Alternative Study Options

Directed Study

In contrast to independent study of a special topic, directed study is undertaken for a regular course in the curriculum that is not being offered in a given semester. For certain courses, this method of study should be used by the student who needs rather frequent conferences with the professor. Directed studies must be completed within the semester or subterm for which they are scheduled. In a directed study, the student works independently with a faculty member to achieve the learning outcomes of the selected course based on a learning contract. Please be advised, by course design, not all courses in the Catalog may be completed as directed studies. Students may request directed studies prior to beginning course work and no later than the first week of classes end of the course add period defined. Registration forms are available in the Office of Registration and Records. For online programs, students must complete the request form in JayWeb.

Prior Learning Assessment

Prior Learning Assessment, PLA, is a process by which learning mastered outside of a formal classroom is reviewed for college-level equivalency. Credit for PLA may be granted for learning acquired from work and life experiences; civic, community, or volunteer work; individual study; and in-service training sponsored by associations, business, government, and industry, including the military. PLA is a rigorous process in which a student must demonstrate that he or she has college-level learning, which entails knowledge, skills, and competencies obtained as a result of prior experiences in a particular area. PLA is awarded based on learning, not experience. PLA provides students the opportunity to validate their relevant learning.

PLA creates a pathway for our non-traditional students to accelerate their academic progress toward earning an Elizabethtown College degree. Any Elizabethtown College program approved to award credit through PLA will have it clearly published on their school’s webpage. Credit for PLA will only be awarded when:

• A student is an actively enrolled, degree-seeking student at Elizabethtown College and has completed a minimum of 6 Elizabethtown College credits prior to applying for PLA.
• Students interested in pursuing PLA credit should check with their academic advisor to ensure that they do not enroll into a course for which they may later be seeking to earn PLA equivalent credit.
• Students must be in good academic standing with Elizabethtown College.
• Students must be in good financial standing with Elizabethtown College.
• A student has not previously attempted, completed, or transferred in the equivalent course for which PLA credit is being sought.
• The PLA credit must apply to the student’s major or program of study.

See Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) in Academic Policies for additional information.

Internships

Through internships, Elizabethtown College offers students the opportunity to apply and augment their classroom learning with real-world experience. Internships can assist students with deepening and sharpening their personal learning and career goals. They provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge in work and practice settings, gaining confidence and skill as they integrate the abstract/theoretical with the practical and applied.

Graduate Guidelines

Undergraduate Guidelines

Each School has a process for students to request internships. Internships will normally be graded Pass/No Pass. Programmatic exceptions must be approved by Academic Council and be noted in the Catalog as letter-graded experiences.

Students enrolling in internships must have minimum cumulative and major grade point averages of 2.00. If a Program sets a higher grade point average standard, and if the internship is required for graduation, the higher standard must be approved by Academic Council.

Internships must be registered during the semester in which the work is completed. In the case when internship hours clearly overlap two terms (e.g., begins in April and ends in June), the registration of the internship can be split (e.g., two credits registered in the spring term and two credits registered in the summer term for an internship experience that is four total credits). Summer internships cannot be registered during spring or fall semesters.

An internship can be taken for up to 12 credits.

To be awarded academic credit, students must work a minimum of 40 hours over the course of the term in which the internship is registered for each credit awarded. This is a minimum expectation; some Programs or internship sites may have higher work expectations. At least two-thirds of these hours should be spent at the internship site, with the remaining one-third spent on related activities.

Each Program will establish its own criteria for related activities and expectations for awarding academic credit to internships, including whether students can engage in multiple internships over the course of their college career and the maximum number of credits that students in their programs can accrue through internships.

To prevent potential conflicts of interest, students must disclose any familial relationships with employees or owners of the organization at which they want to intern. Students may not intern at a company owned or managed, fully or in part, by a family member, nor may the on-site supervisor be a member of the student’s family or anyone working under supervision of a family member. In addition, a student’s full-time job, continuation of a part-time or summer job may not serve as an internship. Any exceptions to these prohibitions would be unusual and require the approval by the School Dean.

All internships must have a faculty supervisor and an on-site supervisor. The intern must have regular contact with the on-site supervisor during the term of the internship. At the end of the internship, the on-site supervisor will be asked to submit a written evaluation to the faculty supervisor, describing the work and responsibilities of the intern and providing an evaluation of the intern’s level of performance and progress during the internship.

Internships must be registered no later than the third Friday of the regular fall or spring term. This additional registration time is provided to enable students to collect their on-site supervisor’s signature on the Internship Contract form. For summer internships, registration must be by the end of the first week of the semester.

The Internship contract or syllabus must specify the goals and objectives of the internship, the activities necessary to reach those goals, and the methods by which the student will be evaluated. An Internship Contract must be signed by the student, the on-site supervisor and the faculty supervisor.

Consult the appropriate Academic School for more details on its internship policy.

Study Abroad

Students are eligible for study abroad opportunities per the following requirements:

• Undergraduate students possess at least a 2.6 cumulative GPA.
• Graduate students possess at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
• Receive approval from the SGPS Dean, noting that no disciplinary history exists to inhibit success abroad and/or represent the college negatively.

Financing the Experience

SGPS students on a semester-long experience will direct pay the provider and would need a consortium agreement to determine if eligible for financial aid.

SGPS students on a winter or summer experience will direct pay the provider and may be aid eligible if the experience exceeds six credits.

All Elizabethtown College students are required to pay the study abroad fee to cover major medical insurance and emergency evacuation services for the duration of the program (semester, winter, summer), as well as the administrative support for their study abroad preparations.

Faculty-led trips

SGPS students may join any faculty-led program, typically held in May term.   Fees, course credits, and course requirements vary with each trip. 

See https://www.etown.edu/offices/study-abroad/short-term-programs.aspx for details. 

Course approval

SGPS students must complete an Elizabethtown College Study Abroad Course Approval Form prior to departure that outlines intended courses, including the credit conversion and the intended course equivalency at E-town.   Students are required to obtain approval from their Academic Advisor, Study Abroad Advisor, and Registration and Records.

Course transfer

All pre-approved courses will transfer back to the College as designated per the transfer credit policy.  Students must earn a C- or better in the US equivalent of the grade.

All SGPS students studying abroad must complete the Study Abroad Office’s application and pre-departure orientation. For more information about the Study Abroad Office, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/study-abroad.