Frequently Asked Questions

The School of Continuing Studies staff understands your need to plan to achieve your goals. Therefore, we will provide course schedules to you at the earliest opportunity. Spring course schedules are usually available in November; Fall course schedules are typically available in April, and Summer course schedules are generally available in December.

To apply for admission, you should first talk to an advisor. Advisors are available from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and by appointment on Saturdays during the academic year. An advisor in your field of study will be assigned to you to discuss your educational and personal goals and will work with you during the entire time you study with us.

After you have met with an advisor, you will need to complete the following:

1. Apply
2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you want financial aid
3. Fill in Continuing Studies Tuition Deferment Form and Employee Tuition Reimbursement form(s) if you intend to receive these services

You should register for a class as soon as you have selected it.

Registering early works to your advantage in two ways:

1. Seating in courses is on a first-come, first-served basis.
2. Courses can be canceled due to low enrollment if we don’t know your interest. We typically make decisions two weeks before the beginning of class.

TIP: The best way to ensure your place in a class is to register at least three weeks before the beginning of course.

Tuition and fees are payable upon course registration. Muhlenberg College accepts payment via cash, check, MasterCard, Visa and American Express. You cannot register if you have an outstanding balance on your account (tuition, parking or library fines).

Visit Tuition Payment for more information.

You can add/drop or change your schedule in Workday after your advisor has approved your initial course plan. This may be done at any time before the conclusion of the add/drop period of the session for which you have enrolled. Consult the academic calendar and course listings for specific details. The academic calendar and other information pertaining to course selection can be obtained online at our website or the School of Continuing Studies office.  

After the add/drop period ends, students may withdraw from courses until the last day to withdraw according to the academic calendar. Course withdrawals will be processed using this form. 

You will continue to be held academically and financially accountable for the course(s) you enrolled in until you are officially removed from the class roster. Please do not think you will be removed from the roster by not attending class or calling us to convey your intent. All schedule changes must be initiated by the student in Workday or by completing the appropriate form on the registrar's website.

The add/drop period is when you may receive up to a 100% tuition refund, minus a $25 drop fee, unless you simultaneously add another class. Usually, the add/drop period is assigned to the first week of class. Upon dropping a class, your academic transcript will not reflect the dropped class. After the close of the add/drop period, you must officially “withdraw” from a course with the approval of your academic advisor. A “W” will be assigned to your academic record, indicating that you have withdrawn from the course. The timeliness of your withdrawal determines how much if any, tuition refund you receive.

PLEASE NOTE: All students are responsible for their enrollment; failure to add, drop, or withdraw from a course may result in no course units and/or a failing grade.

For 15-week courses (day, evening, weekend):

Drop before start of class = 100% refund

Drop after 1st class and before 2nd class with no course added = 80% refund

Withdraw after 2nd week but before start of 3rd week = 60% refund

Withdraw after 3rd week but before start of 4th week = 40% refund

Withdraw after 4th week but before start of 5th week = 20% refund

Withdraw after 5th week = 0% refund

For eight-week courses (days, evenings, weekends):

Drop before start of class = 100% refund

Drop after 1st but before 2nd class with no course added = 80% refund

Withdraw after 2nd class but before 3rd class = 60% refund

Withdraw after 3rd class but before 4th class = 40% refund

Withdraw after 4th class but before 5th class = 20% refund

Withdraw after 5th class = 0% refund

*Withdrawal from accelerated degree program courses is considered by the Dean of the School of Continuing Studies on a case-by-case basis.

Medical Withdrawals: A student must provide medical verification of illness or injury from their family physician to the Director of Student Health or Director of Counseling and meet with their academic advisor to obtain a medical withdrawal. Both the student and academic advisor must sign the form requesting the withdrawal. If approved, the course instructor will assign a grade of “W.”

Department Heads and Program Directors set the course enrollment limits when planning the Master Course Schedule. If the course closes during registration, a student wanting to enroll must seek approval from the Department Head or Program Director. During the add/drop period, the instructor may allow a student into a closed course by signing the add/drop form.

Courses in which the student earns a “B-” or greater cannot be repeated. No course shall be repeated after a subsequent course is taken (i.e., one for which the first is a prerequisite). When a course is repeated, only the most recent grade is included in the calculation of the cumulative grade-point average and in the average in the major or minor. A passing grade in a repeated course counts only once for credit toward the course units required for graduation. Both grades, however, appear on the permanent record, with a symbol next to the original grade indicating that the course was later repeated.

Knowing what courses you need is vital so you can take them when they become available in the course schedule. There may be times, however, when a course is simply unavailable and has been for some time. Speak to your academic counselor about your status as soon as possible. They may offer you the option of taking the course during the day or give you information about the possibility of taking it as a “Special Arrangement,” designed in consultation with a faculty sponsor. Also, it may be possible for you to take a class at another accredited academic institution; however, you should discuss the matter with your advisor beforehand due to limitations on the type and number of classes that can be transferred.

Muhlenberg College is a member of the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC), along with Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, and Moravian College. Through partnership and cooperation, LVAIC members realize greater strength, flexibility, and versatility for their students, faculty and staff. In addition, students of LVAIC members benefit from increased academic resources and support, including facilitated cross-registration and study-abroad opportunities. For more information, please visit the LVAIC website at www.lvaic.org.

Like a “Special Arrangement” course, an “Independent Study/Research” course is negotiated with a faculty sponsor. The difference between a Special Arrangement and Independent Study/Research course is that the latter usually does not cover the same material or material similar to that covered in regularly offered courses. No more than one-course unit is awarded for each independent study/research course; no fewer than 9 – 12 hours of work per week are required. It must have assigned letter grades, A – F.

First Class Meeting: Students must contact their instructor if they are absent at the first class meeting. 

1. Traditional School of Continuing Studies classes: Students are expected to attend classes regularly and are responsible for governing themselves in this matter. Interaction in the classroom enhances learning and is usually a significant part of how students’ overall performance will be evaluated.
2. Accelerated Degree Program: Because each cohort module is only five weeks, a student who needs to miss a class must contact their team AND instructor before the beginning of that class. Students who miss more than five classes may be dropped from the program.

Muhlenberg College uses a course unit system to emphasize the mastery of subject matter in contrast to the credit system, which measures achievement in terms of time spent in class. A course as a unit of instruction may include a combination of lectures, discussion, recitation, computer work, group projects and laboratory work. The course is the entire learning experience, not merely the time spent in the classroom. Such an approach delegates students greater responsibility for their education and encourages active learning. Many institutions may not use a course unit system similar to Muhlenberg’s. The Muhlenberg course unit should be equivalent to 4 semester credit hours for all transfer transactions.
The following chart lists quality points assigned to each letter grade by course unit:

We know that, on occasion, adult students have other important obligations that may require them to put their coursework “on hold.” For example, a student may request an incomplete from their instructor and must specify a compelling reason for the inability to complete the course requirements by the end of the term. The student is required to complete and submit the required work within thirty-five (35) calendar days of the end of the term to prevent the conversion of the incomplete “I” to a grade of “F.”

Full-time, degree-seeking students who have completed at least 16 Muhlenberg College units with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or more may elect to enroll for one-course unit per semester on a pass/fail basis up to a total limit of three courses. One of the three pass/fail courses may be taken in the same academic division as the student’s major or minor but not within the discipline of the major or minor program itself, even if the student has completed all the requirements for the major or minor Muhlenberg College is divided into three academic divisions:

1. Humanities – includes the academic disciplines of Art, English, Languages, Literatures & Cultures, Music, Philosophy, Religion, and Theatre & Dance;
2. Natural Sciences and Mathematics – includes the academic disciplines of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Education, and Physics; and,
3. Social Sciences – include the academic disciplines of Accounting, Business & Economics, Communication, Education, History & Classical Civilizations, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology & Anthropology.

In addition, no course for which a student elects to enroll on a pass/fail basis may be used to satisfy a general academic requirement (GAR). Courses offered by the college with a “pass/fail only” designation are exempt from the pass/fail requirements described here. Courses enrolled on a pass/fail basis that is awarded a grade of “P” (equivalent to a traditional “D” or higher) will not be used in computing the GPA but will be counted as course units toward graduation; courses failed will be calculated in the GPA. Students may change a course from pass/fail to traditional grading or vice-versa only in the add/drop period of the semester. Pass/fail grades are not allowed in the Summer Sessions.

Ordinarily, students auditing a course are expected to complete all assigned reading and participate in class discussions but will not be required to submit written work or take exams. Students in good academic standing may audit one class per semester with the instructor’s approval. Instructors must explicitly detail their expectations for students auditing their courses at the beginning of the semester, specifying ‘Conditions of the Audit’ on the audit registration form, and students must seek the consent of their faculty advisor. Students may change a course from audit (no course unit attempted) to a regular course unit basis (graded) or vice versa during the add/drop period, with the approval of the instructor and the faculty advisor. The student’s transcript will list the audited course with a grade of “AU” if the student has satisfactorily completed the audit. No notation will appear on the transcript if the student fails to fulfill the audit requirements.

Only the instructor issuing the original grade may make a grade change. The instructor must complete a grade change form with the student’s new grade and reason for the change and then submit the form to the Dean of the School of Continuing Studies for signature. The Dean will return the form to the Registrar’s office, and a REVISED grade report will be entered in Workday. 

For Continuing Studies students seeking a liberal arts degree (B.A. or B.S.), please refer to the "Graduation Honors" section of the Muhlenberg College Catalog for information regarding honors distinction at graduation.

Students pursuing accelerated degrees through the School of Continuing Studies will receive a "With Distinction" designation if they have a 3.700 grade point average (GPA)or above. The GPA is calculated on the courses within the accelerated degree program, not other general academic requirements (GARs) they may have taken or transferred. "With Distinction" will be noted on their transcript and diploma.

You may transfer up to 16 courses taken at accredited colleges and universities; these courses can count towards a Muhlenberg College degree. Muhlenberg College requires an official, sealed transcript of all transfer coursework to be sent directly to the School of Continuing Studies from previous academic institutions for review.
Most colleges/universities have online transcript requisitions, typically available on the Registrar's website.

There are other ways students may obtain credit for prior learning. The following are different ways the School of Continuing Studies measures academic performance:

CLEP testing: Students can demonstrate their knowledge and earn credit for prior learning by taking a CLEP exam (College-Level Examination Program) in their familiar subjects. The test is administered by appointment in the School of Continuing Studies office on a computer directly linked to College Board CLEP. Please call the office at 484-664-3300 for more information or visitwww.collegeboard.com/clep

Military Experience: Certain military experience can be assessed for credit in accordance with the guidelines established by ACE (American Council on Education). Your academic advisor will need a copy of your VA DD214 form and any other military record documentation, such as your AARTS or SMART transcript, stating specific dates, duration, qualification and location of your training. Visit the Veteran's Portal for more information.

Prior Work/Career Training Experience: The School of Continuing Studies assesses work experience on a case-by-case basis. Adult learners bring a lifetime of learning from their workplace to the classroom. Much of this experience can be directly applied to college-level credit. The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends baccalaureate credit for a career-focused education provided by certain companies, societies, associations, and institutions. We call this training "Credit for Prior Learning."

It is advantageous for you to speak to your academic advisor about any career training you have received and/or career examinations you have passed. Ultimately, your advisor will need specific documentation from the company administering such training to determine its college creditworthiness. Specifically, you will need to obtain the following:

1. - The number of hours you attended
2. - Course description about the type of training/examination
3. - Certificate or proof of achievement written by the administering company
4. - Information about whether or not you had to take an examination to receive the certificate of achievement.