DePaul University School of Continuing and Professional Studies: Shaping Futures Through Flexible Education

DePaul University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) stands as an internationally recognized leader in education for adults, offering innovative degrees and certificates at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Designed to cater to the schedules and demands of busy adult lives, SCPS provides personalized academic and career guidance, credit for prior learning, and flexible learning structures. The school's commitment to high-quality, applicable education ensures that students are well-prepared for an ever-changing professional world.

Personalized Support and Convenient Location

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies office is conveniently located in suite 1400 of the Daley Building at 14 E. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago. Office hours are 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday, providing ample opportunity for students to seek assistance. Further inquiries can be made via fax at 312-476-3220.

Diverse Undergraduate Programs

SCPS offers a wide array of undergraduate Bachelor of Arts programs, catering to various professional interests and career goals. These programs include professional studies majors in:

Business Administration (BAPSBA)
Computing (BAPSC)
Healthcare Administration (BAHA)
Decision Analytics (BADA)
Nonprofit Management (BANM)
Leadership Studies (BALS)
Recreation and Sport Management (BARSM)

Additionally, SCPS offers a degree completion major in Applied Behavioral Sciences (BAABS).

Online Learning Options

Recognizing the need for flexibility, most SCPS programs can be completed entirely online, eliminating the need to come to campus. Programs offering the online option include:

Business Administration (BAPSBA)
Computing (BAPSC)
Decision Analytics (BADA)
Leadership Studies (BALS)
Nonprofit Management (BANM)
Recreation and Sport Management (BARSM)
Applied Behavioral Sciences (BAABS)

Combined Bachelor's + Master's Degree Program

SCPS offers a combined Bachelor's + Master's degree program, allowing students across the university to complete 12 graduate credit hours at the undergraduate tuition rate while completing their undergraduate programs. This provides a significant financial advantage and allows students to accelerate their academic progress. Combined degree program students are also eligible for DePaul's Double Demon Scholarship, a 25% reduction in the graduate tuition rate.

Minors

SCPS offers a minor in Cannabis Studies. The minor features a multidisciplinary curriculum that examines the topic in a social justice context including issues of diversity and equity as well as medical and economic aspects of cannabis in society. For more information, see the Cannabis Studies Minor curriculum requirements.

Academic Regulations and Policies

All SCPS undergraduate students assume responsibility to know and meet both the general and particular regulations, procedures, policies and deadlines set forth in the academic catalog. In addition, all SCPS undergraduate students are expected to adhere to the Student Code of Responsibility (available in the DePaul University Undergraduate Student Handbook) to follow the policies, procedures and regulations of the University. Failure to do so may be grounds for dismissal from the applicable degree program.

Graduation Honors

Students in the following SCPS undergraduate programs are eligible to receive graduation honors, BAPSBA, BAPSC, BAHA, BADA, BANM, BALS, BARSM and BAABS. These honors are based on the student's final cumulative GPA, at least 3.85 for summa cum laude, 3.7 for magma cum laude, and 3.5 for cum laude. Invitation-only honor societies such as Alpha Sigma Lambda may offer graduation honors to eligible undergraduate students per each honor society’s criteria. SCPS also offers a quarterly SCPS Dean’s List designation for undergraduate students who earn a GPA of 3.5 for the quarter based on a minimum of 8 graded credit hours in DePaul courses, excluding grades of Pass and W.

Grading Policies

SCPS degree programs with majors (BAPSBA, BAPSC, BAHA, BADA, BANM, BALS and BARSM) require a grade of C- or better in courses taken at DePaul or transfer work applied to course requirements in the Major (the Professional Studies Core, the Major Core and the Major Elective requirements) and in the LL 261: Essay Writing course in the College Core. Grades are not changed because of a reassessment of course work, the submission of extra work or by the retaking of an examination. In cases of administrative error, an instructor may request to a change of grade with the approval of the SCPS Exceptions Committee. The SCPS Exceptions Committee will entertain grade change requests from instructors when either the student or the instructor has made a compelling case with adequate written supporting documentation that a grade change is warranted for equitable considerations. If a student's IN (Incomplete)or R grade has reverts to a F grade due to missed deadlines, this is not sufficient grounds to warrant such an exception.

A grade of pass in SCPS courses represents the university standard of D or better. Pass grades recorded for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credits are excluded from the maximum 20 credit hour limit on P/F grades. In terms of PA grades from other institutions, those sources that record PA as the minimum standard without grades assigned, such as ACE credit or Advanced Placement (AP) or CLEP exams, those course equivalents can be placed according to the C- or better standard.

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) allows students to earn credit toward degree requirements based on demonstration of college-level learning that may have been accomplished prior to or during studies at DePaul. Students may apply PLA credit in a variety of ways depending on the type of the learning being demonstrated through professional development in the workplace, courses and workshops in non-accredited programs and other types of independent learning. PLA credit is governed by the University Transfer Policy that permits a maximum of 99 quarter hours from a combination of credit based on prior learning assessment, credit earned at a community college, credit by examination, and ACE military credit in DePaul's 192 credit hour programs. PLA credits are not eligible for Financial Aid, do not count for purposes of determining enrollment status, and do not count as residency requirements.

Course Repetition

When SCPS undergraduate students repeat a course, all grades achieved are recorded on their academic records. These guidelines apply whether students took the course for pass/fail or A/F grades. GPA recalculations for a repeated course are made on an ad-hoc basis only.

Residency Requirement

SCPS students are required to complete a portion of their requirements in residence. In order to meet the residence requirement, a course must be taken at DePaul, either from SCPS or any other DePaul college. SCPS degree programs with majors (BAPSBA, BAPSC, BANM, BALS, BARSM and BADA) require that students complete at least 20 credit hours from the College Core in residence and at least 40 credit hours from the Major Requirements in residence. Students in the BAHA program must complete 16 credit hours in the College Core and 44 Credit hours in the Major Requirements in residence.

Enrollment Status

Students who complete a term and do not enroll for the following term at DePaul remain active and eligible to enroll until they are formally discontinued. The student does not register for three consecutive quarters (or for Law two semesters), excluding summers.

Graduate Programs and Certificates

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificates at the graduate level. The following process and components apply to the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) graduate programs and certificates.

official, sealed transcripts documenting all prior college/university coursework including demonstration of a completed undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Upon initial review of application materials, qualified applicants are invited to an admissions interview.
An admission decision is rendered and communicated to the applicant in writing.

As necessary, SCPS reserves the right to admit particular applicants conditionally. In such cases, the terms (conditions and timeline) of the conditional status are noted in the student’s acceptance letter. Students are to matriculate in the quarter for which they are admitted. Students failing to do so (and who later wish to start) are responsible to update their admissions materials and, if necessary-depending on changes to those materials-reapply.

Discontinuation and Readmission

After three consecutive quarters, excluding summer, of no registration activity (no credit hours or the minimal Continuing Activity Status), the University deems graduate students to be discontinued. Once discontinued, graduate students wishing to resume their graduate studies are required to reapply for admission to their graduate programs and, upon readmission, proceed in accordance with current program specifications in place from the point of readmission forward, as well as any special directives provided at the point of readmission.

English Proficiency

Applicants must demonstrate English Proficiency. DePaul University accepts the TOEFL, IELTS, or Pearson Test of English. Most scores are valid for two years only.

Credential Evaluation

Applicants must request a course-by-course evaluation. Please direct any questions about required credentials to the evaluation company.

Academic Regulations for Graduate Students

All SCPS graduate students assume responsibility to know and meet both the general and particular regulations, procedures, policies and deadlines set forth in these materials. Grades of “A” through “C” are acceptable for registrations applied to SCPS graduate programs.

Combined Bachelor's + Master's Degree Programs for Graduates

SCPS offers two combined Bachelor's + Master's degree programs that allow students across the university to complete 12 graduate credit hours while completing their undergraduate programs at the undergraduate tuition rate. These 12 graduate credit hours will count towards both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Double Demon Scholarship

Alumni from any of DePaul’s colleges who are admitted into any graduate degree program at the university automatically qualify for the Double Demon Scholarship which provides a 25% reduction in the graduate tuition rate. Combined degree program students are eligible. Both full-time and part-time students are eligible.

Second Graduate Degree

Alumni from any SCPS graduate program (MAAPS, MAEA or MSAT) may apply to a second different SCPS graduate degree, provided the first program is completed. Concurrent matriculation in two degree programs is not permitted. Those who wish to pursue a second degree are required to follow the second program's admission process. Students admitted to the second program may apply up to 16 credit hours of previously completed SCPS graduate courses to the new degree in partial fulfillment of the second program's requirements, provided no more than 10 years has lapsed between the course completion quarter of the first degree and the quarter in which the second degree is conferred.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

Students whose performance jeopardizes their satisfactory academic progress as outlined in program materials are subject to being placed on probation by the Director of Graduate Programs. Students will be notified in writing and encouraged to meet with the Director of Graduate programs for remediation. Registration hold will be placed on student’s account until the student reaches a cumulative GPA of 2.5. Failure to comply with any of the terms of probation will result in academic dismissal from the applicable graduate program.

Time to Completion

All graduate degree requirements must be satisfied within six years commencing with the term of initial enrollment. Students may apply up to eight credit hours of their program requirements through a combination of graduate coursework from regionally accredited universities and approved certificates or course matched prior learning approved through the SCPS Office of Prior Learning.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have a GPA of 2.0 from the last school attended. This requirement may be waived for a transcript more than three years old. See further information and online application here. Undergraduate students from any major at DePaul University are eligible to apply for admission in one of the two combined degree programs. Admission is conditional until the conferred bachelor's degree is posted on the DePaul transcript. The admissions staff can assist you in explaining the program options and deciding on next steps. For more information about SCPS graduate programs and the admissions process please go to the SCPS graduate program information site.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Information on applying for financial aid is available here. SCPS has scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. To be considered for SCPS scholarships, please apply at DePaul Scholarship Connect.

Non-Credit Programs and Continuing Education

DePaul University's Continuing & Professional Education (CPE) offers non-credit certificate programs, courses, workshops and seminars specifically designed for working adults, CPE can help you increase your value in the marketplace or advance your career.

After having completed the initial basic education training requirement in CITI, all personnel who remain engaged in human subjects research are required to complete continuing education once every three years. They must obtain an overall passing score of 80% on the quizzes in order to remain certified to conduct human subject research. The date for having to complete the continuing education is dependent upon the date of completion of the initial basic training. Although ORS-Research Protections staff will attempt to send reminder notices regarding the need to complete the required continuing education, it is the responsibility of the researcher and the Principal Investigator (PI) for a specific protocol to ensure that the continuing education requirement has been completed by each person listed on the protocol as personnel prior to the expiration date.

For researchers who complete the initial basic education program in order to submit a new protocol, they must complete the 3 year continuing education (CE) courses (CITI refresher or comparable course) 364 days from the completion date of the initial training. Individual research personnel will have differing CE anniversary dates. Ultimately the PI of a particular study protocol is responsible for ensuring and maintaining study records for initial and continuing education for his/her research personnel.

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