Program Information

Policies

All doctoral students are subject to university policies governing graduate students. These policies are contained in the current ULV Catalog.

Non-discrimination Policy

The University of La Verne is a coeducational university organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of California. Its purpose is to provide education and training to prepare its students to meet the responsibilities and duties of life effectively. No discrimination because of race, religious creed, color, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical handicap, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, or age shall apply to the enrollment of any student, any member of the faculty or staff, or the election of any officer or trustee of the university.

Grading (Credit/No Credit and Letter Grades)

For all students

The ULV Doctoral Program consists of three arenas:

Personal/Interpersonal arena - year 1
Team arena - year 2
Organizational arena - year 3

To receive Credit for the courses associated with an arena, you must complete all competencies for the arena. By University policy, grades are issued by semester, so, if you do not complete all the competencies for an arena within the semester, you receive an IP in all courses associated with that arena. You have one year to complete the competencies. By University policy, an IP automatically turns to a NCR (no credit) after one year. If you fail to meet this policy, you will be disqualified from the program.

In order to continue to the next semester, you must complete 80% of the competencies in a semester. Once you have made up work to the 80% level, you may continue; however, to clear the IP you must complete 100% of the competencies for the semester. Note: If you have IP's on your transcript in two consecutive semesters, you are automatically placed on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation may not continue in the program until the IP's are cleared.

For students who select the letter grade option

To complete the doctorate you must maintain a B (3.0) average or better (equivalent to CR). Therefore, completing the competencies gives you a Credit or a B grade for the courses associated with the arenas. If you desire an A grade for a course, you must exceed the normal expectations for a credit grade. Work that receives an A grade must reflect learning and application that goes beyond the expected coursework. A spirit of imagination and scholarship should be evident, rather than more of the regular projects or fieldwork activities. Following are the specific requirements and process for the A grade:

Requirements for an A Grade

The A project extends and deepens the learning in the coursework. For example, additional research, a higher level application of concepts, a case study, independent investigation of a topic, or a field study in a particular area of interest are possible approaches.
The A project is clearly related to the arena of study for the semester.
The expected time commitment for the A grade is approximately 40 hours per semester in addition to the time required for a credit/no credit grade.
Within the first 4 weeks of each semester, propose your project for the A grade to your Arena Faculty.
Within a week after acceptance, complete and sign a contract that delineates the purpose of the project, the learning outcomes, description of the project, form of documentation, and due date. The contract is also signed by the Arena Faculty. Attached is the "Agreement for A Grade" form.
The project will be documented in the form appropriate for the learning, such as a paper, pamphlet, presentation, workshop, etc.
The project and documentation must be completed by the last day of the semester in which it was contracted.

Process: Contract with your Arena Faculty on what you intend to do beyond the required competencies to earn an A grade. This contracting must be completed by the end of the first Practicum for the semester in which you intend to exceed the normal expectations. The contract must be completed by the end of the semester in which it was negotiated. See the attached document to make your selection of CR/NC or letter grade option. Note: Students receive only "Credit/No Credit" assessments for all research courses.

Attendance

Our Covenant affirms we are a learning community that comes together to co-create relevant knowledge. Our commitment to co-create our learning requires that we all be present and participate fully in activities. For successful Practicums and Learning Group experiences, others need your ideas, feedback, and support. Also, given our unique group learning process, make-up isn't possible because the group experience cannot be replicated.

In fairness to colleagues and to maximize your own learning, please do not ask to be excused from all or part of a practicum, learning group meeting, community event, research seminar, or webinar. Your attendance is essential and required. If you have an emergency (such as death in the immediate family or personal illness) and must miss part of a required meeting, it is your responsibility to meet with your arena faculty and contract for making up the time and work. Please note that students may be dropped from the semester at the discretion of faculty for missing all or part of required meetings. It is also an expectation that you be on time for all sessions.

Continuous Enrollment

Students who have completed all program components at the conclusion of three years of full-time enrollment are required to enroll in a noncredit continuation course each semester. The tuition for this course is a set fee, included in the university fee schedule. This requirement is applied each semester until the granting of the degree or withdrawal from the program.

Advanced Study Certificate

All students who successfully meet the program competency standards and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 for all required leadership themes and research courses are eligible to apply for the Certificate of Advanced Study in Organizational Leadership. Dissertation research courses are not required. The certificate is offered in lieu of the doctorate degree.