Academic Policies
Graduate degrees in art, education, counseling, communications, health sciences, and theatre are offered on a semester schedule. Graduate degrees in business, nonprofit administration, and public administration are offered on a five-term-per-year schedule. Programs offered through the School of Accelerated Degree Programs are offered on a quarter or trimester schedule and are outlined further in the School of ADP catalog.
Note: Some semester courses are offered in a half-semester format during the fall or spring semester. Please check the course schedule for further information.
All academic credit is given in semester credit hours. Full- and half-time student status is determined by the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled during a given term. In credit hours, the academic load designations for graduate students are as follows:
Semester Programs
Full-time Enrollment
- Doctor of Education students - six to eight credit hours
- Graduate and Specialist students - nine to fifteen credit hours
Half-time Enrollment
- Doctor of Education students - three to five credit hours
- Graduate and Specialist students - six to eight credit hours
Less than Half-time Enrollment
- Doctor of Education students - two or fewer credit hours
- Graduate and Specialist students - five or fewer credit hours
Five-term Programs
Full-time Enrollment
Half-time Enrollment
- Three to five credit hours
Less than Half-time Enrollment
- Two or fewer credit hours
Notes: (1) In order to remain in compliance with U.S. visa regulations, students on an F1 visa must maintain full-time enrollment status by enrolling in a minimum of six credit hours per term in the five-term program or nine credit hours per term in semester programs.
(2) Course extensions (including culminating project extensions, capstone extensions, and thesis extensions) are not counted among a student’s hours enrolled. For this reason, students who are only enrolled in the completion of a thesis, capstone experience, or culminating project are considered less than half-time students.
(3) Active duty military personnel pursuing certain online graduate programs in the semester format may qualify for full-time enrollment status at six credit hours. Such students should contact the VA certifying official for more information.
At the graduate level, the university offers coursework leading to a Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), and Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), Education Specialist (EdS), and Doctor of Education (EdD) degrees. In all schools, individualized degrees may be developed on a contract basis for interdisciplinary studies or specialties. Descriptions of degree programs are listed in the Academic Programs section of this catalog.
Students wishing to pursue a degree or program other than the one they originally sought should consult with an advisor in the new program to determine whether additional application materials must be submitted for admission to the new program.
Second Master’s Degree
A student who has previously earned a master’s degree from Lindenwood and desires another master’s degree type may transfer a maximum of nine hours of credit from the first degree into the second degree if the credit is applicable. All other requirements for the second degree, including the culminating project or thesis, must be completed. If the student is seeking a major leading to a degree type not previously earned at Lindenwood University, the major will be added to the student’s transcript and a new diploma will be received listing the degree and major earned.
Second Master’s Major
If the student previously earned a degree at Lindenwood University and is seeking a major leading to the same degree type the second major will be added to the student’s transcript with the notation “Second Master’s Major” but no new diploma will be issued as no new degree type has been earned.
Additional Master’s Degrees
A student who has earned a master’s degree from Lindenwood and desires another master’s degree type may transfer a maximum of nine hours of credit from the first degree into the second degree if the credit is applicable. All other requirements for the second degree, including the culminating project or thesis, must be completed. A student who would like to pursue any additional master’s degree type beyond completing a second master’s degree will have to complete all degree requirements including the total earned hours for the degree program.
A graduate student is expected to complete a graduate program within five years of the date of entry.
All students at Lindenwood University are expected to attend all classes and class activities for which they have enrolled. If classes are missed, a student is expected to make up the work to the satisfaction of the instructors concerned.
At times, absence from class may be unavoidable as in instances of prolonged illness, hospitalization, or participation in an approved university activity. A student who has been hospitalized should submit official doctor's or hospital documentation to the accessibility coordinator located in the Library and Academic Resource Center, suite 346, who will send official notification to the instructor. Excessive absence may result in F or AF grades for a course. Persons receiving benefits from the Veterans Administration are governed by special regulations concerning class attendance (See Veterans’ Benefits.)
No extra credit is permitted at the graduate level.
Student work is defined as assignments, homework, and other academic activities to be completed outside of instructional time, including reading, studying, writing, research etc. Students should expect to spend a minimum of two hours per week completing this work for each credit hour enrolled (thus six hours of work outside of class per week for a three-hour course), although the time spent outside of class may increase based on the topic and level of the course.
All semester and five-term program courses are required to meet until the end of the scheduled academic periods as stated in the university calendar. Professors are required to hold a final exam or other significant evaluative activity at the scheduled final exam time as outlined in the final exam schedule. There are to be no exceptions to these requirements.
Faculty members are not to change the schedule of the final exam, either by changing the date of the exam or by changing the time of the exam. Students should plan to attend their final exams on the scheduled dates.
In the event that classes are officially cancelled during final exams, the students’ final course grades will be calculated based on the work in the course completed to that point if 75 percent of the graded work in the class has already been assigned. If 75 percent of the graded work in the class has not been assigned by the final exam, a makeup exam will be scheduled.
A student who is not seeking certification or any degree with Lindenwood University may be accepted as a Non-Degree, “Special Status” student. Students accepted under this status must meet university admissions standards and may not take more than 12 credit hours of regular, undergraduate, or graduate credit without being fully admitted. This policy does not apply to cooperative (workshop) credit. Students accepted with special status are not eligible for financial aid or student loans as they are not fully admitted to the university. Payment arrangements must be made with the Business Office prior to attending class.
Students are required to satisfy the degree requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of matriculation. A continuing student who desires to pursue a course of study added to the curriculum in a subsequent catalog year or who wishes to fulfill degree requirements that have changed since the student’s matriculation must submit a catalog change request to the Office of Academic Services. If the request is granted, the student will be bound by all policies and requirements in the new catalog. Students who discontinue study at Lindenwood University may be required to adopt the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of readmission depending upon the length of the absence. See the Academic Policies and Procedures/Academic Renewal section of this catalog for further information regarding catalog requirements after a leave of absence from the university.
Note: The university reserves the right to modify its policies (other than degree requirements) at any time. Students must adhere to all university policies that are in effect during each term of enrollment.