/Institutions/Lander-University/json/Current/Undergraduate-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/Lander-University/json/Current/Undergraduate-Catalog.json

Credits Course Load and Classification

Lander University Definition of a Credit Hour
Lander University adheres to the Federal definition of a credit hour for cumulative contact time per semester:
• One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
• At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Lander University ensures a minimum of 700 minutes of instruction per credit hour (2,100 minutes of instruction for a standard, three-hour course), regardless of mode of delivery. The fall and spring semester standard meeting times for three-hour courses are a 50-minute Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and a 75-minute Tuesday, Thursday schedule.

Summer session classes follow the same standard of 700 minutes of instruction per credit hour but because the summer sessions are shorter than a fall or spring semester, the summer terms standard meeting times are longer and more frequent.

Zero Credit Hour Policy
A program’s formal degree requirements may include courses with zero (0) earned hours of academic credit. Zero credit hour courses are courses for which the learning experience is based primarily on participation and/or attendance, or on public performance of work that is assessed in a course that awards credit hours. An example of the latter type of course would be one in which a student delivers a public performance of work completed in applied lessons.

Course Level Policy
Lander University identifies courses with numbering that labels undergraduate courses as 100s, 200s, 300s, and 400s. Lower division or introductory 100/200-level courses are typically taken during the freshman and sophomore year. Upper division 300/400-level undergraduate courses are more advanced and are typically taken during the sophomore, junior, and senior years. Graduate courses are numbered 500s – 800s. The course level for undergraduate and graduate courses indicates the level of content knowledge or skills expected for students entering the course and the level of knowledge and skills the course and its student learning outcomes are designed to produce.

Credits, Course Load, and Classification
An undergraduate enrolled for 12 or more credit hours is classified as a full-time student (6 or more hours for a graduate student).

Overload - Students in good standing are limited to a maximum of 18.5 credit hours for a fall or spring semester and to a maximum of 18.5 credit hours in all of the summer sessions combined. Students on academic probation should be limited to a maximum of 15 credit hours for a fall or spring semester and to a maximum of 15 credit hours in all of the summer sessions combined.
Students requesting an overload of 19-20 hours must have a Lander cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (overall) and have earned a Lander grade point average of 3.0 for the most recent semester attended (based on a minimum of 15 credit hours).
Students requesting an overload of 21-22 hours must have a Lander cumulative grade point average of 3.25 (overall) and have earned a Lander grade point average of 3.25 for the most recent semester attended (based on a minimum of 15 credit hours).
All requests for overload hours must be approved by the students’ department chair and college dean. Exceptions to this policy may be granted and require approval by the students’ department chair and college dean.

Repetition of Coursework - A student is allowed to repeat any course, subject to the current prerequisites and the following stipulations:
1. A student can receive credit only one time for any course unless noted differently in the course description.
2. If a course is repeated once, the repeat grade will be recorded on the transcript and included in computing the cumulative grade point average. The first grade shall be recorded on the transcript but shall not be used in determining the cumulative grade point average. If a course is repeated more than once, all repeat grades will be recorded on the transcript and all repeat grades will be included in computing the cumulative grade point average.
3. Courses taken elsewhere to repeat Lander coursework may not be used to improve one’s grade point ratio average (GPA). A transfer course cannot be used to replace a Lander University course. If a student has earned a “D” or better for the same course at Lander, the transfer credit will be excluded from the student’s earned hours.
4. A student will not be allowed to repeat a course for a higher grade after a higher-level sequential course has been passed unless it is a specific graduation requirement.
The University is not obligated to continue to offer courses or programs in a prior year’s catalog that have been deleted officially from the curriculum.

Auditing - Auditing a course consists of attending classes and listening without the responsibility for any course assignments or examinations. No credit is earned by auditing a course and no credit may be earned in an audited course by examination or otherwise.

Requirements:
• All students who wish to audit must be admitted to the University in order to be eligible to audit a course.
• Students may only audit the same course once.
• No audited course may be repeated for credit at a later date.

After the application process is complete, students must contact the Office of the Registrar. The dean of the college offering the course will be notified of the audit request. Once approval is granted, the Office of the Registrar will complete the course registration if all requirements have been met.

A student who has registered for a course on an audit basis and who wishes to change the registration to take the course for credit or a student who has registered for a course on a credit basis and who wishes to change the registration to take the course by audit must do so no later than the last day to add or register for courses as published in the University’s academic calendar. Notification of the change must be made to the Office of the Registrar by the appropriate deadline.

Directed Independent Studies (DIS) - Courses may be offered by DIS during fall and spring semesters only under special circumstances. Faculty members are not obligated to teach a course by DIS. A student may take a course by Directed Independent Study during a semester, provided:
1. The student has junior or higher standing at the University;
2. The course is listed in the catalog, but is not scheduled for that semester;
3. The course is listed as 300-level or higher;
4. The student is not repeating the course; and
5. Students may take no more than two courses by Directed Independent Study for degree purposes.

A request to take a Directed Independent Study must be submitted on the Directed Independent Study Course Request Form and received in the Office of the Registrar no later than the last day to add or register for classes for the semester or term of the Directed Independent Study.

Internships - Students interested in registering for an internship should consult with the academic advisor and department chair of their major. The Internship Application and Registration Form must be completed and returned to the Office of the Registrar no later than the last day to add or register for classes for the semester of the internship.

Procedures regarding course substitutions, exceptions to requirements, and establishing transfer equivalencies
A course substitution means that a student may apply the credit earned in one course and substitute that credit in place of another course.
Exception to a requirement means that the student is given an exemption from completing the specific coursework necessary to satisfy a particular requirement. The student receives no credit for the exemption and must complete comparable elective hours. For example, a student granted an exemption to a specific requirement would have to complete another 3-hour course to make up the hours.

Transfer equivalency means a course taken at another institution covers the same set of topics and material as a course offered at Lander. If the transfer course has an accepted Lander equivalency, the student will receive credit for the corresponding Lander course. If the transfer course does not have a direct Lander equivalent, the student will receive elective credit for that transfer course. Transfer credit decisions are made by the relevant academic program coordinator and/or dean who communicates the decisions to the registrar’s office. The registrar’s office notifies the student.

Procedures for students seeking exemptions to requirements
A student seeking an exemption to a requirement established by a Major program, a Minor program, or the General Education program must consult his or her academic advisor and fill out the Course Substitution Appeal form. The advisor will then forward the form to the Department Chair/Assistant Dean for their review and they will then forward the form to the College/School Dean. When the review is completed and a decision is reached, the form will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar, and the Registrar will notify the student of the decision. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

A student seeking relief from a general education requirement must work with their academic advisor to file a petition that will be forwarded to their college or school dean. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Procedures for students seeking course substitutions
Substitutions involving General Education Courses (non-transfer)
• Non-General Education to General Education:
o Lander University courses that are not specifically approved as General Education courses at Lander University cannot substitute for a General Education Curriculum course.
• Substitution within a competency:
o If the student’s Major program requires a specific General Education course to satisfy a General Education competency, the student may petition to substitute another approved General Education course that addresses the same competency.

Procedures involving courses transferring to Lander from another institution
In many cases, courses transferred from other institutions already have an accepted Lander course equivalency. If equivalency to an existing Lander course has not yet been established, the following procedure is followed. This procedure also applies when an established equivalency is no longer accurate (because of catalog changes at either institution) and the equivalency needs to be updated.

A student wanting to establish an equivalency (or update an existing one) between a transfer course and a requirement for a Major program, a Minor program, or the General Education program at Lander must consult his or her academic advisor, fill out a Course Substitution Appeal form, and supply a course description. The advisor will then forward the form to the Department Chair/Assistant Dean for their review and they will then forward the form to the College/School Dean. When the review is completed and a decision is reached, the form will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar, and the Registrar will notify the student of the decision. If the equivalency is approved, the Registrar’s Office will add the course to the University’s approved transfer course list.

Study at Other Institutions Lander students who wishes to receive credit for courses taken at another institution during any academic term must secure prior permission from their academic advisor, their major Department Chair/Assistant Dean, and the Registrar. The request must be made on a Coursework Approval form available in the Office of the Registrar.
A current course description from the institution the student wishes to attend must accompany the form if an articulation is not listed within the University’s “Transfer Guides”. Upon completion of the course(s) at another institution, the student must request that an official transcript be sent to Lander University’s Office of the Registrar.

Approval granted on a Coursework Approval form does not waive any of Lander University’s academic policies governing transfer of coursework. The following stipulations apply to students who wish to study at other institutions:
• Courses taken at another institution cannot be used to improve the Lander grade point average. If a student has earned a “D” or better for the same course at Lander, the transfer credit will be excluded from the student’s earned hours.
• A grade of “C” or better is required in a course for the course to be considered for transfer to Lander.
• For degree completion, at least 25% of the total credit hours must be earned through instruction by Lander University. In addition, a minimum of 12 hours of 300- and 400-level credits in the major must be earned through instruction by Lander University.