Academic Policies

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to enroll in any of the Living Earth courses or programs you must:

Be 18 years of age or older.
Have enthusiasm for life and a love of herbs and Nature.

International Students

All courses and programs at Living Earth are open to students who are not Canadian citizens or residents. Tuition fees for international students are the same as those for Canadian students. All fees are in Canadian dollars. If you are a non-resident and register for any courses or workshops that are not online and must be attended in person, you are required to obtain whatever authorization is necessary to enter Canada from your country of origin.

Discrimination Policy

Living Earth School of Herbalism is committed to providing an environment that is free from intimidation, harassment and discrimination and in which the rights and dignity of all individuals are acknowledged and respected.

Prerequisites

With the exception of some of our entry level workshops and online courses, many of our courses require prerequisites. It is important that you take courses in the appropriate order to make sure that you have obtained the appropriate prerequisites for the courses that you wish to enroll in. For information on the specific prerequisites for particular courses, please see the individual course descriptions on the General Interest Courses, Holistic Herbal Studies and Traditional Herbalist pages of the Programs & Curriculum section of our website.

Some of the college courses (see below) that are required for the Holistic Herbal Studies and Traditional Herbalist programs and are prerequisites for some of the Living Earth online courses require that students have completed grade 12 (or equivalent). In some cases it may be possible to obtain exemptions for mature students or other reasons. If you are concerned about this you should enquire with the college from which you wish to take a particular course.

Course Exemptions

You may be eligible for course exemptions from one or more courses in a program. In order to qualify as exemptions, the course that you have taken must include a similar curriculum, and be equal to or of greater length and depth than the course for which you are applying for the exemption. You must also have achieved an academic standing in the course that meets the academic requirements of the program for which you are applying for a course exemption. The decision regarding the acceptability of previously attended courses as exemptions is under the sole discretion of the Program Director.

The core herbal content of the courses and programs offered by Living Earth is very integrated and follows a specific system. In the past, when we experimented with offering exemptions for courses in herbalism offered by other schools it has not worked out for the students and they ended up having to take the courses for which they received an exemption. As a result, course exemptions are only allowed for the following subjects: Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Aromatherapy, Nutrition, Health and Wellness, and Psychology. In order to be eligible for an exemption, you must provide official transcripts from the school that offered the course.

College Online or Classroom Courses

Some of the courses that are part of the Holistic Herbal Studies program and Traditional Herbalist Diploma Program are not offered by Living Earth. In the past students who live in Toronto, Canada took these courses at George Brown College. Alternatives to these courses are available in an online distance format from various colleges tough Ontario Learn. You must enroll in these courses directly with George Brown College or tough Ontario Learn.

If you live outside the Toronto area or Ontario (Canada), you may apply to have in-class or online courses from other colleges and universities accepted as a substitution for any of the George Brown or Ontario Learn courses that are required for the programs. In order to be accepted as a substitution, the course must include a similar curriculum and be of a depth that is equal to or greater than the courses required for this program. Acceptance of any courses as equivalents to courses requires the approval of the Program Director.

It is not possible for Living Earth to research all of the courses that might be acceptable substitutions from the many educational institutions that offer similar courses. It is your responsibility to research courses and provide the required information to the School.

College Course Enrollment

Scheduling, procedures and tuition fees of the college courses are not under the control of Living Earth School. You must enroll in these courses directly with George Brown College, tough Ontario Learn or any other educational institution that is approved by the Program Director. It is your responsibility to make sure that you enroll in the appropriate courses to meet the requirements of the program. You are also required to provide transcripts indicating your completion of these courses and your final grades.

Textbooks, Equipment And Materials

Most courses include textbooks and a couple require equipment and/or materials. You will be required to purchase these items, when necessary. The cost of textbooks, equipment and materials is not included in the tuition fees.

Deposits

All course and program deposits are non-refundable.

Refunds

Online Course Refunds

Due to the fact that students immediately have access to all of the course materials for an online course the first time that they logon to the course we do not offer refunds for online courses once a student has accessed the course content.

The Spirit of Herbs Workshops Refunds

A full payment is required for registration for The Spirit of Herbs workshops. Because of the challenges concerning prearranging accommodations and food for participants, as well as the time that is required for students on the waiting list to make arrangements to attend the workshop should a space become available, in order for you to be eligible to receive a refund should you decide to withdraw from one of these workshops you must notify the School of your intention to withdraw before April 15th on any given year that the workshop is held. If you withdraw from the course before April 15th you are entitled to a refund of your payment, minus a $150 withdrawal fee. If you withdraw from one of these workshops after April 15th you are not eligible for a refund.

Refunds for Other Workshops

We do not offer refunds for workshops other than The Spirit of Herbs, however, students who register for a workshop and are not able to attend may transfer their tuition to another workshop or online course.

College Courses

Refund policies and payment methods for these courses are at the discretion of the educational institution offering the course.

Traditional Herbalist, Level 2 Workshop Refunds

The payment details for these workshops have not yet been determined. The refund policy will be posted at that time.

Marks

Upon completion of any course, you will be awarded a final mark or other designation that reflects your final standing in the course as follows:

For courses for which you have completed the academic requirements for which it is the policy of the School to award a final mark, you will be given a percentage mark out of 100 that reflects your final standing in the course.
For courses for which you have completed the academic requirements for which it is not the policy of the School to award a final mark, you will be given a 'Pass" designation.
For courses for which you have not completed the academic requirements, you will be given an "Incomplete" designation.

You will be given the opportunity to view all quizzes and exams once they have been marked, but the quizzes and exams remain the property of Living Earth School. A complete record of your marks will be accessible on our online student database. All assignments will be returned to you once they have been marked.

For outsourced college or university courses, the marking policies will vary depending on the educational institution that offers the course. You are required to provide transcripts indicating your completion of these courses and your final grades.

Exam Rewrites

Should you fail to achieve a minimum passing grade on the final exam and/or as a final mark for any online course, you will be granted one opportunity to rewrite the final exam for the course. If, upon rewriting the final exam, you are unable to raise your final mark for any course sufficiently to meet the minimum academic requirements of the program in which you are enrolled, you may be required to repeat the course. The decision to require you to repeat a course is under the sole discretion of the Program Director.

Repeating Courses

If you are required to repeat a course, you must make arrangements with the School Administrator. The tuition fee for any course that must be repeated is 50% of the regular fee for the course.

Academic Probation

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

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

The decision to place you on probation is under the sole discretion of the Program Director.

Academic Appeals

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

Dismissal

When you are enrolled in any course or program, you may be dismissed for any of the following:

Poor academic standing.
Cheating or plagiarism.
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 you is under the sole discretion of the Program Director.