2008-2009 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

PLAN OF STUDY 39point average of 2.5 or higher may transfer to VirginiaWesleyan College with junior standing. To be eligible forguaranteed admission, students must complete a transferorientedassociate’s degree, and must have declared intent totransfer to Virginia Wesleyan College.Internal Transfer: Sometimes changes in a student’scircumstances or goals may make it necessary to transferinternally between the day program and the Adult StudiesProgram. Although the college does not permit repeatedswitching between the two programs, a process exists toaccommodate this need when the circumstances warrant.However, students who first enroll in one branch of thecollege and subsequently change to the other programremain bound by the foreign language requirement of theprogram in which they first enrolled unless three fullsemesters or more elapse between their departure and thesemester for which they seek readmission. Studentsinterested in an internal transfer should contact either theAdmissions Office or the Adult Studies Office.Financial Aid: The amount of traditional financial aidavailable to part-time students is limited. To qualify,students must demonstrate financial need and carry at leastsix semester hours per semester. Basic financial aidinformation is available in the Adult Studies Office. Sincetraditional financial assistance is limited, Virginia Wesleyanhas developed a unique “Adult Incentive Grant” throughwhich the Adult Studies tuition rate is substantially reducedfrom the day program rate.Another form of financial assistance is our “EmployerTuition Deferral” (ETD) program, which enablesqualifying participants to defer their payment of tuitionuntil their employer reimburses them at the end of thesemester. In addition, military tuition assistance andveterans’ benefits may be applied toward your tuition forASP courses, and a limited number of scholarships areawarded annually to selected ASP students, based onfinancial need and academic achievement. Details aboutthese various forms of financial assistance can be obtainedat the ASP office or on the ASP home page. Contact theCollege’s financial aid office for information about federalfinancial aid eligibility.Major ProgramsSeveral majors are available through the Adult StudiesProgram. See listings in the “Major Programs” and“Programs and Courses” sections of this catalog for detailedinformation on each of these programs:1. Management/Business/Economics Liberal ArtsManagement Program (LAMP)—see page 1222. Criminal Justice—see pages 29, 165 - area of SocialSciences concentration3. Social Science Divisional Major with a concentrationin criminal justice, history, political science,psychology, or sociology—see page 294. Social Studies—see page 295. PIDME—PreK-6 teacher preparation program*—see page, 39, 75•PIDME (Prescribed Interdivisional MajorElementary) This is a major for students working towardteacher certification in grades PreK-6 as an elementaryschool or special education teacher. The identified coursesmeet the teacher competencies required by theCommonwealth of Virginia. PRAXIS I and VCLA must bepassed to Virginia standards before enrolling in theprofessional education course work sequence. PRAXIS IImust be taken before student teaching and immediatelyafter finishing the PIDME content sequence. Studentsseeking this certification must also pass the VirginiaReading Assessment test before they can be considered aprogram completer and apply for certification.Depending on a student’s current circumstances andeducational background, other majors may be available onan individual basis.Alternative Certification for Teachers (ACT)Program: Alternative Certification for Teachers (ACT) isdesigned to prepare career changers to teach in the contentareas of math, earth science, chemistry, biology, English,art, music, foreign language, and history/social studies forgrades 6-12 (art, music, and foreign language grades K-12)as well as special education. The elementary alternatecertification program will prepare career changers to teachin elementary school grades PreK-6. This innovativeevening program provides the professional knowledgenecessary for effective classroom teaching. It is for careerchangers who have already earned a four-year degree andpossess the general knowledge, liberal arts background, andcontent area competencies incorporated in traditionalteacher education programs and who demonstratesignificant involvement in a career for at least one year.The professional educational courses includefoundations of education, human growth and development,curriculum and instructional procedures, reading, specialeducation, computer skills, classroom management, andsuccessful classroom experience. The coursework has beencarefully designed to respond to the teacher competenciesdetailed in the Licensure Regulations for School Personnel,Virginia Department of Education. PRAXIS I and VCLAmust be passed at time of application (see EducationDepartment elsewhere in this catalog for details). The ACTprogram also provides coursework for conditional/provisionallicensed teachers.General InformationDegree Requirements: Requirements for ASP studentsto complete the B.A. degree at Virginia Wesleyan are thesame as those for day students, with one exception.Regardless of how many hours they transfer in, ASPstudents are required to successfully complete two semesters(rather than four) of one foreign language. Two years of aforeign language in high school with a “C” or better averagewill fulfill this requirement.Audit: You may audit Adult Studies Program courseswithout record for a fee of $50.00 per semester hour.Certain courses may be audited only on a space-availablebasis. Audit registrations may not change to credit status ata later date. Students who audit with record are required to