Taking Classes at Middlebury

If you are interested in learning more about this process, please contact the Human Resources office at hr@middlebury.edu. In your initial email, please include approval from your supervisor for the requested classes. Human Resources will then provide information on next steps.

Individuals who have matriculated at Middlebury College are not eligible for this program. The Human Resources office will verify eligibility for course fee reduction.

An eligible employee may take one course per semester, with the permission of his/her supervisor and provided that he/she agrees to make up any lost work time. The permission of the instructor and the department chair (or, in the summer, the director of the particular school) is necessary. A staff member must be able to demonstrate his/her qualifications for the courses he/she wishes to take. Eligible employees may exceed the one course maximum with permission from his/her supervisor.

Permission to register for a particular course may be withheld because of limited space. Employees may register only after student registration is complete. Anyone wishing to take courses toward a Middlebury College degree under this provision must apply to the College through regular channels. The application fee will be waived. Practice-teaching courses are not available for credit under this program. The Dean of Faculty may exclude other courses. Please direct any questions concerning eligibility for these programs to the Office of Academic Administration.

Getting a Degree at Middlebury

Staff members have long been able to take courses for credit at the College and then transfer earned credits to other institutions of higher education. This program enables those who have accumulated a substantial number of Middlebury course credits as well as courses that have been approved for transfer to Middlebury, to apply to complete their undergraduate degrees at Middlebury College.

Eligibility for BA Degree Candidacy

• A candidate must be a current full-time or benefits-eligible part-time employee who has worked at the College for at least one year at the time of the request. A Middlebury degree candidate may have an associate’s degree but may not already hold a bachelor’s degree. Employees who have previously been full-time undergraduate students at Middlebury College are normally not eligible for this program.
• To be eligible to apply for status as a degree candidate, a staff member must present at least 18 courses that have been taken at Middlebury College or have been determined to be transferable to Middlebury by the Dean of International Programs.
• At least three of the courses presented must be courses taken at Middlebury College that will count toward meeting the requirements of the proposed major.
• The courses already taken or approved for transfer credit must include courses that meet Middlebury’s writing requirement and at least five of eleven distribution course requirements.

Using Transfer Credit

• Transfer credit requires approval by the Dean of International Programs. Approval of the use of each transfer course in meeting College requirements must also be given by the chairs of the relevant academic departments.
• The transfer of courses is subject to limitations specified in the College Handbook section, Transfer Courses and Off Campus Study. In particular, Middlebury College does not grant transfer credit for on-line courses.

Application for Admission to Degree Candidacy

A committee of the Dean of the Faculty (or designate), the Associate VP for Human Resources and Organizational Development (or designate), and the chair of the department or program of the intended major will serve as the ad hoc admission committee for an individual applicant.

An applicant will submit the following materials with an application to become a degree candidate:

• A detailed plan of study indicating educational goals, plans for completing distribution requirements, plans for completing a major, and a feasible time table for completing the bachelor’s degree.
• Transcripts of all prior coursework taken at Middlebury College or at another regionally accredited institution. Courses offered from another institution must have been reviewed by the Dean of International Programs office and approved for credit toward a Middlebury bachelor’s degree.
• A brief written statement from the department or program chair in the area of the proposed major indicating his or her judgment that the proposed plan of study is feasible and has a realistic chance of leading to the completion of the major and to a degree.
• A statement by the applicant of how he or she will fulfill the academic requirements of the study plan while also meeting the work obligations in his or her job.
• A form signed by the applicant’s supervisor indicating his or her general support for the proposal by the employee to become a degree candidate. The supervisor will outline a plan that enables the applicant to attend classes, for example through a combination of flexible hours in the work schedule and use of CTO time.
• Once approved for degree candidacy, the staff member will complete and submit the Application for Course Credit form for each course to be taken.

Degree Requirements for the BA Degree

• The candidate will meet all Middlebury College BA degree requirements in place at the time that the period of degree-candidacy begins, with the following exceptions:
  • The senior residency requirement is waived.
  • The 36 course total may include, but need not include, up to four Winter Term courses.
  • The ad hoc admission committee may consider proposed substitute courses for those required for distribution or for the major requirement when, in the judgment of the committee, such changes enable the applicant to achieve the goals of his her or proposed program of study and when the proposed adjustments maintain the integrity of existing curricular requirements.
• The degree must be completed within 10 years of first acceptance into the degree program at Middlebury.

Specifications of the Staff Degree-Candidacy Program

• With the support of his or her supervisor, an employee may take up to four Middlebury College courses that count toward the degree during any calendar year.
  
   
• Staff members who have been approved for this program will register for courses at the same time as college juniors. After completing at least 27 courses toward the Middlebury degree, staff members will register for courses at the same time as college seniors.
  
   
• Realistically, not all majors will be available to staff degree candidates; for example, majors that require study abroad, participation in the intensive immersion program at the summer Language Schools, or extensive field work may not be feasible for staff members because of their employment responsibilities.
  
   
• Staff members taking Middlebury courses in this program will be charged the same per course fee as is in effect for other staff members who enroll in a Middlebury course (currently $100 per course, but subject to adjustment; see the current Middlebury College Handbook). This expense is borne by the degree candidate and is not subject to reimbursement through the Continuing Education Fund.
  
   
• A few benefits-eligible part-time employees may, when their schedules permit, elect to take courses in the summer Language Schools. Like other students, members of the Middlebury staff must go through the normal Language Schools application process and meet the standards for admission to the program. Note that students in the summer language program are expected to be in residence full time and to observe the terms of the language pledge. Exemptions from the requirement to live on campus must be approved by the Director of the School; there are no room charges in the case of those living off campus. When a staff member is approved to enroll in a summer Language School program, a Middlebury scholarship will be provided and recorded so that Language School fee revenue will be generated. For further information, contact the Language Schools Office. Employees who enroll in the Language Schools may petition their own admission committee to exceed the four-course-per-year limitation.
  
   
• If a staff degree candidate ceases being employed at Middlebury, he or she must reapply to restore his or her status as a degree candidate. If accepted, the individual may take coursework toward the degree and will be charged at the same per course rate as undergraduates having special student status.

Middlebury Masters Degree Programs

The proposed staff degree-candidacy program does not change the existing option for employees to apply to enroll in a Middlebury College master’s degree program. Staff members seeking to enroll in one of these programs will apply in the same way as other students. If a full-time or benefits-eligible part-time employee is accepted into a Master’s Program, he or she may take courses and be charged at the reduced per course rate. However, enrolling in courses at the graduate level requires the same approvals from the employee’s supervisor as are described above for the staff undergraduate degree program.

Accountability and Review

Each year the Dean of Faculty will review with the Educational Affairs Committee (EAC) the number of employees enrolled in the program, their chosen majors, their progress toward the degree, and related information. After three years of experience with this program, the EAC will review the program, inviting input from participants in the program, Human Resources, and the Middlebury College Staff Council. This review will assess the success of the program from the perspectives of the faculty, staff, administration, and degree candidates. The EAC will recommend changes or adjustments it may find necessary to the academic administration and to the faculty.

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