LMU Accreditation

As a participant in an ISLS Spanish Immersion program in Costa Rica you have the opportunity to earn Professional Development Credit from Loyola Marymount University, accredited by WASC, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. These courses have graduate-level accreditation and are designed primarily for students who have baccalaureate degrees and appropriate teaching credentials. These semester hours of credit are used for professional advancement and to satisfy certain degree and credential requirements. Obtaining advance approval from your institution is necessary, as each district, college, or state has its own policies regarding the types of credit it will accept. Over the past year, undergraduate students at the following Universities, have received transfer credits for their time in one of our programs:

• University of California at Santa Cruz
• University of Massachusetts
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Colorado
• Lindenwood University
• Salisbury State University in Maryland
• University of South Carolina
• Florida State University
• University of Washington
• Stanford University

Teachers, graduate students or undergraduate students can receive 3, 6 or 9 semester credit hours for time spent in an ISLS total immersion course. To receive 3 units a student must be in class for at least 48 hours, and to receive 6 units they must be in class for a minimum of 96 hours. To receive the maximum number of units possible, 9, you must be in class for a minimum of 144 hours. Loyola Marymount charges $75 a semester hour. For 3 credits the additional cost is $225, for 6 credits it is $450 and for 9 credits it is $675.

Teachers or students who are interested in receiving credits for their time in one of our Spanish immersion programs need to follow the steps below:

1. Contact ISLS for more specific information regarding professional development credits and requirements to make sure that you have all the information you need.
2. Contact your local district, state or college to determine if these credits will be accepted for your purpose. Also, find out if a letter grade is required, or if a "Credit" grade is acceptable.
3. Sign up for an Immersion program that meets the minimum number of hours required for the number of credits you want to receive.
4. Attend and complete the ISLS Immersion program in Costa Rica. You must be in class for the minimum number of hours you are trying to receive. You must satisfactorily complete all class work and homework and you must pass all tests. Save all tests, class and homework from your program.
5. Upon returning from Costa Rica, contact ISLS in order to receive your certificate of completion and Loyola Marymount Registration Form. This MUST be done as soon as you return from your program.
6. Fill out the Loyola Marymount Registration Form when you receive it. This must be sent to the LMU Controller's office along with a tuition check payable to "Loyola Marymount University" for the correct amount in order to get the requested number of credits. For 3 units it is $225, 6 units $450 and for 9 units it is $675.
7. Lastly you must send a cover letter, your certificate of completion, 15 pages (per 3 units) of photocopies of your class and homework and a five-page paper to Professional Development Institute, 6444 E. Spring St., Rm. 285, Long Beach, CA. 90815-1500. On the cover letter please request where you would like to have your transcripts sent. There is a $5 fee for each transcript you request. The copies of the homework and class work should be a representative example of the entire time that you are in the program. The five-page type written paper should be about your experience in Costa Rica. This paper is in English and should be about the culture, people, history and what you learned other than Spanish.

It is absolutely imperative that all steps above should be completed by no later than five weeks after the final day of classes. Students waiting longer than five weeks to turn in the required materials will NOT receive the credit.