(The information in this section applies to all seminary academic programs unless otherwise noted. See the AGTS Doctoral Program sections of this Catalog for additional program-specific academic policies and procedures.)
Advisement and Course Registration
Academic Advisors. The advisor-advisee relationship is important to the seminary’s curriculum. Each student will be assigned an advisor. In keeping with the requirements of each program, the advisor assists the student in planning the initial academic program, keeping in mind the student’s background as well as professional goals. The advisor, program director, and Dean will be available for counsel in academic, vocational, and spiritual matters. Each student is responsible for completing the requirements of the degree program (see student portal degree audit).
Course Registration. Students must register using the University’s Student Portal. See the University academic calendar for registration dates.
The registration process includes registering for classes on the student portal, receiving approval of course selections by the advisor through the portal, completing all the steps of the registration checklist on the portal, completing financial arrangements, and the receiving of student identification materials. Course changes may be made after initial registration using the Course Schedule Change form found on the Student Portal.
Students who have not been formally accepted for admission prior to registration day may be required to register late for classes. Admission clearance must first be secured from the Admissions Office.
Late Registration. Current students are not permitted to register for any course after the deadline provided in the University Calendar for each semester.
Course Scheduling. Course offerings are presented with flexibility to accommodate ministers, missionaries, and persons who cannot arrange their schedules for prolonged periods of time. The fall, spring, and summer semesters consist of 15 weeks each.
Resident classes are usually held throughout the day and evening, Monday through Friday. Some classes are scheduled on weekends. Many online and virtual classes are available.
Course Load. A full-time course load for all master programs is 9 hours. The maximum full-time resident course loads are 12 credits for fall, spring, or summer semester. Students who plan to enroll in 15 credit hours must have approval of the Dean. Note: Regardless of the configuration of courses taken (resident, online, virtual, or directed research), no student may take more than 15 credits per semester.
Master students must take a minimum of nine credits to be considered full time. Students working 20 hours or more should not take more than nine credits.
A full-time course load for doctoral students is as follows:
- Doctor of Ministry: 3 credits (half-time is 1-2 credits)
- Doctor of Applied Intercultural Studies: 4 credits
- PhD Intercultural Studies: 4 credits
- PhD Biblical Theology and Interpretation: 4 credits
Course Attendance. Barring a serious emergency, credit cannot be granted for courses in which a student has been absent beyond 20% of the class time. Students who are absent or not participating in a course for fourteen consecutive calendar days will be administratively withdrawn.
Each instructor also sets class attendance policies as announced in the course syllabus. The professor’s individual attendance policy may be stricter than the 20% limit stated above.
Course Withdrawal. Failing to attend classes does not automatically withdraw a student. To withdraw, a student must submit the Drop/Add or Withdrawal form found on the Student Portal. (See full details under the Withdrawal Policy in the Financial Assistance section of this Catalog.)
Program Withdrawal and Readmittance. If a student withdraws from the seminary, he or she must apply for readmission to return.
Readmittance after Absence. If a student does not take a course during the entire academic year, he or she must reapply to return and continue studies.
Academic Status. A student will remain in good academic standing at the Seminary if maintaining a satisfactory grade point average (2.0, MDiv; 2.5, MA and MLM; 3.0 ThM; 3.0, DMin; 3.0, DAIS; 3.0, PhD), meeting financial obligations to the Seminary, and conducting personal life with spiritual and moral integrity. No student will be considered to have made satisfactory progress when failing or withdrawing from all courses taken in a semester. Administration reserves the right to dismiss any student whose academic, financial, spiritual, moral integrity is unsatisfactory or unacceptable.
Academic Probation
Admitted to AGTS on Academic Probation. A student may be admitted to the Seminary on academic probation in either of the following circumstances: 1) Due to nonacademic strengths in the applicant’s file, the student has been admitted with a low undergraduate grade point average; 2) The student received a baccalaureate degree from a non-accredited institution. In such cases, the probationary status may be removed upon completion of 9-12 credits with a satisfactory GPA (2.0, MDiv; 2.5, MA and MLM; 3.0 ThM; 3.0, DMin; 3.0, DAIS; 3.0, PhD). A student may not register for more than 12 credits until satisfactorily completing the probation period.
Placed on Academic Probation (Master Students). A student may be placed on academic probation at the conclusion of any semester in which the cumulative grade point average (GPA) falls below the required grade point necessary to maintain satisfactory academic progress in the student's degree program. The probation begins with the following semester and remains in effect until the student achieves the minimum cumulative GPA required for the program. A student may also be placed on probation at the conclusion of any semester in which the semester GPA falls below the minimum program requirement. Students placed on academic probation will be notified by the Records and Registration Office. Note: In unusual circumstances, the Dean may, at his discretion, issue a letter of warning.
The student must raise his cumulative GPA to the minimum requirement or show significant improvement in his GPA by the end of the following semester to avoid academic dismissal. A student may appeal academic dismissal by submitting a written letter to the Seminary Academic Council. The letter should be submitted to the Assistant Registrar of Online Graduate Student Services and include 1) an explanation of any exceptional circumstances that contributed to the student’s unsatisfactory academic progress, along with supporting documentation, if applicable, 2) how the circumstances have changed and 3) the steps the student will take and/or has taken to improve academic performance. The student will be notified of the Council's decision.
Academically dismissed students who have not been enrolled for one or more semesters may seek readmission. The Admissions Committee will only consider readmission if it is warranted by exceptional circumstances and reasonable grounds are given for an expectation that the student can remove grade point deficiencies. Such appeals will require the approval of the Admissions Committee and Dean before the student can be readmitted and register for classes. If approved for readmission, no student will be permitted to register until one semester (15 weeks) has elapsed since the student's dismissal.
Students on academic probation may be required to review employment and other commitments with their academic advisor.
Degree Information
Degree Changes. A student desiring to change to another degree program must first receive counseling from the currently assigned academic advisor. If the degree program is mutually agreed upon, the advisor will submit the change to the Records and Registration Office.
Degree Time Limits (Master Programs). Students are expected to complete the requirements for their degree under the catalog in effect at the time of initial degree candidacy. They may elect to meet modifications in the program announced in subsequent catalogs with the approval of the Dean.
Requirements for the MDiv degree must be completed within seven years from the date of initial admission to degree candidacy.
Requirements for the other master’s degrees must be completed within six years. Exception: Active missionaries may complete their degree within 10 years.
Exceptions to Academic Policies. Requests by students for exceptions to academic policies and regulations should first be submitted to the appropriate faculty member, department chair, Dean, or the Assistant Registrar of Online Graduate Student Services. Requests should be in written form and submitted well in advance of the requirement or deadline change requested. In the event the request is a matter that must be determined by the Seminary Academic Council, the written request should be submitted to the University Registrar.
Grading
Master of Arts students are required to maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA, MDiv students a 2.0, ThM students a 3.0; and doctoral participants a 3.0. (See Academic Probation.)
Grading System. AGTS uses a 4-point grading scale. Grades are assigned the following numerical values for the purpose of computing the grade point average:
Grade Points Per Credit
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Course Credits. One credit equals one class hour per week for 15 weeks (summer and accelerated sessions are based on equivalent numbers of contact hours).
Incomplete Grade. An Incomplete (I) grade may be granted as a temporary final grade when a student is unable to complete coursework by the last day of class because of illness, accident, death in the family, or other satisfactory reason. To be eligible, a student should have completed at least 70 percent of the course requirements and have an overall passing grade for the completed coursework. Students who do not meet these requirements should contact their advisors to discuss the possibility of withdrawing from the course.
Students must complete and sign the Incomplete Grade Request Form and submit it to the course instructor. Instructors may approve or deny the request and may request documentation. The approved, completed form must be fully signed and submitted to the Registrar for entry of the I grade. All incomplete coursework must be completed and the I grade cleared by the following deadlines:
- Master students: Incomplete grades must be cleared 90 days following the last day of the semester, including summer, unless indicated earlier on the form by the professor.
- Doctoral students: Incomplete grades must be cleared within 45 days following the last day of the semester.
Some Incomplete grades may be extended to be cleared later than the above deadlines because of exceptional circumstances, but such exceptions are only granted on a case-by-case basis with the University Registrar.
An Incomplete grade that is outstanding after these deadlines will be changed to an F grade or the grade designated by the professor.
For Incomplete dissertation and doctoral final exam preparation courses, faculty will record an S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) grade based upon the students' progress. Once the coursework has been completed, a final grade will be assigned.
No student will be permitted to begin courses in a new semester if carrying more than two incomplete or in process courses.
Repeating Courses (Master Students). If a student earns a D or F in a course, the student must retake the course. If the course is successfully repeated, the new grade rather than the D or F will be used in calculating the student’s cumulative GPA. However, the F or D will remain on the transcript.
Graduation Requirements
Students are required to register for graduation as follows: Fall 2023 semester graduates must submit a graduation application by September 22. Spring or summer 2024 graduates must submit graduation application by November 17. Those who miss these deadlines will have to wait until the following September to file for graduation.
Graduation requirements include the following:
- Satisfactorily complete all degree program requirements, including any prerequisite requirements and incomplete course work by established deadline(s).
- Maintain a degree grade point average of at least 2.5 (MA), 2.0 (MDiv), 3.0 (ThM), and 3.0 (DMin, DAIS, and PhD) and be a student in good standing at the Seminary. (See Academic Status above.)
- Satisfy specific degree program graduation requirements (e.g., comprehensive examination, portfolios, field education research project).
- If seeking approval as a summer graduate, registration for classes in summer is limited to six (6) credits.
- If a student has been approved to register for a course(s) for the purpose of transfer credit back to his or her degree program at AGTS, grades for that course(s) must be submitted to the University Records and Registration office by April 15 of the student’s graduation year.
- Graduates must satisfactorily complete the Association of Theological Schools’ Graduating Student Questionnaire.
- A final review before graduation may be required to ensure that all contractual expectations regarding fitness for ministry have been met. (See Fitness for Ministry under Seminary Student Life and Community in this Catalog.)
- Receive approval for graduation from the Seminary Academic Council.
- Attend the commencement exercises. (For Master students: Those who do not plan to attend the commencement exercises must notify the Assistant Registrar for Online and Graduate Studies.)
Evangel University commencement is held each May. Students completing requirements during the summer months will participate in the May commencement.
Students are personally responsible for following the course requirements (degree audits) for timely completion of their respective degrees and for confirming with the University Records and Registration office to ensure that these requirements are satisfied. The requirements are published in the catalog under which the student matriculates or is readmitted. Suggested course-sequencing guides for degree programs are available in each department and utilized at registration. AGTS advisors and staff are available to provide guidance in course scheduling but do not assume final responsibility for each student’s enrollment decisions. The published requirements of each degree prevail except for occasional and appropriate exceptions approved by the Dean. The degree earned is recorded on the transcript at the end of the semester in which all the degree requirements are completed. The last day of the semester as indicated by the academic calendar is the official graduation date. A student’s Cumulative GPA at degree conferral is final and cannot be changed.
Academic Graduation Honors for Master Students. Graduation academic honors are as follows:
- 3.90-4.0 Summa cum laude
- 3.80-3.89 Magna cum laude
- 3.70-3.79 Cum laude