Courses

Course Coding
The courses listed in the catalogs are coded as follows:

Credit Hour
The credit (or semester) hour is the basic unit of academic credit granted by Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School (LBC) for the satisfactory completion of a course. It reflects the Carnegie Unit which has served as the traditional unit of measure in higher education.

One credit hour is composed of both faculty instruction time and student preparation time. A total of 12.5 hours of faculty instruction and 30 hours of student preparation time are required for each credit hour of a course. Thus, a three-credit course will require no less than 37.5 hours of faculty instruction and 90 hours of student preparation time. An equivalent amount of work is required for lectures, laboratory work, internships, practice, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. Departments may determine contact time over the minimum requirements as needed.

Independent Study Courses
Independent study affords an opportunity for the student who wishes to undertake a well-defined research project. While the student conducts the work under the guidance of a faculty member teaching in the subject area, the project is carried out in an independent manner without regular class meetings. Effective independent study is characterized by a reduction in formal instruction and an increase in the individual student's responsibility and initiative in the learning process.

Rostered Course
Courses that are part of the regular curriculum may be taken by independent study when there is a scheduling problem that jeopardizes a student’s graduation as a result of college action. These independent studies are limited to students in their last two semesters of courses at the college. Application forms and instructional sheets are available in the Registrar’s Office.

Non-rostered Course
Courses that are not a part of the regular curriculum may be taken by independent study when they provide academic exposure in one of the college’s curricular areas to content not taught in an established course. These independent studies are limited to students nearing the end of their program (for undergraduate junior and seniors) with a grade point average of 3.00 or greater. Application forms and instructional sheets are available in the Registrar’s Office.

Appeals
Students wishing to do an independent study that is not permitted by these policies may appeal to the academic appeals committee. The student should complete the application form and submit it to the registrar with a letter of appeal.