Lakeland College

Degree Programs

Bachelor's Degree

Lakeland College offers approximately 35 undergraduate degree programs.
(click 'Majors' in the left column for details)

Master's Degree:
MBA-Master of Business Administration
M.Ed.-Master of Education
MA - Master of Arts in Counseling
MA - Master of Arts in Theology

English Language Institute (ELI)

ELI accepts qualified international students who have not yet satisfied the English proficiency requirement or who don't have an admission test score (TOEFL, SAT or ACT) at the time of application.

Click the following to get information on:

General Studies Requirements
Transfer Students
Duration of Study and Full Time Requirement
Graduation Requirements
Your Options After Graduation
How long you can stay legally in the US after graduation
What should you do if you would like to pursue your second degree or Master's degree at Lakeland?
Cultural Differences in the Classroom
Student-Faculty Relationship
Classroom Etiquette
Examinations
Academic Advisor
Academic Misconduct
The English Language and You

Duration of Study
Normally, you need to study 4 academic years to earn your bachelor's degree from Lakeland College; however, if you have transfer credits or if you take classes in summer, you may graduate early. Please remember that all international F1 students must be engaged in full-time study to maintain their legal status. A full time status refers to 12 credits per semester (fall and spring semesters) for undergraduate students and 9 credits per semester for graduate students, and summer is optional. Students in their final semester are permitted to carry less than a full-time credit load so long as they complete their total degree program at the conclusion of that final semester.

Graduation Requirements
The Lakeland Bachelor of Arts degree requires the completion of 120 semester hours with a minimum grade-point-average of 2.0 on a 4.00-point scale.
Successful completion of a Lakeland graduate degree program requires a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 on a 4.00-point scale in all course work taken at the college. As a rule, course work must be completed in seven (7) years.

Your Options After Graduation
Generally speaking, as an F1 student, you have the following options after graduation:

• Go to a graduate school or pursue a second degree in another school in the U.S.
• Go back to your own country
• Apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which will allow you to work in the US up to 12 months if you have not use any before graduation.
  (You must apply prior to graduation)
• Pursue your second degree or Master's degree at Lakeland College
• Apply for change of visa status, such as F2, B2, H1B for employment or another visa category.

How long can you stay legally in the U.S. after graduation?
F-1 students remain in status for a period of 60 days immediately following their graduation. For example, if you will be graduating on December 25, 2004, then the last day of your legal stay in the U. S. is February 26, 2005; however, if you have not used any of your Optional Practice Training (OPT, 12 months), you may apply for OPT before graduation so that you will have 12 months to work in the US, and plus 60 days after the end of your OPT.

What should you do if you would like to pursue your second bachelor's degree or Master's degree at Lakeland?
It is possible for you to pursue a second bachelor's degree or a Master's degree at Lakeland College after graduation. If so, you need to see your international student advisor before graduation. Please remember that all F1 international students must be engaged in full-time study to maintain their legal status no matter what kind of degree program they are pursuing.

Cultural Differences in the Classroom
In many cultures, there is a great difference in status between students and professors. Students show their respect for their professors by listening quietly. They do not question what the professor says. In the United States, it is quite acceptable for students to ask questions and to engage in discussions with the professors. This is not considered to be disrespectful. Professors view participation in class discussions as a sign of interest in the subject matter and they will frequently consider how much a student contributed to class discussion when grading. If this is the case, the professor will state at the beginning of the semester that class participation will count as a portion of your grade. When wanting to participate in class, raise your hand and wait until the professor indicates you may speak.
Don't be surprised if your professor says that he or she does not know the answer to a student's question. In the U. S., professors often encourage difficult questions and then help students find the answers. Acknowledging that they do not know a fact or detail is considered to be more acceptable than pretending to know every answer.

Student-Faculty Relationship
Unless the professor gives you permission to call him or her by a first name, call your professor by professor with the family or surname or Dr. with the family or surname. Depending on the professor, you may be called Mr., Mrs., with your surname or by your first name. If you wish, you may tell your professor or classmates you have a special name you would like to use.

During the first class meeting, your professor will inform you of their office hours and when they can be reached. If you have questions about the material presented in class, go to see the professor during office hours and ask for help. When you contact the professor, identify yourself at once and remind the professor what class you are in. For example, " Hello, Dr. Taylor, This is John Smith. I am in your Physics class at 10:00 am." If you make an appointment with a professor or advisor, you should keep it. If you cannot keep your appointment, you should call him or her before the appointed time to excuse yourself. Even if you don't have a problem, it is a good idea to drop in and talk to your professor. It gives both of you a chance to get to know each other. This may be particularly important if you have trouble understanding the professor or if he or she has trouble understanding you. Often, all it takes is a little time to get used to the other person's style of speaking. At the time of the first class meeting, your professor will specify "due dates " for various assignments. These dates are quite firm, and you must hand in your assignments by that date in order to get full credit. If you know that you cannot meet a deadline for an important reason, contact your professor ahead of time and try to work out an arrangement that is mutually agreeable.

Classroom Etiquette
It is very important to come to class on time. If you are late, enter quietly and sit down, if you know that you will have to miss one or more classes, ask your professor ahead of time if that is acceptable. Make sure you do not miss any assignments. Students generally do not walk out during class (e.g. to use the drinking fountain or restroom) unless it is an emergency, in which case it is not necessary to ask for permission-just do so quietly. If you must leave early for some reason, tell the professor before the class begins.

Talking to other students or reading newspapers during class is not considered to be polite. Smoking is not permitted in classrooms or in most buildings. In other locations, it is considered polite to ask the people you are with whether they would mind if you smoke before you light your cigarette.
If you wish to tape record the lectures of a class, first ask the professor for permission.

Examinations
Examinations usually fall into three categories: quizzes, midterms and finals. Quizzes are short tests covering the material currently being studied. Midterms are exams given during the course of class. Finals are given at the end of the semester and may cover all the materials studied during the semester or only those covered since the mid-term. The requirements for each class will vary.

Examinations at the undergraduate level are often "objective" requiring brief answers rather than longer explanatory essays. They include (1) multiple choice, (2) true/false, and (3) short answer. Upper level undergraduate and graduate level exams are generally the "essay" type, with answer being drawn from information in texts, lectures and assigned readings. Sometimes, you may be allowed to use textbooks and notes during an exam (called " open-book" exam), but most often you are not permitted to use any materials. It is often useful to ask a professor what style structure an essays or research paper should follow as academic writing can differ from one educational system to another.

Academic Advisor
You will be guided in many aspects of your academic career by an academic advisor. You should set an appointment to see your advisor at least once a semester. Select courses wisely. Discuss courses with your advisor in terms of which ones are most demanding, and balance those classes that are more demanding with others that require less work. You are urged to meet with both the professor and your academic advisor at the first sign of difficulty with any class. If you seek assistance and clarification early, many problems can be avoided.

Academic Misconduct
In the US educational system, there are strict rules that guide the use of other people's ideas. When you write essays or examinations for your classes, you should be very careful to use proper citation of your sources. This means that you must follow certain guidelines to properly acknowledge the use of other people's ideas in your essay. The guidelines vary by academic discipline, and you should ask your professor if you have questions about the proper citation of sources. The basic rule is that you can never copy another person's words without using quotation marks and giving the name of the original author. Failure to follow these strict rules can result in a professor believing that a student has cheated. This is called "plagiarism". It is a violation of the college code of acceptable academic conduct. Again, if you have any questions about this, it is best to talk to your professor before completing an essay or examination.

The English Language and You
At first, speaking and learning in English may be tiring. Some international students may spend more time than their American counterparts to complete the same assignments because English is their second language. This can lead to stress and a feeling of frustration.

The most important thing you can do to enhance your success in the classroom is to improve your English skills. Your English will not improve if the only people you talk to outside the classroom speak your native language. Whenever possible, you have to speak English, watch television, listen to the radio, and read newspapers and magazines. Interacting with US culture will greatly enhance your ability to understand your colleagues and professors on the academic level. You should become involved in a professional or student organization. The more proficient your English becomes, the more successful you will be in the classroom.

If you are feeling pressure, you have to take the first step and ask for help. You should consider joining study groups and asking professors questions. No one will approach you to find out if there is anything you do not understand. However, classmates and professors are usually willing to help if they know you are having problems. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to help yourself.