Courses and Programs
Course Numbering
Courses at Lindenwood are numbered sequentially.
- 01000-09999: Preparatory coursework, with credit hours not counting toward the cumulative total number of credit hours required to earn a bachelor’s degree
- 10000-19999: Introductory courses open to all students, normally not having prerequisites
- 20000-29999: Specialized courses open to all students, which may or may not have prerequisites
- 30000-39999: Advanced courses which may or may not have prerequisites
- 40000-49999: Senior level courses normally having prerequisites
- 50000-79999: Master’s, Thesis, EdS, EdD, and graduate workshops
- 80000-99999: Doctoral level courses and graduate workshops
Course Offering Frequency
The schedule of course offerings is dependent on student enrollment and availability of qualified instructors. The university reserves the right to cancel any course when enrollment is below minimum requirements or a qualified instructor is not available. It is up to the discretion of the individual college of the timeline of when/how a course is to be offered. Students should contact their advisor if they have questions about when a specific course will be offered.
The enrollment limit and prerequisite(s) of a course may be overridden by a dean (or others who are designated signatories) of the college the course is within. The student will need to complete a paper enrollment form including the authorized signature of the dean allowing the override and the student’s advisor. The form can be emailed to AcademicServices@lindenwood.edu for processing.
Course Instructional Method
Attendance
Attendance in an online course is based on submission of one or more academic activities, such as discussion board participation, quiz, exam, paper, or other graded assignment. Logging into a course or submitting an introductory video does not constitute academic attendance.
Student Authentication and Video Content
Compliance with student authentication requirements is a condition of enrollment in all online courses. As per the Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110–315), student authentication is defined as “processes to establish that the student who registers for a distance education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit.”
Institutional authentication requirements include an ethics agreement, introductory video, end-of-course survey, and course specific methods, including but not limited to live or video proctoring, authentication technology, video assignments, videoconferences, and/or extensive writing assignments. The methods of student authentication incorporated into a particular course can be found in its syllabus.
To facilitate authentication measures, students must have ready access to a webcam or camera on a mobile device. Students who enroll in online courses must also have a current photo, confirmed by a valid form of identification, within Lindenwood's student information system.
Students who fail to comply with authentication requirements may be withdrawn from the course at the discretion of the LUGC dean. Students withdrawn from a course are subject to university withdrawal policies and other consequences if the change moves them from full-time to part-time status.
Independent Study
An independent study is an innovative, nonstandard class involving independent research/study on the part of the student under the guidance of an instructor. The contact time requirement for an independent study is one documented contact hour every two weeks. It is strongly recommended that undergraduate students who are granted independent studies have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA. Graduate students should have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA to qualify for an independent study course.
Independent study courses cannot be used to meet an undergraduate general education requirement.
To enroll in an independent study course, the Independent Study Proposal form must be completed, signed, and returned to the LUGC Registrar no later than the third week of the term in which the work is to be done. An Add/Drop/Enrollment form and a one- to two-page course outline prepared by the student after consultation with the instructor must be attached.
Internships
Internships are available in many areas of study and provide the opportunity for students to obtain academic credit through out-of-classroom work experience.
Students interested in applying for internships should contact their student success coach for additional information. Internships are billed at the current tuition rate per credit hour. Internships may earn between zero and 12 credit hours depending on the program. Credit hours for internships are listed in course descriptions. Some degree programs may necessitate additional fieldwork and written documentation. Students, however, must meet the minimum standards set forth in this policy to be awarded credit for the internship.
Curriculum Practical Training (CPT)
CPT is a special work authorization for international students. It allows them to participate in internships or work off campus as long as they are enrolled in an internship course for that pay period.
- CPT is pay period based, meaning that it is only authorized for the pay period that the student is taking the internship course.
- Students must have CPT added to their I-20 if they are receiving compensation or participating in a paid
- internship opportunity. If they are non-paid / volunteer internships, then CPT does not need to be authorized on their I-20.
- CPT will only be authorized for part-time while the pay period is in session.
Undergraduate/Graduate students:
- During the fall and spring semesters students can only work part-time.
- Semester students can work full-time during the summer session.
- See co-curricular Employment for International Students for more information.
Online Course
An Online Course is a type of ‘distance delivered course’ in which 100% of the instruction and interaction for a particular course occurs via electronic communication, correspondence, or equivalent mechanisms, where there is regular and substantive interaction between the students and instructor, and where the faculty and students are physically separated from each other. In an online course, there are no required face-to-face sessions and no requirements for on-campus activity.
Note: For VA students, when a course is taken solely online, the course must be certified to VA as distance training.
There is no limit on the number of online courses a semester undergraduate student can take per semester, except students with F-1 visas. For F-1 students enrolled in classes for credit or classroom hours, no more than the equivalent of one class or three credit hours per pay period, may be counted toward the full course of study requirement if the class is taken online or through distance education and does not require the student's physical attendance for classes, examination or other purposes integral to completion of the class. An online or distance education course is a course that is offered principally through the use of television, audio, or computer transmission including open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, satellite, audio conferencing, or computer conferencing.