Student Handbook

Enrollment Criteria

Courses are available for the following students.

1. Martin Luther College Undergraduate Students
   Students eligible for fall semester enrollment may enroll in summer session courses. Generally undergraduate students do not enroll for semester one and two courses through the Office of Continuing Education. Exceptions are considered on an individual basis.
2. Synod Certification Students
   To obtain synod certification, students must enroll in our synod certification program. To inquire about the synod certification program, contact our acting Director of Synod Certification Prof. John Meyer (meyerjd@mlc-wels.edu). Required courses are listed on page 7. For a projected schedule of online religion courses, see Projected Schedule of Online Religion Courses.
3. Minnesota State Licensure Students
   Students holding a baccalaureate degree in education who desire Minnesota licensure may enroll in courses necessary for Minnesota licensure. To inquire about the Martin Luther College PostBaccalaureate program, contact Dr. Cindy Whaley, MLC Licensure Officer (whaleyce@mlc-wels.edu).
4. Students Desiring Graduate Credit
   To inquire about the Master of Science in Education program, contact Prof. John Meyer, Director of Graduate Studies (meyerjd@mlc-wels.edu). Other students who are not enrolled in the master’s program may enroll in graduate courses. Students must hold a baccalaureate degree in education to enroll. A maximum of nine graduate credits may be taken before enrollment in the master’s program is required. Students who have applied for and been accepted in the Graduate Studies program have first priority in graduate courses.
5. High School Students
   Qualified high school students may enroll in select online college courses. See listing of courses later in this bulletin. Note: Martin Luther College participates in the Minnesota Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) program. To inquire about the PSEO program, contact Prof. Mark Stein, Director of Admissions (steinma@mlc-wels.edu).
6. General Students
   Transfer students and individuals taking courses for professional development may enroll. Applications are evaluated on an individual basis.

Application for Course Registration

The application for course registration is online and can be accessed on the MLC website (www.mlcwels.edu). Choose Continuing Ed Student and then either Course Information or Online Registration.

Student Credit Load

A student may take a maximum of nine credits in a summer session. A maximum of six credits may be taken online in summer session and in semester one and semester two. Online courses may be taken concurrently with face-to-face instruction.

Tuition and Fees

Information regarding current tuition and fee rates can be found on the MLC website (www.mlcwels.edu) under Continuing Ed Student, then Tuition and Fees.

Payment Policies

• Students must pay their tuition and fees in full by the first day of a continuing education offering, whether it is a course, seminar, workshop, or webinar.
• Past due financial accounts must be paid in full before a student can complete course registration for another MLC continuing education offering or semester unless an exception has been granted by the director of graduate studies and continuing education.
• The college will not issue diplomas or official transcripts to students with outstanding financial obligations.

Billing Procedures

• An initial statement is issued when a student registers for a continuing education offering. Registration may be online, over the telephone, or in person. A student will receive an initial statement within three working days after registration. The online registration process will automatically generate invoices for students who register through MLC Portal. Students who register via any other method will receive their statements either in person or via email attachment. No additional statements will be issued unless the student fails to meet the payment deadline. Students are expected to pay in full from the initial statement by the first day of the continuing education offering.
• Failure to meet payment deadlines places a student in delinquent status and will result in the following actions.
  • Students whose course is longer than ten days: The student has a 10-day grace period from the start of the course for payment to be received. A past due notice will be issued via email during the grace period. If no payment is received during this grace period, the student is typically barred from further participation until satisfactory payment or plan for payment is made.
  • Students whose course is less than or equal to ten days: A past due notice will be issued if payment is not received by the first day of the continuing education offering.

• If full payment, or approved arrangement for full payment, is not received within 10 business days of the first day of the continuing education offering, a subsequent (2nd) past due notice will be sent via email and postal mail, and a $10 administrative fee will be charged to cover college expenses.
• If neither a full payment, nor a satisfactory payment plan is received within 30 days following the end of the continuing education offering, the student’s withdrawal, or the student’s removal, the Office of Continuing Education will issue an additional past due (3rd) notice via email and postal mail informing the student that full payment must be received within the next 30 days or the account will be turned over to a collection agency. A $10 administrative fee will be charged for costs associated with a third, mailed statement.

Summary for courses longer than 10 days:

1. Course start date: Payment due in full.
2. During 10 day grace period: Past due email notice sent.
3.  After 10 day grace period: Student barred from course. Second past due notice is sent via email and postal mail. $10 administrative fee is charged to cover costs associated with a postal email. Student is responsible for all course and administrative fees and any tuition that is not eligible to be refunded. Upon satisfactory payment or approved plan for payment, the student is reinstated in the course.
4. 30 days following course end date, student withdrawal, or student removal: If course payment is not received in full or satisfactory payments according to an approved plan received, a third past due notice is sent, and an additional $10 administration fee is charged to the student.
5. 60 days following course end date, student withdrawal, or student removal: Final past due sent and $10 fee charged.
6. 90 days following course end date, student withdrawal, or student removal: Account turned over to collection agency.

Summary for courses less than or equal to 10 days:

1. CE offering start date: Payment due in full.
2. Payment not received by CE offering start date: Past due email notice sent.
3. 10 days from CE offering start date: Second past due notice is sent via email and postal mail. $10 administrative fee is charged to cover costs associated with a postal email.
4. 30 days following CE offering start date: If course payment is not received in full or satisfactory payments according to an approved plan received, a third past due notice is sent, and an additional $10 administration fee is charged to the student.
5. 60 days following CE offering start date: Final past due sent and $10 fee charged.
6. 90 days following CE offering start date: Account turned over to collection agency.

The college accepts credit (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover) and debit cards for payment on student accounts.

Withdrawals

Undergraduate students who wish to withdraw from courses must notify the Office of Continuing Education and the instructor. Graduate students who wish to withdraw from courses must notify the Office of Continuing Education, the instructor, and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Refunds and Grades

Withdrawals affect refunds and grades. The following charts relate the length of the course, the time of withdrawal and the impact on refunds and grades.

• Five business days from email billing: full refund of tuition and fees.
• From five business days after billing to the days listed in the following chart: full refund of tuition; no refund of fees.

• From the above days until 60% of course completion: pro rata refund of tuition according to partial refund guidelines; no refund of fees. Course percentage refers to the ratio of course days completed to total course days.
• From 60% to end of course: no refund.

Audit

Students may audit courses. Auditing courses requires attendance and participation but does not require examination or major assignments. Audit students pay the same rate of tuition and fees as student taking courses for credit.

Course Offerings

Information about course offerings is available on the MLC website.

Courses for Martin Luther College Undergraduate Students

1. MLC undergraduate students may take any undergraduate course offered in summer session.

2. Only under special circumstances can undergraduate students take courses through the Continuing Education Office during semester one or semester two.

3. Students are responsible to ensure that courses taken in summer session fulfill degree requirements.

4. Credits earned in a summer session apply to a student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA). This has implications for determining a student’s academic good standing.

Courses for Synod Certification Students

REL1001 Biblical History & Literature I

REL1002 Biblical History & Literature II

REL2001 Biblical History & Literature III

REL3001 Christian Doctrine I

REL3002 Christian Doctrine II

REL4001 Lutheran Confessional Writings

EDU3215 Teaching Religion (not available online)

EDU9540 Principles of Christian Education (not available online)

The first six courses are available online following a Projected Schedule of Online Religion Courses.

1. A student must take at least one biblical history & literature course before taking a doctrine course.
2. A student must take one doctrine course before taking Lutheran Confessions.

Courses for Minnesota State Licensure Students

Because the Post-Baccalaureate program is tailored to the individual needs of students, contact the MLC Licensure Officer, Dr. Cindy Whaley (whaleyce@mlc-wels.edu) for applicable courses and requirements.

Courses for Students Desiring Graduate Credit

Graduate courses are offered in both semesters and in summer session. A schedule for course offerings and other graduate information can be found on the MLC website at www.mlc-wels.edu/go/grad.

Online Courses for High School Students

Qualified high school students may enroll in select online college courses to earn college credit.

1. Admission requirements senior students with a cumulative 3.0 or higher GPA approval of high school’s guidance counselor or principal adequate computer skills
2. Students need a scheduled time during the school day for the course and need school internet access. The high school needs to assign a faculty member as proctor for the class who will arrange for local support and guidance, as well as test proctoring.
3. Available Online Courses Course offerings change over time. For current information, check the MLC website at MLC Home/Continuing Ed Student/Options for High School Students.
4. See the Calendar of Course Offerings to determine when the courses are offered.
5. Application forms are due two weeks before the course begins.

Courses for General Students

Transfer students, graduates, and others may take courses through the Office of Continuing Education. Applications are evaluated on an individual basis.

On-campus Courses

Residence hall housing and meal services are available on-campus. Additional fees apply. Contact the Office of Continuing Education for more information.

Off-campus Courses

Off-campus courses are scheduled in off-campus locations according to expressed need in a particular area and staffing availability. The Director of Continuing Education schedules these courses. For staff ministry certification and synod certification, the director consults with the Director of Staff Ministry and/or the Director of Synod Certification. The scheduling of these three-credit extension courses is varied to accommodate the instructor and participants. These may be scheduled for one evening a week over an extended period of time, or as intensive weekend modules, or as a very intensive week-long course. For scheduling of other courses, the director consults with parish school coordinators and teacher conference personnel.

Study Tours

Participants may earn academic credit or audit the tours. See course offerings on the MLC website (www.mlc-wels.edu) under Continuing Ed Student for available tours. Contact the Office of Continuing Education for more tour information.

In-service Programs

In-service programs offer seminars and courses designed for teachers. See Continuing Education Course Catalog for a complete list of available courses. Each seminar involves 12.5 hours of face-to-face instruction. When taken for credit the student can expect an additional 25 hours which includes precourse reading or preparation and perhaps assignments or a test to be completed after the course. Inservice courses may be scheduled on weekends, evenings, or during the day. In-service courses are designed especially for persons in the field to add breadth to education experiences that impact their teaching. Credits or clock hours earned through in-service courses are often used to maintain teaching licenses. These courses are typically taught in summer, but there may also be requests for them during the year. (Credits earned are undergraduate credits.) The Continuing Education Office strives to meet the needs of the synod’s districts by bringing in-service courses to the people in the field. Requests for In-service courses are made to the District’s Coordinator or directly to the Director of Continuing Education. Arrangements for scheduling are made by the Continuing Education Office through the District Coordinator or a congregation’s local organizer. The District Coordinator or a designate publicizes the course, makes whatever local arrangements are necessary, collects the fees from the students, and sends the fees to the Continuing Education Office. These courses are typically taught in summer, but there may also be requests for them during the year.

1. Program for Early Childhood Education The religion and professional education courses are designed to help early childhood educators who teach or provide care for children between birth and age eight. The courses are designed to increase the participants understanding of children, their physical, cognitive, language, emotional, and spiritual development; help them better understand the important relationships among home, church, and school; and broaden their perspective on approaches and programs in early childhood education. Requests for courses are made to the Continuing Education Office. Credits earned are undergraduate credits.
2. Program for Lutheran Teachers The purpose of the In-service Program for Lutheran Teachers is to broaden teachers’ understanding of a particular academic area, to strengthen and encourage the teachers through the study of God’s Word, and to acquaint teachers with what research, theory, and practice suggest are effective procedures, techniques, methods, and materials in a particular subject. The courses are intended to improve the quality of instruction in teachers’ classrooms and to encourage schools to incorporate this program into their faculty in-service activities. Unless specified, the courses are intended for teachers of all grade levels. Some flexibility in the content of the courses is possible, depending upon the particular interests of the sponsoring group and the consent of the college instructor. Requests are made to the Continuing Education Office. Credits earned are undergraduate credits. 2012-2014 Continuing Education Student Handbook 12
3. Program for Leadership and Administration The Leadership Committee of the Commission on Parish Schools and Martin Luther College have developed a series of eight in-service courses in school leadership entitled To Serve As Leader. This series of courses is for those serving in leadership roles in Lutheran schools or those interested in the administration and supervision of Lutheran schools. Objectives are to provide in-service training which emphasizes the special characteristics of the Lutheran school, to encourage school leaders to see their responsibility, to provide spiritual and professional leadership for the school, and to develop a wholesome collegiality among the leadership of Lutheran schools by providing a common in-service program that uses research and practice to inform them of the best practices. The district parish school coordinator, a person designated by him, or a local principals’ conference requests these courses by contacting the Continuing Education Office for scheduling the courses. Courses available are listed under the Principals/Directors level in the Continuing Education Course Catalog. Credits earned are undergraduate credits.

Organist and Choir Director Courses

This program offers off-campus training for organists and choir directors. Typically the synod’s District Worship Coordinators determine the need for a workshop for organists or choir directors in their district and make arrangements to hold these courses at a specific site and date through the Continuing Education Office. The Music Division Chairman is contacted for suitable workshop leaders. All financial and coordination arrangements are handled through the Continuing Education Office.

Pastors’ Summer Quarter and Institute

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary offers a one-week Pastors’ Summer Quarter course for credit every summer on the MLC campus. Register through the WLS website.

Immersion Program

The Continuing Education Office works with the course instructor to administer a five-week Spanish Immersion Program. Contact Prof. Paul Bases at basespa@mlc-wels.edu for more information.