Up to 100% transfer credit for General Educations and up to 50% transfer credit may be awarded for special courses completed at accredited or recognized colleges/universities.

B.A. and B.S. Transfer Credit from Non-Regionally Accredited Colleges
Transfer students or returning students wishing to transfer credits from a college/university not accredited by a recognized national, regional, or state agency may be admitted provisionally. To validate credit from non-accredited institutions, the institution or the student must satisfy the following criteria:

1. The non-regionally accredited institution must be listed in the latest edition of Higher Education Directory.
2. Course work must be evaluated by and acceptable to the Associate Provost, Program Director and the Student Services Department.
3. The student must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 for the first 30 semester hours at the American Liberty University. If English or math courses are required, these must be taken in the first 30 hours at the University. No course will be accepted with a grade lower than a "C-". No more than 64 credits will be accepted from a non-regionally accredited institution.
4. The student may be required to show evidence of proficiency by writing summary papers explaining knowledge obtained.
5. The transfer credits will not appear on the student’s transcript until 30 semester hours have been completed at the University of Sarasota.

If a student is accepted provisionally, an American Liberty University transcript will be established, but will not include transfer from the non-accredited institution until the provisions have been satisfied. Only after the student has met the criteria outlined above would the credit from a non-regionally accredited school be placed on a transcript.

Up to 35% transfer credit may be awarded for courses completed at accredited or recognized colleges/universities.

Maximum 25% transfer credit may be awarded for courses completed at accredited or recognized Colleges/universities.

General education units completed at other accredited institutions which are determined by American Liberty University to be equivalent to American Liberty University general education courses will normally transfer directly toward a student's degree requirements, provided that such courses have been completed by the student prior to the end of the first term of study at American Liberty University and an official transcript from the institution at which the course(s) was completed is received by American Liberty University by the end of the student's second term of study at American Liberty University. Credit for units approved for transfer pursuant to this process will be added to a student's official transcript at the completion of the quarter in which the official transcript and petition for transfer credit were received and approved, and such credits will not be calculated into the student's American Liberty University grade point average. Students may also earn general education college credits toward the Associate degree through the nationally recognized college equivalency-testing program offered by the College Board under the designation College Level Examination Program (CLEP). CLEP examinations must be completed and official scores submitted to American Liberty University prior to the end of the student's second quarter of study at American Liberty University.

Students are cautioned that all American Liberty University programs require a strong commitment and dedication to the goal of program completion. This commitment must come from the student and is greatly enhanced by strong support from the student's family and friends. Students are encouraged to discuss their educational plans with family members before starting the program in order to facilitate a smooth adjustment for all concerned. Students can expect to spend a minimum of two hours of study time for each hour of class time in each course. Several of the courses may require study time closer to three or four hours per hour of classroom time. The University provides free tutoring services to any students experiencing academic difficulties.

Students are encouraged to form study groups with other American Liberty University students enrolled in the same program. Study groups strongly aid in the learning process through group discussion and exam and research preparation.

Students are cautioned that all American Liberty University instructors require that each student submit his/her own original work. Any student(s) violating this policy by turning in work copied from another student may be subject to the consequences for unethical practices set forth in this catalog.

1. WEEKEND SCHOOLS

Perhaps the most enjoyable of scholastic options is that offered by our Saturday & Sunday class opportunities. These offer each student an optimal opportunity for personal interaction between fellow students and our academic staff. Personally attended lectures are always a bonus, and tutorial one-on-one meetings and unit-team forums invariably provide for an enriched academic experience. Depending on the specific courses involved, weekend schooling is variably scheduled as to best advantage, whether it be once a week or more, with the duration dictated by student interest and participation.

Classes meet on five consecutive Saturdays or/and Sundays from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. This permits completion of one three credit hour course every five weeks. The accelerated program permits students from more distant locations the opportunity to complete a degree by only requiring a visit to campus once or twice during the week.

To ‘sum it up’ succinctly, (which is rather rare in a college catalogue) we make it possible for you to receive an optimal blend of quality education and convenient location - wherever you are!

Note: The Weekend School may not be offered on all courses.

Near the end of each semester, all students in all American Liberty University courses will be asked to complete a Course Evaluation Form. These forms provide students with the opportunity to rate the class curriculum, instructional materials, and instructor, University and its educational programs, and provide comments and suggestions for improvements.

The Masters program allows the student the option of a thesis. It is the responsibility of the student to become familiar with the regulations and procedures. Comprehensive examinations and all course work must be passed before the final thesis defense.

A faculty research advisor and at least one other reader supervise the thesis.

Two typed copies of the thesis, one original and one clear copy, approved and signed by the faculty research advisor and reader, must be submitted to the Graduate Programs Office, accompanied by the proper binding, no later than the date specified in the academic calendar.

The submitted thesis becomes the property of American Liberty University, but the University does not limit the author's right to publish the results.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the highest supervised degree offered by American Liberty University. It is awarded for a dissertation which is an integrated and coherent report that demonstrates a candidate’s ability to carry out independent research and analysis at an advanced level in a particular field of study. The dissertation may consist of several studies or cases, in which event their relationship to one another must be demonstrated. The dissertation may consist of a candidate’s published or unpublished or a combination of both, provided this has not been used for the award of any other academic qualification.

The PhD degree normally involves a maximum of 81 semesters unites research, on/of-campus class, seminar, on-line, and group study. It can be undertaken in most disciplines taught in the University.

While the style and format of dissertation differ according to the conventions of their disciplines, there are some general criteria against which a dissertation is assessed at its completion, namely, that the dissertation as a whole should make an original contribution to the knowledge of the subject with which it deals, and the candidate should understand the relationship of the thesis to the wider context of knowledge in which it belongs.

The student must submit a written dissertation proposal, which includes a rationale for the selection of the research topic; a research design; a focused review of the literature relevant to the proposed research; and a data analysis plan. The proposal should include an abstract of no more than 100 words, a two-page executive summary; narrative material of 20-40 pages, and a bibliography. When the written proposal has been accepted by the Proposal Committee, the student may makes an oral presentation of his or her proposal before the committee, ALU faculty, fellow students, and other scholars. The oral defense should be scheduled through the Doctoral Program Coordinator at least two weeks in advance to ensure proper notice.

Upon successful completion of the all courses at the Doctorate level, the student and the major advisor will select a guidance committee for continuing course work and independent study. The guidance committee must have a minimum of three members, one of whom will be the committee chair. The guidance committee will recommend course work, independent study and readings in the major and cognate areas. The student will present a proposal for the dissertation to this committee, which will be reviewed at the time of the qualifying examination.

The qualifying examination must demonstrate qualification in both major and minor fields for doctoral candidates and will be conducted by the guidance committee. The examination will include written and/or oral components.

Dissertation Committee

After the qualifying examination has been passed and a dissertation topic approved, the guidance committee shall be known as the dissertation committee upon recommendation to the Dean of Department. One of the three members must be from outside the major department. The dissertation and the defense or final oral must have the unanimous approval of the dissertation committee.

An acceptable dissertation based on original investigation is required. The dissertation must show technical mastery of a special field, capacity for independent research and scholarly ability.

The chair of the dissertation committee will be the principal research advisor. The dissertation should be completed within one year of the date of approval of the proposal.