Policies & Registration

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

The regular school year consists of a four-month first semester, a January interterm and a four-month second semester. Summer school consists of three four-week sessions, one each in June, July and August. The ExL summer term runs throughout the summer (June through August).

ACADEMIC POLICIES

Persons enrolled for nine hours or more in the M.A. or M.Div. programs are considered to be full-time students. All students who have met regular entrance requirements are classified by the Registrar. Classification is based on this scale:

Master of Divinity degree program
- Juniors: 0-24 hrs.
- Middlers: 25-54 hrs.
- Seniors: 55-96 hrs.
Master of Arts degree programs
- M.A. I: 0-24 hrs.
- M.A. II: 25-60 hrs.
Depending upon workload and financial or other needs, students may choose to complete the M.Div. degree in three, four or more years (maximum of ten), or the M.A. degree in two, three or more years (maximum of seven).

REGISTRATION

All students are expected to complete their registration at the specific time established in the current calendar. Detailed instructions will be provided by the Registrar. Arrangements for financial payment must be made by the Payment Due Date. An additional fee is assessed for late registration and late payment.

Students choosing to pre-register must pay a $100 advance deposit which will be applied to the term registered upon matriculation.

The student's registration for each term of study is to be planned in consultation with their Academic Advisor. Students may not register for a given term until they have received registration clearance from their advisor.

The student is held responsible for updating the personal degree plan throughout the year and meeting all requirements for graduation.

CHANGE OF REGISTRATION

After registration is completed, any change must be completed online or by notifying the Office of the Registrar. Unless special permission is granted, a grade of "F" is recorded for any course dropped without notifying the Office of the Registrar, or for any course dropped after the date specified in the Academic calendar. Changes made after the official change of registration period must be approved by the Registrar. A fee will be assessed for late changes. (See also the Financial Information section. Note particularly that the refund schedule applies only to full withdrawal. There is no refund for individual courses dropped beyond the change of registration period.)

CREDIT LIMITED TO CATALOG LISTING

No course may be taken for either more or fewer hours than listed in this catalog.

COURSE LOAD

For M.A. or M.Div. students on any of Asbury Theological Seminary's campuses (including students on the Virtual Campus), full-load status is defined as 9 hours of coursework per semester. In scheduling coursework, however, ExL students should carefully consider the amount of time that must be devoted to coursework, balancing this against the amount of time they will be engaged in employment and other responsibilities. Many students find that the regular and sustained on-line interaction expected in an ExL course requires more of them than attending courses on a geophysical campus. For this reason, students enrolling for ExL courses for the first time are strongly encouraged to take no more than 6 hours.

The semester course load for students in the M.Div. and M.A. programs will be limited to 14 semester hours. The course load for January, June, July and August terms will be limited to four semester hours.

WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASSES

Students may drop and add classes without penalty during the drop/add period:

Fall and Spring Semester, through the first week of classes;
ExL Summer Semester, through the first week of classes;
One-week intensive courses, through the end of the first day of class;
Other intensive courses, through the end of the second day of class.

Students withdrawing from courses after the drop/add period will receive a grade of WD (withdraw) on their transcripts, provided they meet the deadline for withdrawal:

Fall and Spring Semesters, through the end of the sixth week of classes; and
ExL Summer Semester, through the end of the sixth week of classes.
For one-week intensive courses, one day equals three weeks in a semester.
For other intensive courses, one day equals two weeks in a semester.

After these posted deadlines, a grade of F will be assigned to the course from which the student has withdrawn. See the academic calendar for specific deadline dates throughout the year.

WITHDRAWAL FROM SEMINARY

A student who, for any reason, finds it necessary to withdraw from school at any time other than at the close of a term is required to obtain official approval. Permission to withdraw shall be secured from the Office of the Registrar. A grade of "F" shall be recorded for all courses from which a student withdraws without permission or after the deadline stated in this catalog.

MEDICAL LEAVE POLICY

Currently enrolled students, in graduate or postgraduate degree programs at Asbury Theological Seminary, will be allowed to take time off from their academic studies for medical or psychological reasons documented by a psychologist, psychiatrist or other health care expert. The following outlines the process for application for a Medical Leave:

Application must be received and approved before the deadline dates set forth in the Academic Calendar and must be submitted to the Registrar, with supporting health care expert documentation attached.
Student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or greater.
Student must sign an agreement stating that they will get the proper treatment while they are on leave.
Student must submit a statement, signed by a health care expert, clearing them to return to their studies.
The medical leave can be for a maximum of two years and the student can return without going through the readmission process. After two years, they must apply for readmission.
Tuition refund will be determined by the current refund policy in the Academic Catalog, Financial Information sections entitled "Dropping Courses" and "Withdrawal from Semester or Seminary".

VETERANS REQUIREMENTS

Students receiving Veterans Administration Educational Assistance Allowance are required to meet certain minimum standards in attendance and academic progress towards graduation. The student is responsible to report immediately any change of status in enrollment or withdrawal. This report should be made at the Registrar's Office. Recipients should familiarize themselves with other requirements of the allowance, also available from that office.

FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT OF 1974

In accordance with federal law, students are hereby notified that they have the right to inspect and review any and all official records, files and data pertaining to them, including all materials incorporated in their cumulative record folder. Official student records are kept on the Wilmore campus, and therefore may only be viewed at this location. Exceptions may be requested in writing and sent to the Registrar.

Students have the opportunity for a hearing to challenge the contents of these records to insure that they are accurate and not in violation of any of their rights.

Students also have the opportunity for correction, amendment or supplementation of any such records.

The only information that may be given concerning the student will be directory information as defined in the act, unless the student has specifically waived his/her rights within this act. Directory information may include the student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in any recognized club, organization or activity, church relationship, spouse, academic classification, degrees, awards and the most recent previous educational institution attended. Should a student desire that the Seminary not disclose any or all of the foregoing information, he/she must notify the Registrar in writing within 30 days of the commencement of the term or semester he/she are entering the Seminary or within 30 days of the commencement of any fall semester.

Students with questions concerning their rights within this act are urged to contact the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Students may only view their academic record files after submitting a request in writing to the office of the Registrar. Files can only be viewed on the Kentucky Campus.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION POLICY

Asbury Seminary seeks to provide an optimal opportunity for success for qualified students with disabilities without compromising the caliber of instruction or the self-confidence of the learner.

The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. The following policy statement describes the procedures the seminary will follow in providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities.

Prior to admission into a particular degree program, an applicant should arrange an interview with the Accommodations Officer in the Office of the Registrar to discuss how projected accommodations will interface with degree program requirements.

A student having a disability requiring accommodation must provide the seminary with documentation from a specialist certified to diagnose the particular disability.

The documentation provided by a physician or a certified psychologist must indicate the type of disability and recommended accommodation.
The diagnosis must be not more than three years old. More current documentation may be required on a case-by-case basis.
It is the student's responsibility to inform the institution through the Accommodations Officer of his or her disability and of the need for accommodation. Such disclosure should be done no later than two-weeks before the first day of classes for any academic term.
Documentation of disability must be submitted to the Accommodations Officer two-weeks prior to the first day of classes for which the student is requesting accommodation. The Accommodations Officer will keep the documentation in a separate file.
The Accommodations Officer, upon review of the relevant documentation of the disability, will determine reasonable accommodation in each particular case, and for each individual class. The student and relevant professor may be consulted during this process.
The Accommodations Officer will communicate to the relevant faculty member, the registrar, and the student the elements of accommodation for each particular class.
Requests for accommodation must be made each term. The student must make this request in writing no later than two-weeks before the first day of classes, and present this written request for accommodation to the Accommodations Officer.

Asbury Theological Seminary

Academic Catalog