Special Programs
A Southern Vermont College education helps expand your horizons to see that there is more to education, more to life, more to learning. The College offers a variety of special programs that assist students with their education.
Individualized Degree Programs
Students with special academic interests and career goals may formulate their own degree programs from courses within the scope of the College's academic offerings. The individualized degree program is appropriate for students who have completed college-level work elsewhere.
BUILD THE ENTERPRISE
Build the Enterprise offers the opportunity for students to learn by doing. Using principles learned in the classroom, teams of students create businesses of their own choosing, with support of a $100,000 Venture Fund. At the end of their academic career, students may sell the business, and earn 50 percent of the profits from the sale -- the rest going to pay back the Venture Fund -- or continue to work in their own enterprise. <Learn more
Alpha Chi
Alpha Chi is a national scholarship recognition society with over 300 chapters. The Vermont Delta Chapter number 351 was installed at Southern Vermont College in 1999. Membership is open to juniors and seniors (transfer students must check with the committee) of high scholarship (a GPA of 3.5 or higher) who exhibit good character and reputation. Membership is for life, but alumni may maintain active status by paying an annual fee. For more information on Alpha Chi, contact http://AlphaChiHonor.org.
PROVOST's List
Each semester, full-time students who have achieved a minimum 3.25 GPA are placed on the Provost List. Those students included on the Provost List have completed at least 12 credits of graded course work with no incompletes or grades below C- at the close of the semester.
Commendation List
Part-time students who have achieved a 3.25 GPA and completed between 6 and 11 credits of graded course work with no incomplete or grades below C- at the close of the semester are named to the Commendation List.
Study Abroad
Southern Vermont College students wishing to study abroad are required to do so through a program sponsored by an accredited U.S. institution of higher learning.
Study abroad is recommended for the spring semester of the junior year or for the summer between the junior and senior year. Students must apply for permission to study abroad from the Academic Dean by filing an application which identifies the course work that will be completed at the foreign institution and for which degree requirements those courses will substitute. The student should work with his or her academic advisor in selecting an appropriate study abroad program, in the selection of course work, and in identifying how the course work will be applied toward an SVC degree. A student must request a leave-of-absence for the semester he or she will be abroad.
Study abroad, the course work, and its application to an SVC degree must be approved by the Academic Dean prior to the student leaving for the abroad semester. Approval is valid only for the semester requested. Failure to obtain approval and to make a request for a leave of absence can impact a student's financial aid status and degree progression.
Information regarding study abroad programs can be obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs.
Independent Study
Independent study is restricted to degree requirements necessary for degree progression. Eligible students may pursue independent studies of courses in the College Catalogue, under the supervision of faculty members. Students must have a minimum 2.70 GPA and have completed En101 and 102. Independent studies must be approved by the faculty advisor and Academic Dean. Independent Study Application forms are available at the Registrar's Office. A student may complete a maximum of five independent studies.
Individualized Study
Individualized Study is a unique course, jointly designed by the student and instructor, for the serious student who wishes to pursue a specific aspect of a subject area in far more depth than would ordinarily be possible. The course is research-oriented in nature and requires frequent communication between student and instructor. Individualized courses may be requested at two levels, 200 and 400. Individualized course proposals must be approved by the instructor, Curriculum Committee, and Academic Dean.
Service-Learning
The term "service-learning" means a method:
- under which students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet actual community needs and course learning objectives;
- that is integrated into the student's academic curriculum or provides structured time for a student to think, talk, or write about what was done during the service activity;
- that enhances what is taught in class by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community and helps foster the development of a service to others; and
- that provides students with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities.
Service-learning reflects the College's mission to prepare graduates to be "responsible citizens who can confidently face challenges presented by a complex, global society."
Read more
Internships
Internships provide students with the opportunity to apply theories learned in the classroom to practical field work experiences in businesses and agencies. Internships may lead to regular employment after graduation. To qualify for the internship program, students must have earned 30 credit hours and at least a 2.0 GPA and obtain approval from their faculty advisor and the Director of Career Services, who coordinates internships.
Internships may be undertaken during a College semester or during the summer. They are part of the academic course work and are measured in credit hours. To earn 3 credit hours, a student must complete 150 hours of internship work. For 2 credits, the student must complete 100 hours, and for 1 credit the student must complete 50 hours. Based on performance in the work component and academic component that is assigned by their faculty advisors, interns receive grades of satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Students may develop their own internship sites or choose from an increasing number offered through the program. All internships have an on-site supervisor and are overseen by members of the Southern Vermont College faculty.
Students eligible to receive veterans' benefits need to be aware that internship courses are not necessarily viewed the same as other courses for Veterans Administration benefits. Internships require advance approval from the Veterans State Approval Agency of the Vermont Department of Education. As a result, there may be some delay in the receipt of the first payment of veterans' benefits for the semester.
Artist-in-Residence Program
The Southern Vermont College Artist-in-Residence program honors professionals in the arts. The honor is typically accorded to the artist for a set period, during which time he/she instructs one or two classes and presents workshops, seminars, and/oror performances. Past professionals have included, Artist Will Moses, Dancer Barbara Roan, and Musician Barry Hyman. For the past several years, L'Ensemble, with Artistic Director and Soprano Ida Faiella has been the artist-in-residence. While at SVC, L'Ensemble established a Student Musician Competition for young children in the local area. Throughout the semesters, L'Ensemble performs a series of concerts on campus. More about L'Ensemble is available at www.lensemble.org.
