University Graduate Admissions
Lander University encourages all qualified students to apply for admission.
To be eligible for admission to a graduate program at Lander University, students must have completed a bachelor’s degree. All admissions decisions are made based on a holistic evaluation of the applicant’s academic and/or professional background, professional goals, and overall fit between applicant and program. Applicants are not required to submit GRE/GMAT scores for any Lander University graduate programs, but applicants may submit them if they choose. If GRE/GMAT scores are submitted, they will be included in the holistic application review process.
It is the policy of Lander University to provide equal educational and employment opportunity to all present and future employees and students regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. Lander University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. This policy applies in all matters, including (1) admission and education of students, (2) availability of student loans, grants, scholarships, and job opportunities, (3) employment promotion of teaching and non-teaching personnel, and (4) activities conducted on the premises owned or occupied by the University.
A completed online application and all supporting documents should be submitted to the Office of Admissions according to the appropriate deadline for the semester.
When all credentials have been received, they are reviewed by the Office of Admissions and the applicant is notified of the decision. No single criterion is decisive, but each item is considered in relation to the applicant’s total qualifications. Decisions for admission are made on a rolling basis. The Vice President for Enrollment Management considers appeals for students whose admission has been denied or deferred.
Graduate Application Process
Prospective students must apply for admission online by going to http://www.lander.edu/apply. Application deadlines for degree seeking students.
Students must provide the transcript from the college or university that granted them their bachelor’s degree. If they have attended graduate school elsewhere, they must also provide transcripts from those institutions so that Lander can ensure they are meeting SAP to receive financial aid.
Students whose attendance at Lander has been interrupted for any reason for one or more fall and/or spring semesters must submit an updated application for admission. Readmission to the University and to the program of study in which the student was previously enrolled is NOT automatic. For a former student to be reviewed for readmission, any indebtedness to the University must be settled.
Students who file an Official Withdrawal and/or Temporary Leave form with the Office of the Registrar do not have to reapply for admission unless their absence extends beyond two fall or spring semesters.
Graduate Admissions Policy for International Students with Bachelor's Degrees of Fewer than 120 Credit Hours
International students who have completed a bachelor’s degree of fewer than 120 total credit hours may be admitted into graduate programs if they have completed 60 hours of coursework relevant to the disciplines they hope to study at Lander University. If students do not meet this criterion, their applications may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if they have obtained a sufficient academic background to successfully pursue graduate studies at the university. Admissions decisions for graduate students remain dependent upon all standard Admissions policies and procedures including mandatory transcript evaluation.
Justification:
Lander University routinely admits students into our graduate programs who have completed a bachelor’s degree in the United States that requires as few as 30 credit hours in a specific major. The requirement of 60 hours of coursework relevant to the discipline of graduate study exceeds this number by 100% and is roughly aligned with the number of hours required for our undergraduate business programs (there’s a little variation in our programs depending upon student concentration choices).
Most of our master’s degrees are open to students from any undergraduate major. This is the case with our programs that are most attractive to international students:
• Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Teaching and Learning
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Science in Management (MSM)
• Master of Science (MS) in Emergency Management, and
• Master of Science (MS) in Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Historically, we have seen no notable differences in student success rates based on the undergraduate major or length of undergraduate major.
This policy is aligned with our firm, evidence-based belief that success in graduate studies at Lander University is most closely correlated with the successful completion of a coherent course of undergraduate study that contains an appropriate amount of discipline-relevant coursework.
Transfer Credit
The 2018 SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation state that “At least one-third of the credit hours required for a graduate or a post-baccalaureate professional degree are earned through instruction offered by the institution awarding the degree.” As such, Lander University will accept up to two-thirds of the credit hours required for a graduate degree completed at other regionally accredited universities. To satisfy degree requirements, transfer coursework must meet the university’s transfer equivalency standards.
Only courses on which grades of “B” or better have been earned will be accepted as transfer credit from another institution. Professional development courses, seminars, and workshops do not transfer toward a degree program unless they are included in a portfolio-based assessment of prior learning.
If students transfer from accredited institutions that use competency-based grading, decisions on the transferability of their credits will be informed by the guidance included on the official transcripts issued by the credit granting institution.
Some disciplinary accreditations mandate more restrictive transfer policies. Transfer policies for these programs are described below.
Senior Privilege
Lander University undergraduate seniors who have demonstrated the capacity to meet the academic rigor of graduate-level courses are eligible to request enrollment in graduate level classes. Enrollment of seniors in any graduate course is subject to approval by the department and/or college offering the course. The total course workload for the semester must not exceed 18 hours, and the total graduate credits earned by seniors must not exceed 9 credit hours. The credit and quality points associated with senior enrollment in graduate courses will not be part of the undergraduate record. Graduate hours earned by seniors must be in excess of the requirements for their undergraduate degrees; and students may request that these courses be included as part of their graduate program if they are subsequently admitted to Lander University’s graduate program within 6 years after graduation.
Undergraduate students are not able to register themselves for graduate classes. Students wishing to use Senior Privilege will need to consult with both the college dean and the registrar’s office. Only candidates who have demonstrated the capacity to meet the academic rigor of graduate-level courses will be approved. Senior enrollment request forms are located at the Registrar’s office.
Credit for Prior Learning or Work Experience
Prior learning includes knowledge and skills acquired outside of formal academic settings that may be gained through continuing education, certifications, licensure, professional endeavors, and workplace training. Lander University offers a structured process for students to identify relevant prior learning, document it, and submit materials for assessment to request academic credit for specific courses that may be applied to their program of study. To earn credit for prior learning (CPL), students must do more than demonstrate that their life or work experience has exposed them to the skills and knowledge taught in a given course. Rather, students must demonstrate to faculty assessors with expertise in the relevant discipline that they have met or exceeded learning outcomes for the course(s) for which they are requesting credit. Credit awarded for prior learning must be equivalent in rigor, level, and learning outcomes to the corresponding instructional course.
Students may present evidence of prior learning in one of two ways:
(1) Students who have earned non-credit credentials, certificates, or licensures may submit evidence of these credentials to appropriate faculty for review. Examples of such credentials include transcripts for courses and training completed through relevant professional associations; government service (such as certificates or trainings with federal agencies and departments); military service, such as a Joint Service Transcript (JST), DD-214, or transcripts from the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), Coast Guard Institute (CGI), and other appropriate transcripts. Examples also include non-credit credentials from a regionally accredited college or university or other industry or nationally accepted certificates. The determination of credit will be based on recommendations by the American Council on Education (ACE) and course approvals by appropriate faculty and college deans of Lander University. Credit is awarded at the discretion of the academic unit and is not guaranteed.
(2) Students who have acquired work experience relevant to their plan of study may develop a portfolio to demonstrate that they have met or exceeded learning outcomes for one or more courses and submit their portfolio to appropriate faculty for review. The portfolio must establish and support the student’s claim that they have developed the specific relevant skills, knowledge, values, attitudes, understandings, achievements, experiences, competencies, training, and certifications aligned with specific course objectives. Credit for prior learning through work experience cannot be used to replace courses where artifacts are collected and used for national or state accreditation and certifications such as, but not limited to, field/clinical experiences.
To earn credit for prior learning, students must submit the “Credit for Prior Learning Request Form,” submit all necessary supporting documents, receive evaluation from qualified faculty assessors with experience in the relevant discipline(s), and receive approval from the dean of the college that houses the course for which credit is being requested.
Course credit earned via CPL may not replace existing, transcripted coursework. Students may not receive CPL by portfolio for any courses which they have previously attempted or completed at Lander University as a regular or audit student.
Course credit acquired through CPL cannot be used to satisfy the minimum number of credit hours that must be completed in residence at Lander University. The total number of CPL and other transfer credit-hours may not exceed 90 credit-hours for a given student.
Individual departments determine how many, if any, CPL credits may be awarded. Credit cannot equate more than the course being replaced (e.g., 3 hours to 3 hours).
Credit awarded for prior learning will be recorded as transfer credit. CPL credit is recorded on the student’s transcript as credit earned and does not carry grade points or affect the institutional GPA.
Admissions Decisions
Admissions decisions are issued by the Office of Admissions. Students may be offered admission or denied admission. Students who do not meet the criteria required for full admission may be offered conditional admission. Under conditional admission, students will need to earn a 3.0 GPA in their first term. If this condition is not met, students will either be dismissed from their program or required to meet additional requirements as dictated by their program coordinator. Academic programs are responsible for assessing the performance of conditionally accepted students.
Academic Progress
Graduate students at Lander University must maintain a GPA no lower than 3.0 and may earn no more than two grades of C or lower. Students who do not meet these thresholds may be dismissed from continuing their program. Students may repeat courses to replace insufficient grades but may not retake a course more than two times.
All work for a master’s degree at Lander University must be completed within a period of six years.