Admissions to the School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Admissions Requirements

The accelerated adult degree program through Elizabethtown College’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers a rigorous academic setting and provides students with the tools to help them advance in their profession and to achieve their academic goals.

Undergraduate Degree Admissions Requirements

To enter the program, applicants must:

• have a minimum of three years of full-time work experience.
• have graduated from high school or earned a GED. Successful completion of some college coursework is strongly suggested prior to entering an accelerated program, but not required.
• have writing ability sufficient for success in an accelerated academic program. Writing is an essential component of this program. Applicants will be asked to write an essay that demonstrates their ability to write clearly, use proper grammar and organize their writing into correct compositional expression.
• have the time to devote to their coursework. Course requirements in a five-week accelerated class can be as high as 20 hours per week.

How to Apply to the Program

• Meet with an admissions counselor
• Complete the undergraduate application via the online portal which includes:
  • Requesting official transcripts of all previous college work
  • Uploading a current resume
  • Uploading an essay
    • Your essay should be double-spaced and should follow accepted English usage standards, including sentence and paragraph structure, appropriate punctuation and correct spelling. Please be sure to proofread thoroughly.
    • The essay should address:
    1. your understanding of a rigorous accelerated program
    2. how you envision incorporating into your life the time necessary to meet the program’s demands
    3. your own story; tell us about yourself, including your professional and academic goals

Graduate Business Degree Admissions Requirements

To be eligible to apply to graduate business degree programs, you must:

• have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution
• have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher (waivers can be granted based on professional work experience and other factors)
• have a minimum of three years of professional leadership/management experience
• have time to devote to your coursework; in an accelerated program, time spent outside of class is considerable

How to Apply to Graduate Business Degree Programs

• Meet with an admissions counselor. In this meeting, you will learn about the program, its class formats and get answers to any question you may have.
• Complete the application process via the online portal which includes submitting a $50 nonrefundable application fee. (Waived for Elizabethtown College graduates).
  • Requesting official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended.
  • Uploading your current resume.
  • Uploading a 3-5 page essay addressing your:
  1. Statement of professional goals
  2. Current approach to leadership/management
  3. Long-term goals for the application of the graduate degree to your professional life
  • Providing two recommendations. Instructions are available in the Slate applicant portal, however, one recommendation must be from your current supervisor. The second recommendation can be from an individual who can comment on your professional and/or academic qualities. Both recommendations will become part of your application file and will not be disclosed to any unauthorized individual without your consent.

M.Ed. in Special Education w/ Certification Admissions Requirements

To be eligible to apply to the M.Ed in Special Education graduate program, you must:

• Possess a current, valid Teaching Certification.
• Out of state candidates must contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and attain PA Certification through reciprocity before program acceptance.
• Official transcripts conferring a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Successfully complete undergraduate introductory courses in inclusive learning environments and inclusive education.
• Students deficient in these areas will be required to take MSE 512 (Learning Environment and Social Interaction in Inclusive Settings) and MSE 522 (Foundations of Inclusive Education) as part of their graduate program coursework.
• Successfully complete an undergraduate level math course in probability and statistics.
• A 3.3 cumulative GPA or above.
• GRE or GMAT scores are optional.
• Letters of recommendation from two current supervisors that (1) speak to the ability of the candidate to complete the program, fieldwork, and internship hours and (2) address the willingness of the candidate’s school/district to accommodate these hours.
• Submit a writing sample that demonstrates higher-order thinking, writing, and communication skills.
• Application Deadlines: This program has rolling admissions. See the SCPS academic calendar for registration deadlines.

M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction Admissions Requirements

To be eligible to apply to the M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction graduate program, you must:

• Official transcripts conferring a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Possess a current, valid Teaching Certification.
• Successfully complete an undergraduate level math course in probability and statistics.
• A 3.0 cumulative GPA or above.
• GRE or GMAT scores are optional.
• Provide three letters of recommendation in support of your academic and professional abilities for success in the program.
• Submit a writing sample that demonstrates higher-order thinking, writing, and communication skills.
• Application Deadlines: This program has rolling admissions. See the SCPS academic calendar for registration deadlines.

How to Apply to Education Graduate Degree Programs

• Meet with an admissions counselor. In this meeting you will learn about the program, its class formats and get answers to any question you may have.
• Complete the application process via the online portal which includes:
  • Submitting a $50 nonrefundable application fee (Waived for Elizabethtown College graduates).
  • Requesting official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended.
  • Submitting a copy of your current, valid Teaching Certification.
  • Uploading your current resume.
  • Uploading a writing sample which demonstrates higher-order thinking, writing, and communication skills.
  • Submit GRE/MAT scores (optional).
  • Submitting Letters of Recommendation.
    • M.Ed. in Special Education applicants should supply two letters of recommendation from two current supervisors that (1) speak to the ability of the candidate to complete the program, fieldwork, and internship hours and (2) address the willingness of the candidate’s school/district to accommodate these hours.
    • M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction applicants should supply three letters of recommendation in support of your academic and professional abilities for success in the program.

Graduate Certificate Admissions Requirements

To be eligible to apply to graduate certificate programs, you must:

• have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution
• have a minimum of three years of professional leadership/management experience
• have time to devote to your coursework; in an accelerated program, time spent outside of class is considerable

How to apply to graduate certificate programs

• Meet with an admissions counselor. In this meeting you will learn about the program, its class formats and get answers to any question you may have.
• Complete the application via the online portal which will also include:
  • Submitting a $25 nonrefundable application fee. (Waived for Elizabethtown College graduates.)
  • Uploading your current resume.
  • Requesting official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended.
  • Uploading a 1-2 page essay addressing your:
    • motivation for pursuing the graduate certificate
    • statement of professional goals
    • goals for the application of the graduate certificate to your professional life

Those students who successfully complete a graduate certificate and wish to pursue a full master’s degree program will benefit from an abbreviated admission process (below) and reduced application fee. Degree-seeking students must meet all of the established criteria for admission into their desired master’s degree program.

Graduate Certificate to Master’s Degree Admissions Requirements

After successfully completing your Elizabethtown College graduate certificate, students will complete the following steps to apply to a master’s degree program:

• Discuss your desire to apply to a master’s degree program with your admissions representative
• Complete an application for the MBA or MSL program via the online portal which will also include: 
  • Submitting the discounted $25 nonrefundable application fee. (Waived for Elizabethtown College graduates.)
  • Provide two recommendations via the instructions provided in the online portal. One recommendation must be from your current supervisor. The second recommendation can be from an individual who can comment on your professional and/or academic qualities. Both recommendations will become part of your application file and will not be disclosed to any unauthorized individual without your consent.
  • Uploading a 3-5 page essay addressing your:
    1. statement of professional goals
    2. current approach to leadership/management
    3. long-term goals for the application of the graduate degree to your professional life
• (Optional): Uploading your current resume (if significant changes have occurred to your employment information since completing your graduate certificate)
• (Optional): Requesting official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended (A new set of transcripts is only needed if new courses relevant to your intended master’s degree were taken outside of Elizabethtown since the completion of your graduate certificate)

Transfer Credits

Transfer Credit Policies-Undergraduate Accelerated Degree Programs

During the application process, admissions staff will work with adult students to maximize the number of credits from previous college work that they can transfer into their Elizabethtown programs, while still meeting residency requirements. Adult students may be required to provide appropriate information in order to evaluate previous work.

Credits taken at another institution of higher education must carry a grade of at least C- to transfer into an undergraduate program.

Such institutions should normally be accredited by one of the regional accrediting agencies like the Middle States Comission on Higher Education (MSCHE). However, credits from non-regionally accredited institutions will be evaluated on an individual basis; such credits, when combined with relevant work experience or other factors may transfer.

Adult students may normally transfer up to sixty-four (64) credits from two-year institutions (community colleges, junior colleges, etc.). Otherwise, there is no limit to the number of transfer credits as long as the student meets all residency requirements.

By standard academic practice, quarter credit hour courses are evaluated at a reduced number of full semester credit hours. 

Credits considered for transfer are not normally “aged,” i.e., rejected because the student completed them too long ago. However, the School may request that the student retake certain major credits rather than transfer them due to recent, major changes in the field.

Credit for non-collegiate and/or corporate courses and training will be considered for transfer if such courses or training have received credit recommendation by the American Council on Education (ACE) or the Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI). The adult student should request that an ACE registry transcript, verifying such recommendation, be sent to the School. ACE registry transcripts may be obtained by contacting:

The School cannot accept Continuing Education Units (C.E.U.s) in transfer.

The School will consider the transfer of credit for military education and experience upon receipt of  a JointServices Transcript for Army, Navy, and Marines. Air Force transcripts can be obtained through the Community College of the Air Force.

Students who have completed high school (or its equivalent) prior to taking CLEP or DANTES Examinations may be awarded Elizabethtown College credits, following recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) in place when the exam was taken. Up to 27 credits may be awarded for CLEP exams. Credits may not duplicate College credits completed or enrolled in at the time of the examination. CLEP examination credits do not count towards residency credits.

Experiential Learning is a term used to define learning from work and life experience. The philosophy of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) program is that college level learning may be acquired through experiential learning, and that when properly documented and assessed, such learning may be applied toward degree requirements. For work and/or life experience to be evaluated for academic credit in the SCPS program, you must assemble course equivalency proposals in which your learning is equated to academic courses offered at SCPS. Faculty experts then evaluate the course equivalencies to determine whether your learning is comparable in quality and quantity to the corresponding credit courses(s) we offer. There is a limit on the amount of academic credit that can be earned for experiential learning—a maximum of 24 credits. To request this type of credit, students must be matriculated in one of our programs and need to have earned at least 15 credits (from Elizabethtown College, successfully completed or transferred FS1500 Foundations for Accelerated Learning and En1000 Writing and Language, and have a 3.0 or better.  Upon approval, credits earned will appear on the student’s transcript as transfer credit and have no effect on the student’s cumulative GPA; nor do they fulfill any of the College’s residency requirements.

All transfer credit appears as such on the student’s Elizabethtown College transcript and has no effect on the student’s cumulative GPA, nor does it fulfill any of the College’s residency requirements. When considering transfer courses, please keep in mind that in order to graduate with Latin honors students must complete a minimum of 60 credits at Elizabethtown College and earn a grade point average for those credits of 3.60 or better for cum laude, 3.75 or better for magna cum laude, or 3.90 or better for summa cum laude

Transfer Credit Policies – EXCEL Program

While enrolled in the EXCEL program, there are several ways to earn credit toward your degree.  These are the most common options:

Courses completed with a grade of C- or better at an accredited two- or four-year college or university can be used to fulfill EXCEL degree requirements.  A maximum of sixty-four (64) credits can be accepted from a two-year institution. If taking these courses after entering the program, the Program Coordinator should approve the specific courses in advance. 

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) provides a standardized battery of subject examinations in many areas.  The subject exams can be taken at any point during your program of study with us, and we will determine which exams you are eligible to take. 

Some structured, non-collegiate programs, seminars, and workshops offered by business, industry, government, and the military or professional associations have been assessed for direct transfer credit by the American Council on Education (ACE).  We generally accept the ACE recommendations.  In other cases, evidence of learning from non-collegiate programs can be applied toward academic credit through the EXCEL program’s procedures for assessment of experiential learning.  These must be approved by the dean or assistant dean.

Experiential learning refers to learning obtained from professional work and/or life experience.  For experiential learning to be evaluated for academic credit, you must assemble and write course equivalency proposals (CEPs) to equate your learning to the content of academic courses offered at Elizabethtown College.  Degree candidates may earn a maximum of 39 semester credits for experiential learning in the major.

Each major awards 6 credits for work experience which is not course specific.  Credit is awarded following the completion of the major’s capstone course.  It is transcripted as an Internship, which is given for the work experience required to enter the EXCEL program.  The EXCEL application, resume, and reference letters serve as documentation for the credits.

Transfer Credit Policies – Master Degree Programs

In the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Strategic Leadership programs, students may transfer up to six credits of graduate level work. Courses transferred must be related to the intended field of study.

In graduate programs with a concentration, up to six credits of graduate level work may transfer if courses are evaluated as fully equivalent to a course within the masters with concentration curriculum.

Transfer Credit Policies – Graduate Certificate Programs

While not generally accepted in the Graduate Certificate Programs, the School will consider transfer credits up to three credits, evaluated on an individual student basis.