2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
    Sep 16, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Student Life


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Students

With students from more than 25 countries, 30+ denominations represented, and a student age range from the early twenties to the mid-seventies, the Cairn graduate student body is diverse. The approximately 65% female/35% male student population, coming from across the nation and the world, showcases a wide variety or professional careers. The majority of students remain employed while studying and typically work in an occupation related to their graduate program. The undergraduate backgrounds of Cairn graduate students are also diverse and represent a wide range of colleges and universities.

Standards of Conduct

The following standards apply to all University students while enrolled in the graduate programs at Cairn. These standards are established on the bases of state and federal laws, biblical teaching, and University policy and tradition. Students registered in dual-level degree programs are classified as traditional undergraduate students regarding standards of conduct. The administration is responsible to, and reserves the right to, exercise judgment in interpreting and enforcing these standards and all matters related to them based upon the totality of the circumstances.
1. University students are subject to the responsibility of academic integrity which demands honesty and giving credit to the proper sources.
2. Hazing is classified as a crime by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the University will not allow this type of activity. Hazing is defined as any type of initiation process which includes actions that may potentially cause bodily harm, physical exhaustion, personal embarrassment, loss of dignity, emotional trauma, or mental duress.
3. Harassment or discrimination against others on the basis of race, national origin, age, sex, or handicap is not tolerated. Intimidation and violence through words or action are prohibited. This includes but is not limited to threats, verbal attacks, vandalism, stalking, domestic violence, cyber bullying, and other acts of hatred and physical attack.
4. Students are to be highly selective in their choices of entertainment. Biblical standards and discernment should serve as guidelines in making personal decisions. Pornographic materials, including electronic media and sexually explicit internet sites and chat rooms, are not to be viewed, possessed, distributed, or transmitted on or away from campus.
5. Cairn affirms the biblical teachings that a sexual relationship is intended only within a heterosexual marriage of husband and wife. Students are to abstain from any type of sexual activity or immoral relationship outside of the marriage of a man and a woman.
6. Tobacco, electronic cigarettes (ecigarettes) or recreational vaporizers, alcohol, illegal drugs, including illegally obtained prescription drugs, and gambling are prohibited on the Cairn campus. All state and federal laws concerning these are to be strictly observed.

Student Services

Counseling Services

The Counseling Center at Cairn provides biblical counseling to promote spiritual, psychological, emotional, behavioral, and relational health. The Counseling Center is a safe place where students and members of the surrounding community can seek assistance in the challenging circumstances of life. Students who are interested in obtaining personal counseling or participating in a support group can find more information about these services on the Counseling Center website.

Pathway Center

Career counseling is available to graduate students through the Pathway Center. The Pathway Center provides care for all students through career development and leadership exploration to ensure each student’s readiness for life after post-secondary education. The Pathway Center utilizes in-person and virtual means to advise students to find their purpose, build networking connections, prepare for jobs and internships, and fulfill their calling as Christ-centered men and women of character.

All students are given access to Cairn Connect, the University’s own networking platform. Through this, students can connect with alumni and other friends of Cairn to find internships, land a job after graduation, and build a network of Cairn relationships within their industry.

Health Center

Graduate students taking classes on the Langhorne, PA campus are required to submit a completed health form for admission into the graduate programs. During the academic semester, the privileges of student health services are available to students who have submitted a completed health form. The University nurse may be contacted during posted office hours for ordinary needs at 215.702.4334. For more information, please visit the Cairn Health Center website.

Campus Events

Many activities on campus are open to graduate students and their families. These include, but are not limited to, concerts by the Cairn Symphony Orchestra, student music ensembles, and popular contemporary Christian artists; student performances; lecture series; a weekly women’s Bible study; Homecoming; and sporting events. More information about on campus events and activities is available on the University Event Calendar or through the Office of Student Life (studentlife@cairn.edu).

Alumni Services

Cairn graduates and alumni have distinguished themselves in their respective fields of study and in their local churches for over 100 years. The Office of Alumni Engagement considers it an honor to proudly represent alumni who continue to impact the world for Christ.

The Office of Alumni Engagement exists to nurture community among the University’s alumni family by providing channels for communication, networking, fellowship, and growth. The Office of Alumni Engagement works to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with all alumni of the institution through various events, gatherings, social networking opportunities, communiques, and Cairn magazine.

The primary alumni event each year is Homecoming. Each fall, Cairn invites alumni back to campus to reconnect with their former classmates, faculty members, and friends. Additionally, this event allows alumni an opportunity to see firsthand how the University continues to grow and expand its scope. Alumni are invited to interact with current students, participate in professional development/networking workshops, watch sporting events, attend musical performances, and participate in other planned events. The weekend is packed with activities for alumni, their families, and guests of all ages.

Current information regarding activities, regional alumni gatherings, news of interest, and other alumni-related information is available on the Alumni section of the Cairn website (www.cairn.edu/alumni), through Cairn magazine, through monthly email updates from the Director of Alumni Engagement, and via periodic mailings to alumni. Alumni are encouraged to connect with each other through the Cairn Alumni Association Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CairnAlumni), the Cairn University Alumni LinkedIn page (LinkedIn), and the online edition of Cairn magazine (magazine.cairn.edu).

A complete list of alumni benefits can be found online (www.cairn.edu/alumni).