Degree Requirements

General Degree Requirements
The student is solely responsible for meeting all program requirements for graduation. The academic advisor will assist and advise students prior to the decision to enroll in courses but is not responsible for ensuring that students satisfy all the program requirements.

Change of Major or Program
Students in good standing may change to another major or program as long as their academic record meets or exceeds the entrance requirements of the program they wish to enter. If the academic record does not meet the criteria for automatic admission, students may submit supplementary material to the appropriate program coordinator or college dean. To change programs, the student’s current academic advisor will need to complete an Online Student Green Card in MyLander.

Graduating Under a Catalog
The catalog in place at the time the major is declared becomes the one used to determine graduation requirements for the major and minor. A student may choose a subsequent catalog for purposes of meeting graduation requirements. Students in majors leading to teacher certification may be required to use the most current catalog to be eligible for certification by the South Carolina Department of Education.
If a student enrolled at Lander leaves the university for less than two years, the student may remain under the catalog previously selected. If a student enrolled at Lander leaves the University for a period of two or more years, when he or she returns, the catalog in effect at the time of readmission is used to determine graduation requirements.
A student may not graduate under a catalog that is more than eight years old.
Students must provide notification of a change in catalog year to the Office of the Registrar one semester prior to graduation. Students must then submit the Request for Graduation Form and complete the online application in MyLander by the deadline set by the Registrar’s Office.

Certificates
Because state law specifies that four-year degree-granting institutions may not offer undergraduate degrees lower than a baccalaureate, Lander University offers certificate programs to students who are required to either 1) already have completed a baccalaureate degree, and/or 2) be concurrently enrolled in a baccalaureate program at Lander University. In the event that a student completes the coursework for the certificate and does not graduate from Lander with a baccalaureate degree, the courses for the certificate will appear on the student’s transcript, but the certificate will not be awarded.
Students who earn certificates are not recognized at commencement. They may come to the Registrar’s office to receive their certificate or they may choose to have the university mail their certificates to them.

Students’ Right to Petition
Students have the right to seek specific relief from the application of the academic policy of the University. To do so, the student must submit the request in writing on an Academic Petition form to the Office of the Registrar or an Appeal for Readmission form to the Office of Admissions. The request should include a concise letter of the circumstances which have led to the request and any required or suggested supporting documentation. At a minimum, the following deadlines must be observed:
• Petitions that must go to the University Petitions Committee must be completed and submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than the close of business on the workday prior to the committee meeting day at which the student wants the request to be heard. Petitions and supporting documents submitted after this deadline will be considered at the next monthly meeting of the committee.
• Appeals for Readmission must be completed and submitted to the Office of Admissions (additional instructions are on the form) no later than the close of business on the workday prior to the Admissions Committee meeting day at which the student wants the request to be heard. Students can appeal for readmission only to a Fall or Spring semester. Appeals and supporting documents submitted after this deadline will be considered at the next monthly meeting of the committee.
The University Petitions Committee and the Admissions Committee meet at least once during each month of the year; contact the Office of the Registrar or the Office of Admissions for the specific dates and times of these meetings.