Yes. Suppose you choose to pursue any Foundation Courses at another institution or through an alternative organization (Sophia, Study.com, or Straighterline). In that case, you must manage all logistics regarding researching your options, applying, enrolling, and ensuring your final transcripts are sent to the Graduate Programs in Business at Rowan. Students must take The MGT 06.305 Operations Management course (must be taken) at a four-year institution.
Note that course enrollment outside of Rowan (e.g., Sophia.org, Study.com, Straighterline, Modern States, at a community college, or other 4-year schools) will not count towards any graduate program enrollment requirements or policies such as financial aid, loans, or international student visas.

First, be sure that all of your transcripts have been included in your application package. While programs or schools where you might have attended and accrued fewer than 9 credits are not required as part of your application package, they are required for consideration to be made regarding Foundation course requirements. 

Even if you transferred such courses to a program where you earned a degree, and they are listed on your transcript, the grades must show on the transcript where your degree was awarded. Otherwise, an original transcript with grades listed is required. 

The only exception to this rule is for students that completed their undergraduate degrees at Rowan University. The Rowan admissions and program teams have direct access to student records.

As a first step in the process, please carefully review the course description in the latter part of this document for each Foundation course. If you feel there is a strong match, you must prepare an email to GraduateBusinessStudies@rowan.edu detailing which courses you would like to be reconsidered. Be sure to include the following in your email:

• School 
• Course title
• Semester completed
• Grade earned
• Course description and link to the course description at the home school.

This should be for every Foundation course you wish to be reconsidered. 

Suppose you cannot find the course online or in English on the website to share a link to this information. In that case, you will need to coordinate with the home school to provide an official course description or course syllabus for content addressed in the course. The evidence can be in an email from the home school administrator with a signature stamp and all contact information for follow-up from a Program Administrator, Registrar, or other university officials. This will facilitate an efficient review by the Graduate Business Studies office.

Once the final grade(s) is posted on the transcript for the Foundation course(s) of interest, please send the transcript electronically to:

global@rowan.edu.

If transcripts must be sent via US Postal Mail, please send them to the following address:

Rowan University

Global Learning & Partnerships Graduate Admissions

Enterprise Center

225 Rowan Blvd, 2nd Floor

Glassboro, NJ 08028

Please be sure to notify the Office of Graduate Business Programs at GraduateBusinessStudies@rowan.edu that you have sent this information to the admissions team to that we can coordinate with them to make sure that your transcripts are received.

Students should sign up for the appropriate courses at their website of choice and pay any necessary fees. After completing the course, students request that the transcript be sent directly to Rowan University (the website will provide an option).

If you plan on taking a Foundation course through Study.com, Sophia.org, or Straighterline.com, be sure to utilize the Rowan Transfer Equivalency Database to view course equivalencies between the institution and Rowan University. 

Suppose the course in question is not listed in the transfer equivalency database, or you’re having trouble determining course equivalents. In that case, the Graduate Business Studies office can assist in picking equivalent options.

When trying to determine the equivalent courses at Study.com, Sophia.org, or Straighterline.com via the Rowan Transfer Equivalency Database, be sure to use the below information as the Transfer Institution:

Study.com – Set “Transfer Institution” to “ACE CREDIT: 641000” / Study.com courses will start with “SC”

Sophia.org - Set “Transfer Institution” to “ACE CREDIT: 641000” / Sophia.org courses will start with “SO”

Straighterline - Set “Transfer Institution” to “ACE CREDIT: 641000” / Straighterline courses will start with “SL”

CLEP tests are part of the College Level Examination Program from the College Board. This program allows students to receive academic credit for skills and knowledge they may already possess through completing a test.

Additionally, students can complete FREE course modules at the Modern States website in preparation for their specific CLEP exam. Completing Modern States courses will earn you a voucher to take the appropriate CLEP exam for free.

CLEP tests are part of the College Level Examination Program from the College Board. This program allows students to receive academic credit for skills and knowledge they may already possess through completing a test.

Additionally, students can complete FREE course modules at the Modern States website in preparation for their specific CLEP exam. Completing Modern States courses will earn you a voucher to take the appropriate CLEP exam for free.

Yes. Anyone can take part in the College Level Examination Program or CLEP. This includes both current and prospective students. Individuals seeking to take the CLEP exam can do so at local testing centers or Rowan University’s Testing Center.Yes. Anyone can take part in the College Level Examination Program or CLEP. This includes both current and prospective students. Individuals seeking to take the CLEP exam can do so at local testing centers or Rowan University’s Testing Center.

Please review the table on page 2 of this Foundation Fact Sheet. Foundation Courses with available CLEP Exam Options are

• ACC 03210 - Principles of Accounting I (Financial Accounting)
• ECON 04101 - Macroeconomics
• ECON 04102 - Microeconomics
• MKT 09200 - Principles of Marketing

MATH 01130 - Calculus / Students who complete the Modern States: Calculus course and then complete the MATH 01130 Calculus I CLEP exam are eligible to be waived from the MATH 03125 Calculus: Techniques & Applications foundation requirement.

The CLEP test costs $89 with a $33.50 proctoring fee*. Students are allowed to complete FREE course modules at the Modern States website in preparation for their specific CLEP exam. Completing Modern States courses will earn you a voucher to take the appropriate CLEP exam for free.

*Costs listed in this document are intended to give students a general idea of prices but are not considered final. Please contact the Rowan University Testing Center to learn the final costs.

No, at this time, the CLEP exam is only available to be taken in person at an approved testing center such as Rowan University’s Testing Center.

Yes. Students can take the test as many times as needed. However, there is a three-month waiting period between testing attempts for each subject test.

ECON 04303 Principles of Economics: A Survey can only be completed at Rowan University. Students that require both Macroeconomics and Microeconomics can either take the Principles of Economics: A Survey course at Rowan or utilize the Alternative Pathways to satisfy Macroeconomics and Microeconomics separately.

Unfortunately, there is no alternative option at this time outside of Rowan University for ECON 04303 Principles of Economics: A Survey.

It is recommended that students complete their Foundation requirements within the program's first year (including Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters). 

• For part-time students requiring 2-3 Foundation courses, taking one Foundation course at Rowan or another school (e.g., community college or other 4-year institution) and one core graduate-level course at Rowan during each of their first few semesters might be an excellent path to take. 
• For a full-time student who requires 2-3 foundation courses, taking one Foundation course at Rowan or another school (e.g., community college or other 4-year institution) and two to three graduate-level core courses at Rowan during each of their first few semesters may make the most sense for degree completion within two years. 
• Students who(For students that) require 4 or more foundation courses are encouraged to prioritize their foundation courses early in their studies. This could include taking 2-3 foundation courses via community college, another 4-year school, or an affordable online resource and possibly just 1 graduate course for their first couple of semesters.

Course staggering can be highly flexible for students interested in utilizing online resources such as Sophia.org, Study.com, or Straighterline.com. Depending on how many foundation courses students have outstanding, completing 3 or 4 foundation courses via the online resources in a single semester before beginning graduate-level coursework is possible. If students have only 2-3 outstanding foundation requirements, mixing in 1-2 foundation courses via the online options per semester while taking 1-2 graduate courses is also feasible.

Taking foundation courses through one of the alternative online options, CLEP testing, at your local community college or other 4-year institution affords additional flexibility for course offerings. It may help reduce the overall cost of Foundations courses. 

CLEP testing: ~$125 per test taken.

Online resources such as Sophia.org, Study.com, or Straighterline.com: ~$60-$100 per month or course, depending on which site is utilized. Students can complete a course in a month if desired only to pay the fee for one month, but two months is also a reasonable timeframe to meet any of these courses.

Community colleges: ~$200 to $300 per credit (each foundation course is 3 credits, bringing the cost per course to ~$600 to $900)

Non-Rowan 4-year institution: Varies by the school, but ~$500 to $600 per credit (each foundation course is 3 credits, bringing the cost per course to ~$1500 to $1800)

Through any satisfaction options listed in this Foundation Fact Sheet, foundation courses outside Rowan University do not count toward credit requirements for FAFSA-based student loans. Students must be actively enrolled in a degree program (such as the MBA or MS Finance) and take at least 4.5 credits at Rowan University to be eligible for student loans that semester. 

For example, MBA students cannot take 3 credits at Rowan University and 3 credits at a local community college and still be eligible for student loans that semester, as all 6 credits are not being taken at Rowan. However, an MBA student can take 4.5 credits at Rowan University and 3 credits at a local community college (or any (of the) other satisfaction options) and be eligible for student loans because they are taking at least 4.5 credits at Rowan while being enrolled in a degree program. The student loan in this scenario won’t directly cover the 3 credits taken at the community college because the student is only eligible for the loan at Rowan University.

The MBA program is designed to provide flexibility to its students. If you wish to discuss a study plan that works best for you, please contact the Office of Graduate Business Programs at GraduateBusinessStudies@rowan.edu.