificate, or other recognized credential. Comprises all coursework, including electives, necessary to complete the primary degree, certificate, or other recognized credential. For undergraduate degrees, the CPoS normally includes general education + college and/or University requirements + major + required electives.
Degree-Pursuant Courses
Degree-pursuant courses are courses prescribed by the Course Program of Study. Only degree-pursuant courses determine enrollment status (see Enrollment below) and are eligible for Title IV federal aid and WV state aid. These courses may be:
- Major Course Requirements: Major courses include courses within a field of study of an approved degree program. An undergraduate baccalaureate major requires a minimum of 30 credits, with the majority of credits at the upper-division level. The required number of courses and credits required for each major may vary.
- General Education Requirements: Students are required to take General Education Foundation (GEF) courses in eight foundation areas (F1 through F8). General Education Courses provide students with a foundation of skills and knowledge necessary to reason clearly, communicate effectively, think critically and contribute to society.
- Electives Courses: Elective courses are courses chosen by the student from a number of optional subjects or courses offered at the institution. Electives may not fulfill specific course requirements for the degree program but typically count toward the degree program credit requirement.
Non-Degree-Pursuant Courses
Non-degree-pursuant courses are optional courses that are not specified in the Course Program of Study. They are not eligible for Title IV federal aid and WV state aid.
If a student has enough degree-pursuant courses to be considered full-time, adding additional non-degree-pursuant courses will not affect aid eligibility. Credit hours above those required for full-time enrollment status are not required to be degree pursuant and will not be checked. However, those courses are still computed in the calculation of the completion rate and maximum time frame for satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility.
Enrollment
Federal and state aid require that students be enrolled for a minimum number of degree-pursuant courses based on the length of the academic term and students’ status. Once full-time enrollment status is reached, courses taken beyond full-time enrollment do not need to be degree-pursuant. See our Enrollment Standards and CPoS page for both undergraduate and graduate-level criteria for how many hours constitution full-time status for a semester.
Enrollment Standards for Financial Aid (Title IV Federal and WV State)
Credit hours above those required for full-time status need not be degree-pursuant and will not be checked. However, those hours are still computed in the calculation of the completion rate and maximum time frame for satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility. See our Enrollment Standards and CPoS page for both undergraduate and graduate-level criteria for how many hours constitution full-time status for a semester. See our Enrollment for Specific Aid Programs page for what enrollment is required for specific aid programs to disburse.
Required Electives
Required electives are courses not necessarily related to the major that are, however, necessary to reach the minimum credits required by the degree, certificate, or other recognized credential as specified in the CPoS. Required electives are degree-pursuant.
Free Electives
Free electives are courses that are not required by the University, the college, or the major and that are not necessary to complete the student’s Course Program of Study. Free electives are not degree pursuant.
Dual Degrees and Double Majors
Courses taken for a dual degree or a second major are degree pursuant. Requirements for either may be combined each semester; however, once a student has completed the requirements for the first degree, they are considered to have earned a degree and are no longer eligible for Title IV federal grants or WV state aid. After such time, they would need to be moved to a second bachelor’s degree-seeker and would only be considered for federal loans. Thus, to continue to receive Title IV federal grants and/or WV state financial aid, students must complete the last requirements for both degrees/majors in the same semester.
Minors
Minor courses are degree-pursuant if the minor is required in the student’s Course Program of Study or if they are taken as required electives in programs that include required electives.
Note: If a student is full-time in degree-pursuant coursework, they may also consider taking courses required for a minor above that full-time enrollment. For example, they may be in 12 degree-pursuant hours (full-time for undergraduates), then take two courses for a minor, putting them at 18 hours of overall enrollment.
Areas of Emphasis
Courses in an area of emphasis will only be considered degree-pursuant if the area of emphasis is specified in the student’s Course Program of Study or if they are taken as required electives in programs that include required electives.
Second Degree
After graduating with a first undergraduate degree, students seeking a second undergraduate degree may be eligible to receive Title IV federal student loans. Those students are subject to degree-pursuant coursework requirements each semester as well.
Honors
Honors courses are degree-pursuant if the Honors courses can be applied to the student’s Course Program of Study, or if they are taken as required electives in programs that include required electives.
Undergraduates Taking Graduate Courses
If a student enrolled in a baccalaureate program takes a graduate-level course, and the course can be applied to their Course Program of Study, it is degree-pursuant. If the student petitions to have the course count toward a future graduate degree program, the course is not degree-pursuant.
Graduates or Professionals Taking Undergraduate Courses
If a student enrolled in a graduate or professional program takes an undergraduate course, and the course counts toward the student’s graduate or professional Course Program of Study, it is degree-pursuant.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites are degree-pursuant if they are specified in the student’s Course Program of Study or if they are counted as required elective hours.
Repeated Courses
A course could be repeated one time and still be degree-pursuant if the student obtained a grade of a D or better. Additional attempts after earning a D or better are not degree pursuant. If a student fails or withdraws from a repeated course, they can take that course again until a D or better grade is earned. However, all hours attempted and earned from the courses taken are still computed in the calculation of the completion rate and maximum time frame for satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility.
Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s
This will be determined by the colleges and must be updated appropriately in Banner. Banner will determine which advisor receives communications and access to making overrides in the system.
Major Change
If a student changes their major, the Course Program of Study in the new major will be used to determine degree-pursuant coursework. However, the hours attempted and earned for the original major are still computed in the calculation of the completion rate and the maximum time frame for satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility.