Registration Policies

Registering for Classes Email Modification of Academic Requirements Definition of Student Status: Student Definition of Student Status: Special Student Cross-Registration Transfer of Credit Waiver of Courses Course Numbering System

Changing or Adding Programs Grading System Grading Policy Grade Change Policy Repeated Courses and Grades Independent Study Continuous Enrollment Degree Candidacy Applying for Degree Candidacy Commencement Commencement Speaker Selection Transcripts

 Registering for Classes

Registration is accomplished online using WebAdvisor. WebAdvisor is a browser-based application that allows current students to view their schedules, grades, advising transcripts, restrictions, and to conduct registration transactions including adding and dropping courses. All registration activity can be performed online with WebAdvisor, with the exception of certain changes.

WebAdvisor, along with the latest information and instructions about course registration, can be accessed by visiting the Graduate Registrar’s website.

To avoid late registration fees, students must complete registration and changes using WebAdvisor prior to the start of the term or during the Add/Drop Period (ADP). No late fees will apply if a student adds a course online on or before the first day of class. After the ADP, students wishing to drop a course must complete a Late Add/Drop form and pay a late fee. Additional charges may be assessed based on the tuition adjustment policy. For details, consult the tuition and fees section of the graduate school catalog.

 Email

Email is the official method of communication at Lewis & Clark. Once you are admitted and have paid the nonrefundable tuition deposit, you will receive instruction about how to establish your Lewis & Clark email/network and WebAdvisor accounts. Our internal systems will only use your Lewis & Clark email address for correspondence.

 

Modification of Academic Requirements

Students who seek modification of academic requirements may petition the graduate school. Before submitting a petition, the student should meet with his or her advisor to consider ways of fulfilling the requirement without the need for a special petition. A petition form is available from the graduate registrar’s office.

 Definition of Student Status: “Student”

A Student is defined as one who has been formally admitted to graduate study leading to a master’s, educational specialist, or doctoral degree, or endorsement, licensure, or certificate program.

 Definition of Student Status: “Special Student”

If, for valid reasons, a student is unable to complete an application prior to the deadline, the student may be granted Special Student status.

A Special Student is defined as one of the following:

1. A student who is not seeking a Lewis & Clark degree or licensure and is taking courses solely for personal or professional enrichment.
2. A student who is interested in pursuing a Lewis & Clark degree or licensure but has not been formally admitted to graduate study.

Special Students are allowed to enroll for a maximum of nine credits. Enrollment does not guarantee that the student will be admitted to any graduate program or that the coursework taken will be accepted for degree, endorsement, or licensure requirements.

Special Students are not eligible for federal student aid.

Cross-Registration

A Lewis & Clark undergraduate may be eligible to register for designated courses at the graduate school if he or she has completed 93 undergraduate credits, is registered as a full-time student* during the semester of cross-registration (taking no fewer than 12 credits) at the College of Arts & Sciences, and obtained the consent of the graduate course instructor and graduate registrar.

In order to apply credit earned in a graduate course to an undergraduate major, the student must obtain approval in advance from the major department chair in the College of Arts and Sciences.

*During summer, students need not be registered as full-time students at the College of Arts & Sciences, but regular graduate tuition rates will be assessed for graduate credits.

 Transfer of Credit

Transfer of graduate credit from other institutions is evaluated on an individual basis and may include courses using both traditional and alternative modes of delivery. Normally a student is prohibited from transferring more than the equivalent of 10 semester hours of graduate-level credit. The amount of transfer credit accepted by individual programs may vary. Usually only credits earned in the five years prior to admission are considered for transfer credit. Courses requested for transfer into an applicant’s degree program at Lewis & Clark must be from a regionally accredited institution and have a minimum grade of B, or a grade of CR or “pass” from an institution that provides documentation that a CR or pass grade represents a grade of B or higher.

To have previous coursework evaluated for transfer credit, students must submit an official transcript or transcripts documenting the coursework. The Graduate School of Education and Counseling must receive any such transcripts within 30 days of formal admission for the student to be considered for transfer credit.

Credit transfer applied to the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) licensure concentrations (nondegree) may be exempt from the restrictions described above. Students should consult the appropriate advisor.

 

Waiver of Courses

A student may seek waiver of a course or course requirement based on competency or experience in one or more of these ways:

1. A written or oral examination by a faculty member in the area in which competence is to be assessed (with consent of instructor).
2. Demonstration of skill, behavior, or other knowledge that clearly reveals mastery in the area in which competence is to be assessed.
3. A written recommendation from an outside authority recognized by Lewis & Clark (such as a licensed principal or superintendent), followed by a thorough review of the recommendation by a faculty member in the area in which competence is to be tested.

All required courses that are waived must be replaced by preapproved elective coursework with equivalent credit. Lewis & Clark does not grant credit for courses waived. Waiver Request forms and information about specific waiver procedures are available in each department office and in the graduate registrar’s office.

Waiving Courses for Nondegree Programs
There is no fixed limit to the number of courses that a student may petition to waive toward earning a license or endorsement. However, students must earn at least six semester hours of credit through a program at Lewis & Clark in order to be recommended by Lewis & Clark to the licensing agency or organization. Students in education licensure programs may petition the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) if they are dissatisfied with the denial of a request for waiver.

 

Course Numbering System

500-699 Graduate-level courses (applicable to Lewis & Clark degree programs)
700-799 Doctor of Education in Leadership Program courses
800-899 Continuing education courses (graduate-level courses not applicable to a Lewis & Clark degree program)
900-999 Graduate-level courses (International, applicable to Lewis & Clark degree programs)

Students should check with their advisors before enrolling to determine whether courses they intend to take will apply to their planned program.

 

Changing or Adding Programs

Students wishing to change their current program to an academic program in a different program within the Graduate School of Education and Counseling will be required to submit an application for admission to the new program, and meet all requirements for admission to the program.

Students wishing to change their current program to another academic program within their department will be required to complete a departmental request to change form and meet any additional requirements of the department. Students may also be required to submit supporting documents (essays and letters of recommendation) directed to the new program and meet the new program’s published admissions requirements deadlines.

Students currently enrolled or who have recently completed an Educational Administration license-only program or a Teacher Education inservice program may be eligible to complete an abbreviated admissions process in order to ÒaddÓ the new program. Please contact the Graduate Admissions office for information.

 

Grading System

Letter grades may be accompanied by a plus or minus to be calculated into a student’s grade point average (GPA) as follows:

A =4.0	A- = 3.7	B+ = 3.3	B = 3.0	B- = 2.7	C+ = 2.3	C = 2.0	C- = 1.7	D+ = 1.3	D = 1.0
F = 0.0	CR = 0.0	DFD = 0.0	I/INC = 0.0	NC = 0.0	NG = 0.0	PI = 0.0	W = 0.0	AU = 0.0	RQ = 0.0

Incomplete Grades

A grade of incomplete (I/INC) will be granted only in the case of compelling circumstances that prevent completion of a course prior to the date grades are due. It is the responsibility of the individual instructor, in consultation with the student, to decide whether the student has a legitimate reason for not completing the work on time.

An incomplete must be resolved within a one-year period or it becomes a Permanent Incomplete (PI). In extraordinary circumstances, a student may petition for an extension of the incomplete deadline. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate the request for extension in advance of the one-year deadline. To be granted, the request must receive approval from the instructor, the department chair, and the dean of the graduate school. A form to request the extension of an Incomplete must be filed with the registrar. The request form is available in the registrar’s office or through the “forms” section of the registrar’s website.

Students must resolve any incompletes before beginning an internship or student teaching. Graduating students receiving an incomplete must consult the registrar’s office to establish a revised graduation date. If the incomplete is not made up in time for the revised graduation date, the student will be removed from the list of potential graduates. The student will not be reinstated to the list until the grade change has been submitted to the Registrar’s Office.

Deferred Grades

The grade of deferred (DFD) is a temporary placeholder for a permanent grade. This designation is used to indicate on the transcript that a student has completed the first portion or semester of a course that continues into at least another semester. When the full course or sequence is completed, the student receives a grade to replace the DFD placeholder on the transcript.

Credit/No Credit Grades

Credit (CR) signifies that a student has earned the equivalent of a B (GPA = 3.0) or higher for a course taken on a credit/no credit basis. Students who fail to complete the course at this level receive a designation of no credit (NC).

If a student chooses to take courses on a CR/NC basis, the student must file a CR/NC request form with the registrar, with the instructor’s signature, within the first 10 days of the semester. The request form is available in the registrar’s office or through the “forms” section of the registrar’s website.

Required Participation Grades

The grade of required participation (RQ) signifies that a student has participated in the graduate school’s convocation. No credit is awarded for participation; the designation is used only to verify the student’s participation on the transcript.

Audit Grades

Students who audit a course will not receive academic credit. They must identify that they intend to audit the course prior to or during the add/drop period of the term in which the course is being offered. The student is expected to attend classes consistent with the instructor’s attendance policy. The student may participate in any or all course requirements and examination. The grade of AU will be recorded on the academic record. Audit grades, once granted, are final.

 

Grading Policy

Students must maintain a B average (3.0) and not receive any grade lower than a C- in any course to be eligible for graduation. No more than 6 semester hours of C work (C+, C, or C-) may be counted toward a degree.

Under special circumstances and only with advisor approval, courses may be taken on a credit/no credit (CR/NC) basis. Credit will be awarded only if the work is equivalent to a grade of B or better. No more than 10 semester hours of coursework taken on a CR/NC basis may be applied toward a graduate degree, licensure, or endorsement. This limitation does not apply to required coursework that is offered only on a CR/NC basis.

Students in nondegree graduate programs (including license, certificate, and endorsement programs) must maintain a 3.0 GPA.

Students who do not maintain the required GPA will be withdrawn from the program. Withdrawal decisions may be appealed through the graduate school’s Appeal Review Process. Once withdrawn from a program, a student may not be readmitted to that program, except through timely use of appeal review.

 

Grade Change Policy

Once a grade is recorded, it is permanent. Unless it is successfully appealed, no grade will be changed except to correct a clerical or computational error.

Any appeal procedure concerning a grade change must involve the instructor who assigned the grade. A student who believes that the course grade awarded does not accurately reflect his or her performance should first attempt to resolve the matter with the individual faculty member. If the student and instructor are unable to reach a resolution, the parties should request assistance from the department chair. If this attempt at resolution is unsuccessful, either party may submit a formal written appeal, following the graduate school Appeal Review Process.

In the event the parties agree to a grade change, they must submit a Change of Grade form explaining the reason(s) for the change. No grade or course level may be changed after one year from the date of issuance.

 

Repeated Courses and Grades

Some courses may not be repeated for academic credit. In certain circumstances and with prior approval from an advisor, however, students may repeat selected courses in order to replace grades and credits. The grade earned during the repetition of such a course will replace the previous grade in the cumulative GPA. Students must complete any repeated courses within the maximum allowable time frame and meet satisfactory academic progress requirements.

 

Independent Study

Independent study enables a student to pursue, in collaboration with a faculty member, an academic course not currently offered. To receive credit for independent study, the student consults with the faculty member before registration to define the course content, title, amount of credit, and academic evaluation. As a general rule, a graduate student may apply no more than three courses of independent study toward a degree or licensure. The application for independent study must be submitted to the appropriate department office at least one week prior to the last day to register for classes during the semester for which the independent study is scheduled. The academic department office will forward approved independent study applications to the registrar’s office. The registrar’s office will register the student and send an email confirmation to the student’s Lewis & Clark email address.

 Continuous Enrollment

Students who elect to interrupt their studies must show a justifiable reason to obtain an approved leave of absence from the department chair, and must file their approved leave of absence with the graduate school registrar’s office. Students who remain unenrolled for 12 months and who do not have an approved leave of absence may, at the discretion of their program, be required to re-seek formal admission.

 

 Degree Candidacy

The following steps are taken to determine whether an admitted student’s performance is satisfactory enough to allow the student to complete requirements for the degree:

1. Course grades are examined to determine whether the student is maintaining a 3.0 grade point average and whether the student has earned more than two grades below B- or any grade lower than C-.
2. The courses taken are compared to those listed on the student’s formal program of study to ensure that the student is progressing as planned.
3. Information relevant to each degree/licensure/endorsement concentration is solicited from advisor(s), instructors, and other sources.

 

 Applying for Degree Candidacy

n order to graduate, students must complete an application for degree candidacy. The degree application must be filed with the graduate registrar before the applicable deadline:

December degree completion and June commencement participation:
September 15

May degree completion and June commencement participation:
November 20

July or August degree completion and June commencement participation:
February 24

July or August degree completion and no commencement participation:
March 24

 

 Commencement

The graduate school holds one commencement ceremony yearly. The 2011 ceremony will be held on June 5, 2011. Degree candidates from the previous December, May degree candidates, and July-August degree candidates who have filed a degree application by the February deadline are eligible to participate.

 Commencement Speaker Selection

In order to select the student commencement speaker, the graduate school will solicit nominations from the graduating class. Students may self-nominate or they may be nominated by their peers. Once nominated, the student is asked to provide a two-to-three page writing sample (not research), and to prepare a one-page outline of the speech with rationale. Nominees will be asked to present a two-to-three minute excerpt of their draft of the speech before a panel composed of representatives from the dean’s office, the faculty, the staff, and the Student Union Network. Following presentations, the panel will select a speaker based on the following three criteria:

• Recognized as an outstanding student, both in the classroom and in the larger community.
• Exemplary representative of the graduate student body.
• Excellent speaking ability with well-thought-out speech.

 

 Transcripts

Transcript requests must be in writing (federal guidelines require your signature to release your academic information). Your request may be mailed, faxed, brought to our office in person, or scanned and emailed. It may take as many as five working days before the transcript will be produced and mailed.

If you also completed undergraduate coursework at the College of Arts and Sciences, we will copy and forward your request to the CAS Registrar’s Office at no additional fee. If you have recently completed your coursework, we suggest that you check WebAdvisor to ensure all grades are posted before ordering your transcript.

The request form for a Lewis & Clark graduate transcript is available on our website at www.lclark.edu/graduate/offices/registrar/transcripts. Please include the following information in your request:

• Your name, address, and phone number
• Social Security Number or L&C ID number
• Date of birth
• Former or other names under which you may have attended
• Approximate dates of attendance
• Degree earned (if applicable) and degree date
• The address(es) and name(s) to which we should send the transcript(s)
• Your signature

Payment can be made by check, money order, or credit card. To pay by credit card (Visa or MasterCard only) include with your request the credit card number, the name on the card, expiration date, amount to be charged and your signature to authorize payment. Checks should be made out to Lewis & Clark.

Transcript requests and payment can be forwarded to the registrar’s office by mail, fax, or email to the Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling:

Registrar’s Office, Rogers Hall, Room 301
0615 SW Palatine Hill Road, MSC 90
Portland, OR 97219-7899

Fax
(503) 768-6035

Email
gradreg@lclark.edu

Lewis & Clark may withhold transcripts from students with unpaid financial obligations.

Lewis & Clark does not issue copies of transcripts from other institutions. If students are interested in securing copies of transcripts from other schools, they must write to those institutions directly.

Transcript Fees

Transcripts cost $5 each for the first two. Additional transcripts, when ordered at the same time, are $2 each.