Academic Requirements

Print this Page

Graduation Requirements

Longwood University awards the bachelor’s degree to students who have fulfilled the following requirements:

1. Completion of all study required in one of the six degree programs offered. (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Bachelor of Music).
2. Completion of 120 semester hours of credit for graduation in major programs unless otherwise noted for a major degree program.
3. A minimum average of C (grade point average of 2.0) on all work taken at Longwood and a minimum average of C (grade point average of 2.0) in those courses constituting the major subjects or field. These are minimum requirements; some programs may require higher levels of achievement. By definition, the major subject or field consists of all courses listed as “major requirements” in the major program curriculum plus all additional courses taken in the same discipline as the major, except those courses which may be specifically excluded by the major department. Students choosing to minor in a field of study must have a 2.0 GPA in courses in that field of study.
4. All students will earn a grade of “C-” or better in at least two writing-intensive courses beyond courses required for General Education in Goals 1-11 and 13.
5. All students will earn a grade of “C-” or better in at least two speaking-intensive courses beyond courses required for General Education in Goals 1-11 and 13.
6. A minimum of 25 percent of the degree credit must be earned at Longwood University.
7. At least 30 credit hours at the upper level must be earned at Longwood University. (Exceptions: A. Biology majors with a concentration in Clinical Lab Sciences who take 300-400 level courses at affiliated institutions will be allowed to count that course work toward fulfilling the 30 hours upper-level graduation requirement; B. students who participate in international exchange programs may request an exception to the 30 hour upper-level graduation requirement. Exceptions must be approved in writing by the student’s college dean prior to the study abroad.)
8. Approval of the individual by the general faculty as a candidate for graduation.
9. A formal Application for Degree. File an application for degree in the Office of the Registrar no later than the completion of 75 credit hours.

Freshman Year Requirements

LSEM 100 - Longwood Seminar  is a one-credit orientation course required of all first-time entering freshmen and transfer students who are entering at the freshman level. Through Longwood Seminar, students can expect to learn academic strategies that will promote college success; become more aware of interpersonal strategies that will enhance personal and social success; explore the methods, techniques, and philosophies relevant to an academic field of study; identify personal strengths and values and their relationship to career goals; build a network of strong support relationships within the Longwood community. Students who enter Longwood with 25 or more credit hours earned after high school graduation are exempt from this requirement.

LSEM 100 - Longwood Seminar . The knowledge and skills that lead to success in college, the ability to use critical thinking and analysis in all aspects of student life, and preparation for assuming the role of citizen leader working for the common good (one credit).

The General Education Program

The purpose of the General Education Program at Longwood University is the development of disciplined, informed, and creative minds. General Education is the foundation upon which all other learning is built and is therefore the central component of a Longwood education. The program comprises fourteen goals; students may choose among the core courses listed for each. Each core course is specifically designed to address the nine central General Education criteria that all core courses have in common and to help students achieve the outcomes required for a particular goal (see the General Education section of the Catalog for a complete description). Normally, a General Education course should be offered at least once per year. A total of 38 hours of core courses is required for the General Education Program.

Major programs may not require or specify courses to be used to satisfy general education goals, with the following exceptions:

• A major program may designate which Goal 12 course its students must take.
• A major program may include the course that its students take to satisfy Goal 12 as a requirement of the major.
• Students who complete a required internship, guided field experience or directed research experience as part of their major course of study are exempted from Goal 14.

The Dean may authorize a waiver for any goal when a student, due to major requirements, must take at least two courses listed for that goal. NOTE: Goals 12, 13, and 14 comprise requirements that are not fulfilled through articulation agreements.

Veterans who have served six months of active duty may be granted two semester hours of physical education credit (providing they have no previous credit in this area), satisfying Goal 11, based on the Report of Separation (DD214). Additional credit may be given for successful completion of selected service schools. This credit is determined on the basis of recommendations in A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services. In cases where there is a question regarding the applicability of credit to the student’s program of study, the Dean of the appropriate College is consulted and the Dean may consult the appropriate Department Chair.

Additional Requirements for Specific Degrees

In addition to the 38 hours of core courses required for the General Education Program, students must fulfill the following requirements for specific degrees:

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Humanities (3 credits) - not in the discipline of the major.
Foreign Languages (3 credits) - at the 202 level or above
Modern Language majors must complete the degree requirement in a language other than their language of concentration, with the following exception: Modern Language majors with a second major in another discipline may complete the degree requirement in their language of concentration.
Students who are not native speakers of English may be exempted from the B.A. language requirement and General Education Goal 10 provided that they have received their high school diploma, or its equivalent, from a school in their native land where the language of instruction was other than English.

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

Humanities (3 credits) - not in the discipline of the major
Foreign Language/Social Science (3 credits) - students must take one of the following courses: 3 credits at the 202 or above level in a foreign language; 3 credits at the 200-level or above from one of the following disciplines(courses with prerequisites may not be eligible. Check the current Longwood catalog before choosing a course): Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Criminology.

Bachelor of Science Degree

One course each from two of the following:
Mathematics or Computer Science (3 credits)
Natural Science (4 credits)
Social Science (3 credits)

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Degree

Mathematics 301 (3 credits)
Natural Science (4 credits)

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree

BIOL 121  (4 credits)
SOCL 331  (3 credits)

Bachelor of Music Degree

Humanities (6 credits) - in two disciplines and not in the discipline of the major

The following disciplines fall within the categories of Humanities or Social Sciences:

Major Program Requirements

The specific major requirements of individual disciplines are listed separately in the Academic Programs section of this catalog. A few majors require a general education core course as part of their major program; in those cases, that core course satisfies a major program requirement and cannot be used to satisfy a general education requirement. The Dean may authorize a waiver for any general education goal when a student, due to major requirements, must take at least two courses listed for that goal.

The Writing Intensive Course Policy

All students will earn a grade of “C-” or better in at least two writing-intensive courses beyond courses required for General Education in Goals 1-11 and 13. Writing-intensive courses shall be designated in the Catalog, in the registration schedule, and on the course syllabus. Each major discipline should offer at least one writing-intensive course each year. Transfer courses do not satisfy writing intensive requirements.

Departments will strive to limit enrollment in such courses to 20 students when possible, or to otherwise manage faculty workload to promote writing instruction.

1. Writing-intensive courses comprehensively integrate written assignments with course objectives and outcomes, such that students may master course content and develop the abilities to provide professional contributions.
2. Writing assignments must comprise a minimum of 31% of the final course grade.
3. Writing-intensive courses must provide explicit instruction on disciplinary expectations as to how to complete formal writing assignments.
   Course-specific writing instruction may take many forms, including engaging students in discussions of the relevance of writing to the discipline; asking students to analyze course readings by looking specifically at the rhetorical strategies; facilitating frequent workshops to engage in interactive and context-specific analysis of writing style, usage, or mechanical issues; providing students with style guides or texts on writing appropriate to the discipline; discussing procedures for gathering and organizing information; and providing appropriate models.
4. Students must write a minimum of 3,000 words or the equivalent of finished writing, distributed over two or more formal papers that use appropriate resources. This does not include essay examinations. Group-authored documents may be part of a writing-intensive course, but each student must meet the minimum word count.
   The intent of this requirement is that each student completes a substantial amount of writing. The amount of finished product that constitutes “substantial” varies among disciplines. One thousand words of political science or literature differs from one thousand words of mathematical writing; in the sciences and in business and economics, figures, captions, and charts, for example, frequently require substantial effort. The emphasis here, however, should be on the completion of a substantial amount of writing.
5. Faculty will provide students with a detailed assignment sheet and a rubric explaining the specific grading criteria for each piece of formal writing. The syllabus must indicate where these are available.
6. Faculty in writing-intensive courses must provide substantial feedback on formal writing assignments and allow revision in response to that feedback.
   Writing is learned through revision. A common form of feedback for revision is for students to submit drafts of all or part of an assignment with sufficient time allowed for revision. However, other forms of feedback are possible, including conferences with the faculty member. With group-authored documents, courses are expected to implement a process whereby each student benefits from a course-determined revision process.
7. Students must earn a C- or better in the course in order to apply it toward their writing-intensive course requirement.

The Speaking Intensive Course Policy

All students will earn a grade of “C-” or better in at least two speaking-intensive courses beyond courses required for General Education in Goals 1-11 and 13. Speaking-intensive courses shall be designated in the Catalog, in the registration schedule, and on the course syllabus.

To qualify as speaking-intensive, a course must meet the following guidelines:

1. Speaking-intensive courses should require at least one formal speaking occasion for each student.
2. Instructors in speaking-intensive courses are encouraged to require informal speaking opportunities to lead students to explore and articulate course content.
3. Instructors in speaking-intensive courses should give explicit instruction in how to complete the required assignments. This explicit instruction must include giving detailed assignments and a scoring guide showing the explicit criteria, including grading scale, used to score the assignment. If possible, this information should be attached to the course syllabus. Other explicit instruction might include discussing procedures for gathering and organizing information, providing models of appropriate forms, and encouraging rehearsal and revision.

Transfer courses do not normally satisfy speaking intensive requirements.

Grade Level Progression

Responsibility

It is solely the responsibility of the candidate for graduation to meet all of the above requirements, including the completion of 120 semester hours, unless otherwise noted for that major degree program.

Graduation

Students who will have one course or 7 or less credits remaining may apply to participate in commencement. Please submit the Commencement Participation Application to be considered for participation in the May ceremony. The application must be complete with all required documentation attached at the time of submission. To have your name appear in the commencement brochure, your application must be received by the Office of the Registrar, Barlow Hall no later than 5pm on April 1, 2018.

Diplomas will be mailed to students normally within eight weeks of commencement.

Graduation Honors

Those students who have earned 57 or more hours at Longwood and whose general averages for all Longwood credits offered for a degree are 3.35 or above are graduated with the following honors:

Cum Laude - 3.35-3.54
Magna Cum Laude - 3.55-3.74
Summa Cum Laude - 3.75-4.00

Longwood also recognizes graduating seniors who have successfully completed an honors program in a specialized academic area.

Second Baccalaureate Degree: A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree from Longwood or any other accredited institution may earn a second baccalaureate degree by satisfying the following requirements:

1. Submit an undergraduate Application for Admission, a non-refundable application fee, and all official college transcripts directly to the Office of Admissions.
2. Submit a completed undergraduate Application for Degree to the Office of the Registrar. In order to complete the Application for Degree, the student must meet with the appropriate Department Chair. (Note: The admission process will not be completed until this application has been filed.)
3. Complete all coursework required by the second program to earn the degree specified for that program. At least 30 hours for the second degree must be completed at Longwood.
4. All general education requirements and speaking and writing intensive course requirements are met by the first baccalaureate degree. Additional degree requirements are met by the first degree where applicable.
5. Maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average cumulatively and in the major unless a higher minimum grade point average is specified for a particular major.