FAQs - General Education Requirements
What are the General Education (GE) graduation requirements? What courses fill them?
Visit our College Requirements page for more details on GE requirements. What if the graduation or major requirements change while I'm at LC?
Graduation requirements listed in the Catalog when you first enroll remain in force as long as you attend full time and make satisfactory progress toward graduation. You can file for a leave of absence for a maximum of one year. When you returns to LC after that year, the original graduation requirements remain in effect. However, if you leave without an official leave of absence or are gone for longer than a year, the graduation requirements will be those in effect at the time of re-entry. You may, however, petition to be allowed to graduate under the requirements of your initial enrollment at LC. Check your requirements by clicking on the link to the College Catalog of the year you entered: Can courses taken to fulfill General Education requirements be taken Credit/No Credit?
Only courses for the Physical Education/Activity requirement may be taken CR/NC. Can other courses be taken CR/NC?
Most courses are offered for letter grades, but you may request to take a course CR/NC. Consent of the instructor is required. How and when do I declare my intention to take a course CR/NC?
You must get a Credit/No Credit form from the Registrar’s Office. It must be signed by the instructor and returned to the Registrar during the Add/Drop period (normally the first two weeks of the semester). You may not change to CR/NC after the Add/Drop period. Should I take a course CR/NC?
It’s important to be aware that you must earn a C in the course in order to get credit. If you get a C- or lower, you will not get credit. If you take a course CR/NC, it’s a good idea to talk the pros and cons over with your adviser and with the instructor of the course . The pros are the fact that this option may allow you to be more adventuresome in the courses you choose because it won't impact your GPA. Also it may make it possible to overload if you have fallen behind in credits toward graduation. The cons are that you may not feel as motivated if you aren’t being graded and you may find that you could have received an A or B in the course if you had taken it for a grade. Can the CR/NC designation be changed to a grade during the semester?
No. Can one course be used to fill two General Education requirements?
No. Do varsity sports fulfill the physical education requirement?
Yes, but you must register for the sport. Can I fill the physical education requirement by taking two PE courses during one semester?
PE/A courses that satisfy the requirement are numbered either 101 or 102. PE/A 101 refers to activities courses; PE/A 102 refers to varsity sports. You may register for no more than one 101 and for no more than one 102 course per semester. You can take both a PE/A 101 and 102 course during the same semester, and it will satisfy the requirement; however, you may not take two PE/A 101 courses during the same semester. Do courses from other departments fill the PE requirement?
Yes. Theatre dance classes 106, 107, 108, 207, 208, 355 and Music Performance 150 may be counted toward graduation. Can I fill the PE requirement by taking a PE/A course and a Theatre Dance or Music Performance class the same semester?
Yes. Can a major or minor course be used to fill GE requirments?
Yes, with the following exceptions: 1) Art, Music, and Theatre majors must use courses outside the major to fill the Creative Arts requirement; 2) If a transfer student is allowed to substitute a courses for Inventing America, the substitute course cannot be counted towards the major or minor. Can I use AP or IB credit for GE requirements?
No. Can I withdraw from Inventing America?
Normally, no. Does AP US History credit substitute for Inventing America?
No. Credit earned in high school may not be applied to Inventing America. Can the foreign language requirement be satisfied through an overseas program?
It depends on the overseas program. You should check with the Overseas and Off-Campus Programs Office to find out which programs will fill the requirement. Can I place out of taking a foreign language?
Yes. Placing into a 202 foreign language class as a result of the Foreign Language Placement exam given during NSO means that you have satisfied the foreign language requirement. You can also place out by receiving a 4 or 5 on the AP or a 5, 6, or 7 on the IB higher level examination.
Do all L&C overseas programs satisfy the International Studies requirement?
No, it depends on the overseas program. You should check with the Overseas and Off-Campus Programs Office. Can I challenge the graduation requirements?
Yes. You should get a "Petition for Modification of Requirements" form from the Registrar’s Office. On the petition, explain what is being requested and the rationale for the request. Your adviser signs the petition if he or she supports it and adds a comment about the merit of the petition. The Petitions & Waivers Committee reviews all petitions. Students may submit a range of petitions, such as requesting that the senior residency be modified or asking to be allowed to fill the PE requirement with two courses during one semester. Does MATH 055 Review of Algebra count towards the 128 credits required for graduation?
No. It is important to know that the course will appear on your transcript and the 4 credits for successfully passing the course will count as progress towards graduation (for academic standing considerations); however, those 4 credits do not count as part of the 128 credits that you need to graduate. If you take MATH 055, you will need to make up those 4 credits during your college years. Can I get credit for repeated courses?
Certain courses (e.g., PE/A, MUP) may be taken more than once for credit (check individual course descriptions). Otherwise, a repeat of the same course cannot be counted towards credit for graduation. However, there is a complication. While a repeated course will be counted only once towards the degree, both times you took the course will appear on the transcript and the credits from both times that the course was taken will appear in the total number of credits that you have completed. If a course with a grade of D or higher is repeated, the number of semester hours required for graduation will be increased by the amount of repeated credit. For example, if a 4-credit course is repeated, the number of credits required for graduation would increase from 128 to 132. If I repeat a course, will the new grade replace the old grade?
No. Both the original grade and the repeated grade are used in calculating your GPA. Do AP/IB courses towards the total number of credits needed to graduate?
Conditionally, yes. With Advanced Placement exams, a score of 4 or 5 is granted four semester credits. A 4 or 5 on an AP Calculus BC exam is granted eight credits. With International Baccalaureate, a score of 5 on the higher-level exams is granted four credits. Scores of 6 or 7 on the higher-level exams are granted eight credits. Completion of the IB diploma with a score of 32 or 35 is granted 16 semester credits, or 24 credits for a score of 36 or higher.
Can I attend a non-LC off-campus program or another institution during my senior year?
You are required to take 28 of your last 32 credits on campus or on an LC off-campus program. If you have compelling reasons for modifying the requirement, you may file a petition with the faculty Petition & Waivers Subcommittee of the Admissions, Awards, & Academic Standing Committee. What is normal progress towards graduation? What is a normal semester load?
Normal progress toward a degree is 32 semester credits per year. You will usually take four 4-semester hour courses per semester, often with a 1 or 2 hour activity course added. Any schedule of 12 semester hours or more is considered a full load for academic standing considerations; however, if you take only 24 hours a year, you would be 8 credits short of normal progress towards graduation and could not expect to graduate in 4 years.
| 
