Credit For Life Experience
Credit for life experience may be earned for learning gained prior to enrollment at La Roche University. To earn credit for life experience, learning must relate directly to a course offered by La Roche and appear in the catalogue, with the exception of courses listed as internship, independent study or directed research. The total number of credits awarded for life experience may not exceed 30 and may not be included in the last 30 credits required for residency. Each division determines the number of credits awarded for life experience to be counted toward a major. Students should contact their advisor or the Registrar for a description of each program, restrictions and procedures.
Directed Study
A Directed Study offers students the opportunity to study individually with a faculty member, on a contractual basis, to substitute for a course that is needed for the student’s program of study, but is not available in a particular semester. The Directed Study must provide a rigorous academic experience equivalent to that of any undergraduate course, and all student learning outcomes for the course must be met.
Students will be expected to meet with faculty as agreed upon in the Directed Study proposal. The amount of supervision will be determined by the faculty member and included on the Directed Study form. The student must also complete independent work time commensurate with in- class courses, where 45 hours of learning activities are required for every one credit earned. (135 hours for a three-credit course.) Students must document their hours on the Directed Study Time Sheet.
Students wishing to complete a Directed Study must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and may complete up to six credits of Directed Study during their tenure at La Roche. Exceptions for graduating seniors will be made with the approval of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Directed Research
Directed research involves the student in the research process by actually engaging in research under the supervision of a full-time faculty member in a related discipline. The purpose of a Directed research project is to explore a theoretical or experimental research problem, the goal of which is a substantive paper or written report containing significant analysis and interpretation.
Directed Research is not a replacement for an existing course, but requires greater direct supervision by a faculty member than an independent study. The amount of supervision will be determined by the faculty member and included on the Directed Research form.
In accordance with the University’s Credit Hour Policy, students must complete work time commensurate with laboratory courses, where between 45 to 90 hours of learning activities are required for every one credit earned. (135 to 180 hours for a three-credit course.) Students must document their hours on the Directed Research Time Sheet.
Directed Research is limited to 2-4 credits per semester for upper class students in an academic major which establishes the prerequisites.
Students may take up to a total of 8 credits of directed research during their tenure at La Roche.
Students must register for a Directed Research by the end of the established add/drop period for the semester or session.
Independent Study
Independent study is an in-depth examination of a particular topic, on a contractual basis and under the limited supervision of a full-time faculty member in a related discipline. Independent study is not a substitute for a formal course, but provides the student with the opportunity to pursue a subject in more depth and in a more independent manner than is possible in a traditional course. Students are responsible for developing their own proposal, following through with assignments and working independently. The amount of supervision will be determined by the faculty member and included on the Directed Research form.
Student initiated proposals, including rationale and goals, must be submitted via the Independent Study Form and approved by the faculty member, the student’s advisor and the department chair.
In accordance with the University’s Credit hour policy, students must complete independent work time commensurate with in-class courses, where 45 hours of learning activities are required for every one credit earned. (135 hours for a three-credit course.) Students must document their hours on the Independent Study Time Sheet.
Students wishing to complete an independent study must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students may take up a total of 6 credits of independent study during their tenure at La Roche.
Students must register for an Independent Study by the end of the established add/drop period for the semester or session.
Internship
An internship is completed in an area related to a student’s major. One to twelve (1-12) internship credits may be earned over the course of a student’s time at La Roche University. Internship credits are limited to no more than 6 credits per semester. While students may complete multiple internships at the same company, if appropriate, the student may not earn more than 6 credits in one internship experience. Each “internship experience” is defined by the responsibilities, duties, and learning objectives of the position. Students may apply for an internship once they have earned 30 credits. Students must be in good academic standing to begin an internship. Good academic standing is defined as having both a semester and cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Internships may begin when a student has completed a minimum of 45 credits. Individual academic departments may have more restrictive guidelines/requirements/grading policies than those printed here.
If an internship is being done for academic credit, the online internship application process must be completed, including all approvals, prior to the registration deadline of the given semester/session. Internship paperwork may not be backdated to a previous semester or saved to be added in a future semester.
Internship credits to be earned must be determined at the point of registration for the internship and not while it is in progress or once completed. Additional credits cannot be added retroactively should the student work in excess of the required number of hours (see chart below).
Students may not do an internship at their place of regular employment unless the internship experience is in a different department/capacity than their regular job.
All expenses incurred during an internship are the responsibility of the student. There is no guarantee that a student will be paid or will earn a stipend for an internship. If a student opts to do an internship for credit, the internship is billed to the student’s account as is any other academic course taken at La Roche University.
The La Roche University faculty supervisor will generally be a full-time faculty member from the student’s major department area. If a full- time faculty member from the academic area is unavailable to be a supervisor, the department chair may designate another qualified supervisor.
It is the responsibility of the student and the faculty supervisor, in conjunction with the internship-site supervisor, to set the parameters of the internship in order to ensure that all requirements are met and that all parties agree to the terms of the internship contract. For each credit, the student must document a minimum of 45 hours of work between the internship site and related academic assignments such as a journal, paper, research project, or presentation. Of the 45 hours per credit, experiential learning must comprise a minimum of 30 hours. The exact proportion of time spent in the field and on related academic work is determined by the faculty supervisor.
All paperwork must be submitted to the faculty supervisor at the end of the internship in order for a grade and credit to be granted. This includes the timesheet, final-hours documentation, and both the employer and student evaluations.
A single internship may be taken for one to six (1-6) credits. The breakdown of credits and required hours is as follows:
Credit Total Hours Required Approximate Hrs/Wk*
1 Credit 45 hours 3 hours per week
2 Credits 90 hours 6 hours per week
3 Credits 135 hours 9 hours per week
4 Credits 180 hours 12 hours per week
5 Credits 225 hours 15 hours per week
6 Crdits 270 hours 18 hours per week
OR ( Hana you pick )
| Credit Amount | Total Hours | Hours Per Week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 | 3 |
| 2 | 90 | 6 |
| 3 | 135 | 9 |
| 4 | 180 | 12 |
| 5 | 225 | 15 |
| 6 | 270 | 18 |
*Approximate hours per week are based on a 15-week semester