General
Lehigh’s distance education program is ideal for adult learners, working professionals, military personnel, anyone looking for new opportunities for employees, and of course, Lehigh alumni.
A bachelor's degree is required to be admitted to a graduate degree program. Some courses may require prerequisite college-level work. You may enroll in courses (non-degree status) before being formally admitted into a degree program. Non-degree status does not guarantee acceptance into a degree program.
Courses generally follow the University's standard academic calendar and begin in August, January, and May. Click here for current calendar.
Lehigh’s Office of Distance Education is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Click here for accreditation information.
Yes. Lehigh University's distance education program provides the student with the same level of educational excellence for which Lehigh University is renowned and graduates receive the same degree and diploma awarded to our on-campus students.
If you are not sure about taking the Master's program, you can apply as a non-degree student, permitting you to take 12 credit hours before matriculating into a degree program. However, non-degree status does not guarantee that you will get into the Master's program. You will have to "reapply" for regular admission and meet all degree program requirements.
When pursuing a part time-program, it depends on how many courses an online student takes in a semester. Completing one course a semester allows students to better manage the time demands of work, family and other commitments. Average time to complete an online master's program is usually 2.5 to 3 years.
Admissions
There are varying costs and fees related to each program. Up-to-date information on costs, fees, and financial aid may be found here.
Each degree program determines their graduate application deadlines. Consult your program's application deadline section on the Application Information page.
Please visit our Application Information page for more details and to begin the process.
Financial
There are varying costs and fees related to each program. Up-to-date information on costs, fees, and financial aid may be found here.
Lehigh University has converted to a paperless billing system. Students can access their Lehigh e-Bill online at https://go.lehigh.edu/ebill. The e-Bill provides a student with an email notification whenever a new statement is generated. Payment must be made before the start of classes. If you are deferring payment, the Defer Payment Form and accompanying fee must be submitted to the Bursar's office before classes begin.
Yes, the fee is for EACH Classroom ONLINE (asynchronous) course. This fee is NOT refundable if the course is dropped.
We do have tuition discount agreements with some employers. Please contact the Office of Distance Education at 610-758-4372 to determine if your employer participates.
Tuition refund amounts are based on the elapsed time between the start of the course and the date on which The Office of Registration & Academic Services receives the formal request. Tuition will be refunded according to the pro-rated schedule determined by the Bursar's Office Refund Policy. Access fees are nonrefundable after the start of the course.
Student Information / Processes
You can find your student ID by logging into: Click here and then click the the "Banner" button at the top.
Click here and sign in using your Lehigh User name and password (This is the same as your e-mail login). Choose the tab “BANNER” on the top and enter your record.
Contact the instructor of the course to discuss alternatives with him/her. It might be possible to take an "incomplete" for the course. If you decide to withdraw from the course, you should complete a Drop/Add form from our Forms page and send it in an email to distance@lehigh.edu, along with the reason for your withdrawal. The form will get forwarded on for department/instructor signatures and then to The Office of Registration & Academic Services for processing.
Petitions are submitted for change of enrollment status, late registration, refund requests, reactivation of file, or transfer of credits. Petition forms can be found on our Forms page. Petitions should be sent via email to Deb Degenhart at dad6@lehigh.edu or faxed to 610-758-4190.
Exams and Grades
Some courses make use of proctored exams. These exams and instructions are generally emailed to your proctor, however some are sent via overnight mail. Students must arrange to take the test with their proctor. The proctor is responsible for the return of completed exams. Many exams are required to be returned via overnight mail. Lehigh is not responsible for any expenses incurred.
Other courses make use of online exams which are available through Course Site and completed entirely online.
Any changes to exam schedules must be approved by the instructor. Please email the instructor to get permission, and then email distance@lehigh.edu.
Proctors cannot be related to the student. A manager, supervisor, or HR person is preferred. The proctor cannot report to the student in any type of work environment.
If a workplace proctor is not available, local libraries or colleges may provide this service. There are proctoring services available through companies such as ProctorU. The Distance Education office would need to verify that an exam can be proctored by using this type of service due to the format of the exam. Please also be aware that there may be fees associated with proctoring services.
Students can access their final grades by going to: Lehigh Connect and logging in using their Lehigh username and password. Grades can be accessed by clicking on the "Banner" button.
Each program has a maximum number of credits accepted for transfer. Once you are admitted, you can complete the Graduate Course Credit Transfer Petition form located on the Forms page. Along with the form, you will need an official course description and an official transcript of the courses you wish to transfer. These should be sent to Deb Degenhart. It is then processed through the department, and you will be informed of the decision by The Office of Registration & Academic Services.
Course Mechanics
If you have registered for a Classroom LIVE course, you attend the classes online at specific dates and times just as you would if you were attending class on campus. Please check the registration confirmation email that you received for the dates and times. If this is your first Classroom LIVE course, you should have received notification of training on the use of the tool as well.
At the time your class is scheduled to meet, go to the course site for your class at https://coursesite.lehigh.edu. You will find a link for the Classroom LIVE meeting which will generally be located at the top of the course content. Click this link to join the meeting and you will see a window that contains classroom audio, video, and the professor's presentation file.
Yes, you can. Classroom LIVE gives the distance student the opportunity to "raise" your hand in the classroom by actually raising your hand since your webcam is always on during class. This will make the professor aware that a distance student has a question or comment. When the professor acknowledges you, you can turn your microphone on and then share your comment or ask your question.
All Classroom LIVE sessions are recorded for the distance education students. These recordings are typically available for the entire semester.
There are two types of Classroom Online courses. Neither meets at a specific date and time, but the professor will provide a schedule for homework, projects, and exams that needs to be followed.
The first type of Classroom Online course is held in parallel with a class being held on-campus at the same time. Lecture video from the live class will be posted to the course's web site within several hours of the live class meeting. See the course's web site for the course schedule.
The second type of Classroom Online course is based on lecture materials from the class as it was previously taught. These lecture videos are typically posted on the course's web site according to a schedule developed by the instructor and published on the course's site.
Both types of courses make heavy use of Course Site, for posting of video, notes, articles, discussion forums, etc.
You should contact your professor with any questions about course content. Most professors prefer email correspondence, but you will find some available by phone. Contact information is usually provided on the course syllabus posted on the course's web site.
Most professors rely on Lehigh email to communicate with their students. You can check your Lehigh email by going to Lehigh Connect or Lehigh Gmail, where you can click the email icon on either page. Both require your Lehigh username and password.
There are a number of ways to collaborate with other distance education students including web-conferencing, Course Site discussion forums, and Lehigh's Google apps. When you are required to participate in a group project, Distance Education tech support staff can help make these tools available to you accordingly.
Lecture videos are made available according to a schedule published in the course syllabus. You will need to watch these videos so that you are prepared to submit assignments and take exams throughout the semester. Once these lecture videos are made available, they are usually available throughout the semester for review purposes.
Many Lehigh library resources can be accessed electronically by distance education students, including books, journals, and databases. Information on accessing these resources can be found here. In addition, a library consultant is available to support student use of the library.
The Distance Education Technical Support Staff is available for questions regarding streaming video, Classroom LIVE, and Course Site. Contact the Technical Support Staff Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM EST at indetech@lehigh.edu or 610-758-4211. Limited support is available on weekends via email.
Technical
Once you have accepted the offer of admission, you will establish your Lehigh credentials, which will give you access to the Graduate Student Portal. Your Lehigh email account will be activated before the semester begins.
If you have not taken a course within the last semester, you will need to reactive your Lehigh email account and password. You can do this by clicking here.
Please click here page for the minimum computer requirements needed to successfully participate in the program.
Please click here for guide and instructions regarding using the technology.
The Distance Education Technical Support Staff is available for questions regarding streaming video, Classroom LIVE, and Course Site. Contact the Technical Support Staff Monday through Friday, 8AM-5PM EST at indetech@lehigh.edu or 610-758-4211. Limited support is available on weekends via email.