Living Earth School of Herbalism

ACADEMIC POLICIES

General Interest Students

General Interest students may attend any designated general interest courses as long as they have taken the appropriate prerequisites for the course, if applicable. General Interest students are not required to enroll in a certificate or diploma program, nor are they required to complete assignments or write exams for any course. However, it is highly recommended that they fulfill the academic requirements of courses that they attend as this will facilitate their learning experience. General Interest students who choose not to write exams or complete assignments for any course will be considered to have fulfilled the requirements of that course for the purpose of meeting prerequisite requirements for additional courses, as long as they have met the minimum attendance requirements for the course (see the Academic Requirements section of our website).

General Interest students who wish to enroll in a certificate or diploma program may do so at any time as long as they have met the academic requirements of the program in which they would like to enroll.

Course Exemptions

Some students may be eligible for course exemptions from one or more courses in a program. Exemptions are only granted for courses that were attended before the student first enrolled in the program. The decision regarding the acceptability of previously attended courses as exemptions is under the sole discretion of the program director.

Course exemptions are only allowed for the following subjects: Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Aromatherapy and Nutrition.

Late Assignments

Students are expected to hand in all class assignments by the required due date. If any assignment is handed in late, the mark for the assignment will be reduced as follows:

10% for not handing the assignment in on the due date.
1% per day for each additional day that the assignment is late.
Assignments more than 30 days late will receive a mark of zero.

Any student that receives a mark of zero for an assignment that was not submitted within 30 days of the due date will be considered to have not completed the academic requirements for the course and the course will need to be repeated.

These rules apply to all students enrolled in any herbal courses and/or program at Living Earth with the exception of those students who are attending their first course or semester at this school. These students will be given a bit more latitude as they are less familiar with the academic demands of courses/programs and will understandably need time to adapt.

Students who are absent from a class on the date that an assignment is due are still responsible for handing their assignments in on time. This can be accomplished by mail (based on post-mark, the assignment must have been mailed by the due date), fax or e-mail.

Extensions

It is understood that exceptional circumstances can and will arise in some instances and that an extension on the due date of an assignment may be warranted. In these circumstances students are required to submit a written request for an extension to the program director a minimum of two weeks (emergencies excepted) before the due date for the assignment. The decision to grant an extension is solely under the discretion of the program director.

Please note that the claim that a student was "too busy" to complete an assignment on time will not be considered an acceptable excuse. Every student is aware of the amount of work necessary to fulfill the requirements of the courses and program in which they are enrolled. If they are unable to meet these requirements due to a busy schedule, they should reconsider the course load that they have committed to.

Exam Rewrites

Students who fail to achieve a minimum passing grade on the final exam and as a final mark for any course may be required to make arrangements to improve their academic standing in the course. Students will be granted one opportunity to rewrite the final exam for the course. If a student is unable to raise their final mark for any course sufficiently to meet the minimum academic requirements for the course after rewriting the final exam, they may be required to repeat the course.

The decision to require a student to rewrite a final exam or repeat a course is under the sole discretion of the program director.

Students that are required to rewrite the final exam for any course must make arrangements with the course instructor or the program director. An administration fee of $25 will be charged for any exam rewrite that must be scheduled outside of normal class time.

Repeating Courses

Students enrolled in any course, certificate or diploma program may be required to repeat a course for any of the following reasons:

Failure to meet the minimum academic requirements for the course.
Poor attendance.
Cheating or plagiarism.

The decision to require any student to repeat a course is under the sole discretion of the program director.

Students that are required to repeat a course must make arrangements with the program director. The tuition fee for any course that must be repeated is equal to half of the cost of the course at the course-by-course rate. This fee is in addition to payments being made as part of the student’s regular payment plan.

Academic Probation

Students enrolled in any course, certificate or diploma program may be placed on academic probation for any of the following reasons:

Failure to meet the minimum academic requirements in a course or program.
Poor attendance.
Cheating or plagiarism.

The decision to place a student on probation is under the sole discretion of the program director.

Academic Appeals

Students have the right to appeal any action or decision that may effect the ultimate evaluation of their performance in a course or program. Academic appeals are limited to matters effecting academic evaluation, decisions regarding admissions or course exemptions.

Dismissal

Students enrolled in any course or program may be dismissed for any of the following reasons:

Poor academic standing.
Poor attendance.
Violent or abusive behavior.
Violation of the Living Earth Discrimination Policy.
Students misrepresenting themselves as certified practitioners.
Failure to meet financial obligations.

The decision to dismiss any student is under the sole discretion of the program director.

Graduates of the Holistic Herbal Studies Program

Students who successfully graduate from the Holistic Herbal Studies program will receive a Holistic Herbal Studies certificate. Graduation from this program is not a qualification to practice herbalism or any other holistic healing modality. Graduates who wish to practice as a professional herbalist should consider enrolling in the Traditional Herbalist program.

Graduates of the Traditional Herbalist Program

Students who successfully graduate from the Traditional Herbalist program will receive a Traditional Herbalist diploma and will be qualified to use the Traditional Herbalist (T.H.). designation. In addition, the Traditional Herbalist program is recognized by the Ontario Herbalists Association (OHA). Graduates will be eligible for professional membership in the OHA and to use the Registered Herbalist (R.H.) designation as long as they remain a member in good standing. It is strongly recommended that all graduates of the Traditional Herbalist program become professional members of the OHA. All graduates of this program are expected to adhere to the Code of Ethics and Code of Practice of the OHA, regardless of whether they become professional members. Any graduate who violates the Code of Ethics or the Code of Practice of the OHA may have their Traditional Herbalist diploma revoked.