Requirements & Procedures

Students must adhere to the program option requirements and academic regulations set forth by Chamberlain. To ensure successful completion within an allowable timeframe, students may not enroll in multiple degree programs simultaneously. Students are strongly encouraged to maintain continuous enrollment and complete their program of study. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment may result in an inability to enroll in a required course due to space restrictions.

Registration

Students can register by contacting their academic support advisor. In some locations, students can also register through the My Chamberlain experience. If registering through the student portal experience, students should reference the graduation plan provided by their academic support advisor to ensure enrollment in the appropriate coursework. It is the student's responsibility to inform their academic support advisor of any changes in registration. Many locations have a registration deadline. Contact Academic Support Advising for more information. When registering for general education or science elective courses, students will need to select the course with an “N” suffix designator.  Campus-based, pre-licensure students¹ may not enroll in more than one clinical or practicum nursing course during any session. Before entering any clinical/practicum courses, students in post-licensure and graduate programs must demonstrate proof of current, active, unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state where the student will conduct the clinical(s)/practicum(s). Students who have an outstanding balance, outstanding library books or fines, incomplete clinical compliance documentation, or who are deficient in other requirements of Chamberlain may be prevented from registering for classes or denied access to classes, thereby delaying or preventing completion of the program. Students may only enroll in courses that are available in their program of study. Please see the Program Details section of the catalog for a complete list.

¹

Does not apply to students enrolled in the BSN online option.

Course Availability

Not all programs and program options are offered in all states and locations and some courses may not be offered every session. In order to complete their program, some students may be required to take coursework online or at another location in close proximity to their home campus. Other course restrictions may apply by location. Pre-licensure BSN students taking online nursing courses may be required to take their unit exams and final exams on campus, in a proctored environment. To ensure compliance with state regulations, students are discouraged from changing course sections after initial registration. In addition, students may be subject to administrative course section moves at the discretion of Chamberlain. Check with Academic Support Advising regarding course availability and delivery format.

Prerequisites & Corequisites

When the description for a particular course lists a prerequisite, successful completion of the prerequisite is required prior to enrollment in the desired course. Students who do not successfully complete prerequisite course(s) are administratively dropped from any courses requiring the prerequisite. Students should reach out to Academic Support Advising immediately so that Chamberlain can assist in determining if alternative course option(s) are available. A reduction in enrolled hours may affect financial aid eligibility and/or awards. When the description for a particular course lists a corequisite, the corequisite course must be taken prior to or concurrent with the course.

Credit Hour Allocation

The amount of academic work accomplished by a student is expressed in semester credit hours. A semester credit is defined as a minimum of 16 contact hours of lecture or online learning activities with an associated 32 hours of out-of-class student work, 32 contact hours of laboratory, 48 contact hours of clinical instruction/practice/practicum/fieldwork, 24 hours of graduate practicum/applied practice experience for MPH or 64 contact hours of practicum for DNP and 83 hours of out-of-class fieldwork for MSW. Courses with zero academic credits are designed to support student success and therefore are exempt from the Credit Hour Allocation policy. Clinical and experiential learning are essential requirements of multiple Chamberlain academic programs and courses with clinical, practicum, fieldwork, or laboratory credit hour(s). Some courses with clinical or lab credit hour(s) may also include simulation (virtual or on-site) experiences. In addition to contact hours, students need to factor in sufficient time preparing for these learning experiences and transportation time to and from on-site experiences. The additional time needed will vary depending on the specific experience, required assignment, and students’ personal circumstances and is not included in the contact and credit hour calculations.

One contact hour is defined as 50 minutes of attendance in lecture, laboratory, clinical instruction/practice, graduate practicum/fieldwork/applied practice experience or participation in online learning activities. Lab and clinical section credit hours are integrated into the course. Up to five additional contact hours are added per graduate practicum/fieldwork/applied practice experience course for conferencing and documentation.

Note: For online learning activities, time-on-task studies have been conducted to ensure credit hour equivalencies. Included in the study are reading levels and time allotments for supplemental readings, PowerPoint presentations, LMS (learning management system) materials, course assignments and interactive requirements such as tutorials and podcasts. Students access class materials accordingly to their own schedule. Faculty guide them through readings and assignments including weekly discussions through electronic posts, giving feedback to student work submitted electronically.

Academic Load

Undergraduate students carrying 12 or more credits in a semester are classified as full-time students. Three-quarter time enrollment is nine to 11 credits in a semester. Half-time enrollment is six to eight credits and less than half-time is one to five credits in a semester. In order to enroll for more than nine credit hours a session in a pre-licensure program, a student must obtain permission from the academic dean or approved designee. In order to enroll for more than 11 credit hours a session or 18 credit hours a semester in an undergraduate post-licensure program, a student must obtain permission from the academic dean or approved designee. Undergraduate F-1 students must maintain at least 12 credit hours per semester with no more than three credit hours taken as an online course and no less than nine credit hours taken as an on-site course. Undergraduate F-1 students must enroll in and attend an on-site course during each eight-week session.

Graduate or doctoral students carrying six or more credits in a semester are classified as full-time students. Three-quarter time enrollment is 4-5.99 credits in a semester. Half-time enrollment is 3-3.99 credits and less than half-time is less than three credits in a semester.