General Information

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Students interested in pursuing the M.Ed. or M.S.T. degree are required to submit a completed Graduate Program Application package and schedule a formal interview.  (For detail, see appropriate degree sections.)  Students without Master’s degrees who are working towards a certificate or second endorsement either at Lyndon State or through the Vermont Higher Education Collaborative and hope to obtain a M.Ed. are encouraged to apply for admissions as well.  During the formal interview, an audit of transcripts from other graduate institutions will be conducted.  Students who do not wish to enter a degree or certificate program are welcome to enroll in undergraduate or graduate courses without formal admission; however, they (non-matriculated students) may be refused registration on the basis of a previous record at the College.

Foreign Students:  In addition to all other required admission materials, college applicants whose native language is not English will be required to provide evidence of English proficiency.  Such proficiency may be demonstrated by submitting results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam or through interviews with the Dean of Admissions (or designee).  A score in excess of 499 on the TOEFL is considered a demonstration of English proficiency.  Applicants who score less than 500 are required to be interviewed by the Dean of Admissions (or designee) and may be refused admittance.

College policy ensures that persons are neither denied benefits nor subjected to discrimination in any manner on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, sex, veteran status, sexual orientation, or disability.  This applies to all areas of Lyndon’s services and actions.  See the Dean of Academic and Student Affairs or the Dean of Administration if you have questions or special needs.

Graduate students enroll using registration forms available from the Student Services Office. The College reserves the right to cancel prior registrations and to require students to re-register if tuition and fees are not paid in advance or if classes are not attended in the first week of the semester. If a school or supervisory union is paying for registration, an official letter stating that the school or supervisory union will pay for registration must accompany the registration form. If the school pays only tuition, then the student must submit the fees along with the registration form. Registration is not complete until both tuition and fees have been paid in full.

Transfer Credit:

Up to twelve (12) graduate credits may be transferred into an LSC graduate degree.  Core courses taken at other colleges and universities may only be transferred as electives while core courses taken at Lyndon within five years before matriculation into the M.Ed. program can be included in a degree program and do not count against the 12-credit transfer limit.  To be eligible for transfer credit consideration, graduate courses must have a grade of “B” pr better, be relevant to the degree program, and have been taken within five (5) years prior to the date of matriculation.

A request for transfer credits is made to the Graduate Department chair, who makes the determination about the acceptance of credits.  Transfer credits will count toward graduation only when approved by the Academic Dean within the first year after matriculation.

Independent Study:

For a student to receive credit for an independent study course, the course must be taught by a Lyndon State College faculty member or an approved adjunct. Independent studies are not available for courses offered in the scheduled curriculum. A student can include no more than nine (9) credits of independent study work in a graduate degree program.

Registration for an independent study is not complete until the independent study contract form has been submitted with the signature of the advisor, instructor, department chair, and the Academic Dean. Students shall complete all independent study contract forms within each semester.

Non-matriculated Enrollment:

Students who have not been admitted to a certificate or degree program may enroll in graduate courses as non-matriculated students.  Brochures that describe available offerings are available every semester.  These brochures contain a registration form.  Contact the Student Services Office for current information., or check the school’s web site at www.lyndonstate.edu.

Grades:

Graduate students may receive a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, I, P, or NP. Where letter grades are given, a grade of “B-” or better is required for degree-program graduate credit. A 3.00 average must be maintained to remain in good graduate academic standing and to graduate.

A grade of P (Pass) is equivalent to a B- or better.  Students are allowed to register for as many courses evaluated with P/NP as they wish.  However, any course to be taken on a P/NP basis must be so designated in writing when registering for the course.

Residency and Time Limit for Completion of Masters Degree:

Graduate degree programs consisting of thirty-six (36) credits must be completed within five (5) years.  At least 24 of the 36 credits applied toward degree requirements must be taken at Lyndon State College.

In order to be eligible for graduation, a student must be certain that official transcripts for all courses taken at other institutions are on file in the Registrar’s Office. Also, all graduation requirements, with the exception of courses to be taken in the last semester, must be satisfied by the first day of the semester of expected graduation. Where appropriate, a copy of the Final Product, or final exam scores, must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office before a diploma will be issued. Failure to comply with these requirements may delay graduation. Approval for graduation will be given by the Dean, the appropriate department, the Academic Standards Committee, and the Faculty Assembly.

Graduate students who are on probation and complete the following semester with less than a 3.0 GPA are subject to dismissal.

A minimum acceptable cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required for graduation in all Master’s Degree programs.

For deadlines for filing materials related to graduation, refer to “application for award of degree” in the undergraduate section of the Academic Catalog.

An action research project is a prerequisite for graduation from all LSC Masters programs.  All research involving human subjects requires approval of the Lyndon State College Institutional Review Board.

1. LSC Policies
   To ensure the minimization of potential physical and psychological risk to participants, all human subjects research conducted at the College or by any student or employee of the College will comply with all applicable LSC and VSC policies and state and federal laws (especially Federal Title 45 CFR Part 46, from which the following is abstracted and to which the reader is directed for further details). The following definitions are noted:
   1. Research is defined as any systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalized knowledge, including demonstrations and surveys.
   2. Human subjects are defined as living individuals about whom an investigator conducting research obtains:
      1. data through intervention and/or interaction
      2. any identifiable personal information
2. IRB Responsibilities
   To ensure compliance with laws and policies, the College maintains an Institutional Review Board for Human Subject Research (IRB). No research covered by this policy shall be initiated until the IRB approves it. The IRB shall:
   1. Review all research activities covered by this policy.
   2. Have the authority to approve, modify, or disapprove all research activities covered by this policy.
   3. Review all continuing research at intervals appropriate to the degree of risk, but not less than once per year.
   4. Approve all changes in approved projects.
   5. Keep public, written records of all of its meetings and decisions.
3. IRB Membership
   1. The IRB shall consist of five members.
   2. The membership shall have:
      1. varying professional backgrounds
      2. sufficient qualifications through experience and expertise to promote respect
      3. diversity of race, gender, and cultural background
      4. sensitivity to community attitudes
      5. familiarity with institutional commitments and regulations, applicable law, and standards of professional conduct and practice
      6. at least one member whose primary concerns are in scientific areas
      7. at least one member whose primary concerns are in non-scientific areas
      8. at least one member who is not otherwise affiliated with the institution and who is not part of the immediate family of person who is affiliated with the institution.
   3. A member will not participate in the review of any project in which the member has a conflicting interest, except to provide information requested by the IRB.
   4. The Faculty would recommend the Faculty Members to the President that would be members of the Administrative Committee. All members are appointed by the President.
   5. Members’ terms of office will be 3 years, with the individual terms staggered such that no more than two terms of office expire in any given year.
4. IRB Forms
   As a minimum, the IRB shall establish and make available the following forms:
   1. Application forms which require thorough description of all proposed research activities and the specific role of the human research subjects
   2. Informed consent forms to be required of all subjects
   3. Forms to ensure the protection of privacy of all subjects and the confidentiality of all data obtained.
   4. Forms to notify the investigator and the College of all of its decisions
   5. Forms to notify all subjects of the details of their participation in the research project
5. V. IRB Procedures
   1. The IRB shall establish and publicize all procedures associated with implementing this policy, including the deadline application, timeline for the review process review, and date for notification to the investigator of the IRB’s decisions.
   2. All discretionary procedures established by the IRB are subject to Faculty Assembly approval.