Academic Information

Academic Programs

Academic Programs

LSC offers two types of programs – Programs for Transfer and Technical Programs

Programs for Transfer:

Associate in Arts (AA) Degree
Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) Degree
Associate in Science (AS) Degree
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MTC)

The MTC is a package of 40 semester credits that will be accepted for transfer by all Minnesota community colleges, state universities, the University of Minnesota, and many private colleges.

Technical Programs:

Business Careers Computer Careers
Health Careers
Public Safety/Emergency Response Careers
Trade and Industry Careers
Transportation Careers

Credit Hour Policies:

LSC Policy 3.18 Assignment of Student Credits

Minnesota State Board Policies Chapter 3 Educational Policies

Link: Academic Program Information

Accreditation

LSC is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  In addition, many of our programs enjoy specialized accreditations.

More information on the accreditation process is available directly from the Higher Learning Commission or by mail at:

Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(800) 621-7440

Affirmative Action

Statement of Commitment to Affirmative Action by the College President

Lake Superior College is committed to Minnesota’s statewide affirmative action efforts and providing equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants in accordance with equal opportunity and affirmative action laws.

I affirm my personal and official support of these policies which provide that:

  • No individual shall be discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment, personnel practices, or access to and participation in programs, services, and activities, or subject to harassment, on the basis of race, sex (including pregnancy), color, creed, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, or membership or activity in a local human rights commission.
  • The prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex precludes sexual harassment, gender- based harassment, and harassment based on pregnancy.
  • This college is committed to the implementation of the affirmative action policies, programs, and procedures included in this plan to ensure that employment practices are free from discrimination. Employment practices include, but are not limited to the following: hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff, disciplinary action, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship. We will provide reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants with disabilities.
  • This college will continue to actively promote a program of affirmative action, wherever minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities are underrepresented in the workforce, and work to retain all qualified, talented employees, including protected group employees.
  • This college will evaluate its efforts, including those of its directors, managers, and supervisors, in promoting equal opportunity and achieving affirmative action objectives contained herein. In addition, this college will expect all employees to perform their job duties in a manner that promotes equal opportunity for all.

It is the college’s policy to provide an employment environment free of any form of discriminatory harassment as prohibited by federal, state, and local human rights laws. I strongly encourage suggestions as to how we may improve. We strive to provide equal employment opportunities and the best possible service to all Minnesotans.

LSC’s Affirmative Action coordinator is:

Jestina Vichorek
Associate Vice President of Human Resources

Lake Superior College
2101 Trinity Road
Duluth, MN 55811

O: (218) 733-7677

Complaint Process

LSC strives to resolve all student complaints and concerns promptly and fairly. Most student complaints are resolved informally after they are brought to our attention.  LSC has a formal process to address complaints that cannot be resolved informally.  Complaints may also be lodged directly with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System office and/or LSC’s accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission.

Note:  Online students who reside outside the state of Minnesota should also see the Online Education – State Authorization tab in this section for additional important information about complaint processes available to them.

Links:

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination

Lake Superior College is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in employment and education. The College’s Coordinator for Section 504 and the ADA is:

Stacy Langguth
Disability Specialist
(218) 733-7702

The College’s coordinator for Title IX is:

Wade Gordon
Dean of Students
Room M131
(218) 733-7656

Links:

General Education

LSC’s General Education Philosophy Statement

LSC subscribes to the philosophy that general education provides a foundation of educational experiences, designed to provide breadth, not depth in general areas of study. It includes a broad body of knowledge that all students must have, regardless of academic area of study.

Anchored in a variety of disciplines, LSC’s general education curriculum prepares all students with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives to communicate effectively, think critically, and participate in society as informed, responsible citizens.

Intellectual Property and Copyright Infringement

Intellectual Property and Copyright Infringement

The unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing, may subject students to civil and criminal liabilities and, depending on the circumstances, may violate the LSC Student Code of Conduct or Policy and Procedure with respect to Acceptable Use of Computers and Information Technology Resources.

Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement.

Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees.

For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505. Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense. For more information, please see the Web site of the U.S. Copyright Office.

Links:

Faculty/Staff

Persons employed as faculty members are required to meet Minnesota State established minimum qualifications appropriate to their fields. The minimum qualifications include educational requirements as well as teaching and learning competency requirements. In appropriate cases, they may also include related occupational experience and state and/or national industry licensure or certification.

Staff cover a variety of work areas including facilities, office management, advising, and administration.

Links:

Online Courses and Programs

Lake Superior College (LSC) has long been a leader among Minnesota higher education institutions in offering programs and courses online.  Since 2002, LSC is authorized by the Higher Learning Commission to offer fully online programs.  Each semester the College offers nearly 200 courses and over 400 course sections online.

Lake Superior College makes a good faith effort to comply with all state laws and regulations that apply or may apply when students who reside outside the State of Minnesota take online courses through LSC.

SARA Participation

LSC and Minnesota are members of NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements).  SARA is a voluntary agreement that establishes national standards for distance education courses and programs. Member institutions must abide by the standards. LSC became a SARA institution in 2015.

LSC’s SARA membership allows LSC to offer online education to students from other SARA approved states.  At the current time, all U.S. states except California and Massachusetts are SARA states. Students residing in one of those states should see our Out of State Notice.  To view the current list of SARA states and institutions, visit the NC-SARA site.

Online Student Complaint Process

LSC has a formal complaint process.  We encourage students with complaints regarding their classes, instructors, or any other aspect of their educations at LSC to bring them to our attention by discussing them informally with an employee of the College. Students who are unable to resolve their complaints informally are encouraged to file a formal complaint.

Online students of LSC who reside outside the state of Minnesota also have the option of filing an official complaint with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education or with the regulatory authorities in their state of residence.

Student Accessibility Services

LSC provides access to programs, services, and activities to students with documented disabilities, as required by law.  When an individual requires an accommodation, the individual is required to provide current documentation of their disability.  Reasonable accommodations may include test taking accommodations, alternative text, early registration, and sign language interpreters.

Links:

Student Privacy Rights

Directory Information

Under Minnesota law, directory information on students is public data that must be disclosed upon proper request. Lake Superior College has designated the following information on students as directory information:

  1. student’s name
  2. major field of study
  3. dates of attendance
  4. enrollment status (e.g., full-time or part-time)
  5. degrees, honors, and awards received
  6. date of graduation
  7. photographs
  8. LSC student e-mail address

Students who do not wish the College to release this information about them may direct that any or all of their directory information be withheld from public disclosure by making an online request to the Office of the Registrar. Once made, the directive will be remain in effect until the student rescinds it.

In addition, the following information is designated as limited directory information which may be released to the Lake Superior College Foundation: student’s address, telephone listing, and email address.

Military Recruiting

Under the Solomon Amendment, LSC is required to give military recruiters access to campus and to provide them with “student recruiting information” (including name, address, telephone number, academic major, and other similar information) on current students each semester. Students may opt-out of the military recruiting list by notifying LSC of their desire to do so.

Notification of Rights under FERPA and the MGDPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA) afford eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

  1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 10 days after making a request for access.
  2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA or the MGDPA.
  3. The right to provide written consent before the college discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
  4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202

Links:

LSC Policy – Confidentiality of Student Records

Transfer

Transfer in: Lake Superior College accepts courses in transfer that it determines to be comparable or equivalent to specific courses it offers. College-level courses that are not comparable or equivalent to specific courses taught at LSC are accepted as electives.

Transfer out: The College or University to which a student wishes to transfer will determine whether course credits earned at LSC are accepted in transfer to that institution. It is advisable to make early contact with potential transfer institutions as an A.A. Degree or the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum can be customized to meet those institutions’ requirements.

The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MTC)

The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum is a set of courses that, upon completion, will be accepted by other Minnesota public colleges and universities in satisfaction of undergraduate general education requirements.

Articulation Agreements

Lake Superior College has entered into formal agreements (called Articulation Agreements) with other educational institutions to accept credits from LSC toward specific academic programs. See the link below to a list of LSC’s current Articulation Agreements:

LSC also provides the opportunity to gain Credit for Prior Learning. See LSC Policy 3.35 and Procedure 3.35.1

3.35.1 – Procedure – Credit for Prior Learning

Links: