Other On-Campus Programs

Internships

Heidelberg University is committed to providing students with an excellent education, of which an internship may be an important component. Off-campus internships provide students with a firsthand, real world experience that can have a very positive influence on a student’s collegiate career. Internships provide students with an opportunity to explore career interests and talents. Frequently, students receive offers of employment as a direct result of their internship experiences. Faculty members supervise and assist with arranging a wide variety of internships in such diverse settings as government agencies, businesses, the arts, the helping professions, communications media and public interest groups.

Internship opportunities are available to students in good academic standing, with a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Each academic department, however, can set its own set of internship policies (i.e., GPA and credit hour limits). Students should consult their academic advisor for complete information about internships within her or his major. Copies of the general guidelines for internships are available online at www.heidelberg.edu/studentlife/careerdevelopment.

The amount of course credit that may be earned through an internship varies by department, and ranges from 1 to 15 hours. Students register for internship credit by completing an Internship Contract from the Office of Career Development. Students must secure the approval of both a faculty advisor and an off-campus supervisor. Internship credits may not be applied to the General Education Requirements and internship credit must be earned during the semester which the internship is completed.

Internship credit may be applied toward a major or minor ONLY if:

1. An internship is required of all students seeking a degree within that major;
2. Prior approval for the internship to be applied toward the major has been granted by the administering department, the Educational Policies Committee and the faculty.

Departmental Honors

The departments which offer honors register their candidates in a year-course listed as 475-476. A Departmental Program Committee formed by the department administers the project.

To receive departmental honors at commencement a student must satisfy the following requirements:

Junior Year: The head of the department in which the student has chosen to work toward departmental honors presents the candidate’s written application to the Departmental Program
Committee.

Before the end of the junior year, the candidate defines his or her project for independent research, to be conducted during the senior year, and obtains the approval of the head of the department. If the student has an adequate command of a foreign language, he or she should be encouraged to use it as a tool in his or her research.

Senior Year: The student who has elected to attempt departmental honors will be asked to achieve two things in the senior year.

1. To work out an independent research project.
2. To write a comprehensive examination.

For the independent research project the student will receive six semester hours of credit, three each semester. He or she will prepare progress reports, submit a thesis not later than three weeks before the end of the last semester and take an oral examination over the area of independent research.

Shortly before the end of the last semester, the candidate will write the comprehensive examination. It will test integration and comprehensive understanding of the entire field of the department (or of a more limited area originally agreed upon) regardless of courses taken.

The department head will recommend a successful candidate to the Departmental Program Committee, and the latter will recommend him or her to the faculty for the awarding of departmental honors.

Course Honors

In certain courses (as determined by the instructors themselves) able students will have an opportunity to work on two levels: 1. They will complete the regular syllabus and 2. They will have an opportunity to elect also an additional project. If they successfully complete such a project and at the same time achieve an A or B level in the regular assignments, they will receive Course Honors. Course Honors are designated on the transcript.

The additional work, which is designed to encourage independent effort, will broaden the regular course and enrich it for able students. It will be substantial enough to demand at least 30 hours of a student’s time in a 3-hour course.

Pre-Professional Studies

Students who plan to enter accredited professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, law, medical technology, nursing, veterinary medicine, engineering, environmental management and the ministry can obtain at Heidelberg the thorough undergraduate training necessary for success in those professional schools.

The ideal preparation for professional training is the complete four-year curriculum in a liberal arts program, for most professional schools give preference to the thoroughly trained individual who has a degree. However, some few students must accelerate their work and the following plan might prove helpful.

Those few individuals who are able to complete a minimum of 90 semester hours which include general education and major requirements during their first 3 years at Heidelberg, may arrange to take their senior year at a professional school if that professional school is approved by recognized academic accrediting agencies. If they can obtain admission to such a school without having completed their undergraduate work (only electives), they will be granted the baccalaureate degree from Heidelberg University under the following conditions:

1. They must spend at least two years, including the junior year, as students of Heidelberg University.
2. They must have completed all general education and major requirements at Heidelberg University. This will constitute a minimum of 90 semester hours of academic work.
3. They must have an overall GPA of 3.00 at the end of their junior year.
4. They must notify the Registrar of their intention by the end of the sophomore year. This is essential because approval of the accreditation of the professional school in question must be determined.
5. They must satisfactorily complete the first year’s work in the professional school. A transcript of the work must be sent to the Registrar of Heidelberg University.

Pre-Law Statement

Heidelberg University has a unique pre-law program which offers an excellent opportunity for preparing students for law school. Pre-law advisors are available to assist students interested in a legal career since the pre-law advisors have law school experience and have practiced law. They will work with individual students to select a course of study that will best suit their interest as well as their career choice. The pre-law program provides a supportive environment for those students interested in going to law school and includes law school visits and assistance with the law school application process. The program also encourages participation in legal internships and volunteer work experiences.

Although there is no preferred course of study for a person wanting to go to law school, The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools suggests that students thinking of law school acquire skills that enable one to think critically, reason logically, and speak and write effectively. These skills can be attained in a number of different courses and majors. A student will have ample opportunity to gain these skills with Heidelberg University’s emphasis on a broad liberal arts education.

Undergraduate Academic Opportunities

Individuals who have acquired knowledge equal to that held by the usual college student may be able to receive credits toward graduation from Heidelberg University. The following undergraduate academic opportunities are available to these students: Advanced Placement Program, Credit by Examination, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and International Baccalaureate Organization Program (IBO). Students interested in these opportunities are encouraged to write to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the University for further information.

Adult and Non-Traditional Studies

Having long espoused the concept of lifelong learning, Heidelberg provides educational opportunities not only for residential students of traditional college age but also for adult students who may have full-time jobs and/or commitments in the home. The Office of Admission assists and advises such students through an admission counselor dedicated to adult and non-traditional students.

If their off-campus responsibilities permit, adult students entering Heidelberg may enroll in traditional day and evening classes. Since many students find that job or home responsibilities limit or prevent their enrolling in traditional weekday classes, Heidelberg provides special opportunities through evening courses on the Heidelberg campus, its off-campus evening program in Arrowhead Park, Maumee and its Non-Traditional Studies program.

In 1989 Heidelberg initiated its off-campus degree-completion program at its Arrowhead Park branch in Maumee, Ohio. Heidelberg at Arrowhead Park offers evening classes for adult students pursuing a Baccalaureate with a major in accounting, business administration or psychology; seeking a Master of Arts in Education or Counseling; or a Master of Business Administration.

If the need arises, adult students may on occasion supplement traditional and Arrowhead Park schedules by enrolling in non-traditional classes.

Many adult and non-traditional students enter Heidelberg with transfer credits from other accredited post-secondary schools, and some students with considerable experience may be candidates to receive credit for “life experience.” A student who can document that he or she has acquired knowledge or skills equivalent to those taught in the college classroom may receive credit by assessment. The student prepares a portfolio documenting this learning. After reviewing the portfolio, the assessment committee of the consortium of East Central Colleges (ECC) recommends to Heidelberg the credits to be awarded. Students also may pursue credit by examination — either through nationally administered tests like CLEP or those administered by Heidelberg departments. Heidelberg’s Arrowhead Park site in Maumee is a CLEP test site.