Degrees and Instructions

In 1951, Sarah Lawrence awarded its first master’s degrees to four individual students. Since then, the College has trained thousands of genetic counselors, educators, artists, writers, and health care professionals.

Sarah Lawrence offers distinctive master’s degree programs and dual degrees:

• Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Art of Teaching—72 credits
• Master of Arts (MA) in Child Development—48 credits
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance—48 credits
• Master of Science (MS) in Dance/Movement Therapy—60 credits
• Master of Arts (MA) in Health Advocacy (online)—48 credits
• Master of Science (MS) in Human Genetics—70 credits
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Theatre—48 credits
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing—48 credits
• Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Art of Teaching and Master of Arts (MA) in Child Development (dual degree)—99 credits
• Master of Arts (MA) in Child Development and Master of Social Work (MSW) in cooperation with New York University (NYU) School of Social Work (dual degree)—38 Sarah Lawrence credits + 56 NYU credits

The College also offers five-year and six-year programs available to undergraduate students upon successful master’s degree application:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts and Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in the Art of Teaching
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts and Master of Arts (MA) in Child Development
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts and Master of Science (MS) in Dance/Movement Therapy
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts and Master of Arts (MA) in Health Advocacy
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts and Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in the Art of Teaching & Master of Arts (MA) in Child Development
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts and Master of Arts (MA) in Child Development & Master of Social Work (MSW) in cooperation with New York University (NYU) School of Social Work (dual degree)

In addition to the above master’s degrees, several part-time advanced certificates are available.

In the area of education, Sarah Lawrence offers an advanced certificate in Early Childhood Special Education (17 credits).

The following 12-credit advanced certificates in Health Advocacy are offered as stackable toward the Master of Arts degree in Health Advocacy:

• Foundations of Health Advocacy: Theory and Practice
• Program Design and Evaluation
• Health Policy and Law
• Program Design and Implementation

Students are responsible for knowing and satisfying degree requirements. Each graduate program has specific requirements, as defined on the individual program websites as well as the graduate catalogue. Students are expected to maintain regular contact with their program director/adviser to plan their course of study and track progress toward degree completion.

Requests for previously completed transfer credit should be made by the student upon entry to the graduate program or in the semester following course completion. Students may request transfer credit for courses taken at other schools if those courses meet the following conditions:

1. They must have been taken at an accredited US college or university or at an international university of comparable accreditation.
2. The grade must be B or above (B- is not accepted).
3. If the course is graded pass/fail, transfer eligibility is reviewed by the program director and registrar.

Courses that meet the above conditions are evaluated, in terms of content, by the program director. It is up to the program director’s discretion to evaluate whether the student may transfer graduate-level credit and whether the transferred credit could replace a course in the program. Transcripts to be evaluated must be official and sent directly to the registrar by the issuing institution. Student unofficial copies are not accepted.

A maximum of 10 transfer credits may be applied to the requirements of the degree.

Online Courses Transfer Criteria

1. Online courses must be offered by a regionally accredited college or university and must be applicable to a relevant graduate degree at that school. Massive open online courses and other noncredit or credit-optional courses are not eligible for transfer credit.
2. Online courses must be offered during a defined term/session, with clear beginning and end dates. In addition, for most graduate programs, the online courses may not be self-paced or entirely asynchronous. Students may not simultaneously enroll at Sarah Lawrence and in online courses at another institution, unless they are enrolled in a dual or joint degree program between that institution and Sarah Lawrence.
3. Online courses must have structured progression through course material.
4. Online courses must include student-faculty and student-student interaction, as well as required assignments and teacher feedback.

Following are the various types of instruction that exist across the various graduate programs. Refer to the graduate catalogue for information on each program’s specific structure and course of study.

Seminar-Conference Courses – Small seminars are combined with regular individual conferences with the course instructor. In these conferences, the student and instructor identify the student’s specific areas of interest and begin to explore them, often via a project or research paper. These independent enterprises help each student develop and refine skills of analysis, interpretation, and writing. Frequently, a conference project becomes the basis for a master’s thesis.

Asynchronous Seminar Courses – Students complete assignments asynchronously and engage in robust collaborative online discussions with faculty and colleagues.

Seminar/Lecture Courses – Students meet weekly for one or more sessions with instructors and engage in seminar and/or lecture discussions.

Independent Study – Students who seek to develop an individual research project/creative work more fully, or to undertake an intensive course of reading, may embark on an independent study. Permission is obtained from the student’s program director and from the dean of graduate and professional studies.

Component Courses – Component courses in dance and theatre are specifically structured to integrate theory and practice. Working with an adviser, students select a combination of several components that together constitute a full program for the Master of Fine Arts degree.

Fieldwork, Clinical and Teaching Placements, and Internships – Fieldwork, the integration of the theoretical with the practical, is a requirement for many graduate degrees and an option for all graduate degrees. Fieldwork is required for the programs in Art of Teaching, Art of Teaching/Child Development dual degree, Child Development, Child Development/MSW dual degree, Dance/Movement Therapy, and Human Genetics. The programs in Dance/Movement Therapy and Human Genetics also require students to successfully complete clinical placements in the second year. The programs in the Art of Teaching and in the Art of Teaching/Child Development dual degree require successful completion of teaching placements in the second year. Students in the Child Development/MSW dual degree also complete clinical placements while at NYU. Students are typically graded pass/fail in these courses. Successful completion of fieldwork, internships, clinical placements, and/or teaching placements is a requirement for progress toward degree completion. Sites for fieldwork include hospitals, schools, community initiatives, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. Failure to successfully engage in fieldwork and/or a clinical or teaching placement may result in dismissal from the field placement, which may also result in failure of the course. International students must speak with their DSO (designated school official) before participating in fieldwork and/or internships.

In addition to fieldwork courses, many students participate in internships throughout the New York City metropolitan area.

Master’s Project/Thesis – Most programs require a master’s project or thesis, but the format varies. See the Maximum Time to Completion and Master’s Project/Thesis sections of this handbook for more information.

Graduate students are typically enrolled full time at 10 or more credits. Students considering part-time or half-time (Writing only) status should consult with their program director.

Advanced certificate students are typically enrolled part time, permitting a maximum of nine credits each semester.

Students are expected to enroll in successive fall/spring semesters. Programs in the Art of Teaching, the Art of Teaching/Child Development dual degree, Human Genetics, and five-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts and Master of Science (MS) in Dance/Movement Therapy also require coursework in at least one summer semester. If a student is not enrolled at the College, it must be for one of the following approved reasons:

• Taking a leave of absence for personal or medical reasons
• Actively enrolled at another institution as a dual degree student
• Taking a leave of absence for full-time study at another institution

Child Development/NYU dual-degree students are full time at Sarah Lawrence in the first year. In the second year, these students are full time at NYU and receive an enrollment status of dual degree at another institution. After completion of the second year at NYU, students return to Sarah Lawrence to complete the program on a part-time basis and are responsible for certain fees but no additional tuition.

Combined Child Development/NYU students (BA/MA/MSW) begin their graduate work in their senior year at the undergraduate tuition rate. Once a student has graduated with their bachelor’s degree, their second and third years of the program are full time at NYU, where tuition is paid (and financial aid received). In their third year of the program, students also complete their thesis (12 thesis credits and two seminar credits) at Sarah Lawrence at a per-course thesis tuition rate.

Students not enrolled either at Sarah Lawrence or at another institution for a dual degree are withdrawn for failure to return. Full-time enrollment requires students to be enrolled in at least 10 credits. International F-1 students must be enrolled full time in order to maintain visa status. Part-time status consists of up to nine registered credits each semester, and students considering part-time status should consult with their program director. A Change of Status form, available on MySLC, must be submitted by the student for each semester that their enrollment status changes, including a change from part time to full time or from full time to part time, a leave of absence, or a return from leave of absence.

Semester enrollment of 10 or more credits is considered full-time tuition. Students enrolled in more than 18 credits in a given semester are typically billed at the per-credit tuition rate for the additional credits. If a student’s program requirements warrant more than 18 credits of study in a given semester, they must request an exception to this tuition policy with approval from their program director and from the dean of graduate and professional studies. Part-time students are billed at the per-credit tuition rate each semester. Half-time (Writing only) students are billed at the half-time flat rate.

Full-time students are expected to complete single degrees in two years and dual degrees in three years. Part-time and half-time students are expected to complete single degrees in four years and dual degrees in six years. Approved leaves of absence may permit up to four years for degree completion for full-time students or six years for part-time and half-time students. Exceptions may be made by the program director, who reviews requests for extensions as needed and ensures that an academic plan of completion has been developed, signed, and copied to the dean of graduate and professional studies. Extensions are not approved beyond three years for single-degree completion for full-time students and six years for single-degree completion for part-time and half-time students. Extensions are not approved beyond four years for dual-degree completion for full-time students and seven years for dual-degree completion for part-time students. If an extension is not requested and/or granted, the student is withdrawn from the College.

In certain cases, students may request one or two additional semesters to complete their thesis. Typically, students are not granted more than one additional semester for thesis completion. To request an additional thesis semester, students are expected to submit a Change of Status form on MySLC with an appropriate explanation. This request is reviewed by their program director and the dean of graduate and professional studies. Extensions must also be approved by the thesis advisor. Typically, thesis extensions are granted on a per-semester basis. Each additional semester of thesis completion incurs a thesis completion fee. Students may not enroll in more than two additional semesters of thesis completion. Failure to complete the thesis after two additional thesis completion semesters likely results in failure of the thesis and withdrawal from the program.