Academic
Planning
You are required to have an academic advisor who will counsel
you in planning your course of study. In most cases, this will be
the Director of Lay Degree Programs. Prior to beginning your
coursework, you should work out a plan of study with your advisor.
When you register each term, you will be responsible for consulting
with your advisor to confirm the proper selection of courses.
Courses are offered during the summer, fall semester and spring
semester. Weekend courses are available in fall, spring and summer
on campus. Several courses are offered in online, Web-hybrid and
intensive formats; see Flexible Study Plans for more
detail. We grant degrees only at the annual graduation in May.
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Registration
Upon acceptance into a degree program (or as a non-degree
student) and after consulting with your academic advisor, you may
register for classes, using the registration forms that the
theology administration secretary sends out each term. For
limited-enrollment courses, we encourage you to register as soon as
the official registration period begins.
We will accept late registrations only in exceptional
circumstances and will assess a $100 late fee. Registrations will
not be official until payment is arranged for all outstanding fees
from a previous term. If you also need guest housing, please make
your reservations through the Office of Theology Administration
when registering.
You may drop or add courses at any time during the first week or
first weekend of a course, with the permission of the instructor
and the Academic Dean. You may not add a course after this
period.
You may drop a course, with the permission of the instructor and
the Director of Lay Degree Programs or the Academic Dean, up to the
deadline specified in the official school calendar.
For courses dropped after the first week or weekend, you will be
charged a prorated fee for the portion of the class taken (see Financial
Information). You can obtain the forms to alter a course load
from the Office of Theology Administration. You must obtain the
permission of the Academic Dean and the instructor before enrolling
in a course for more or less credit than that stated in the
catalog.
To be considered a full-time student, you must be enrolled in at
least 9 credit hours each semester and you may register for as many
as 15 credit hours. If you wish to take more than the 15-hour
limit, you must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA and obtain permission
from the Academic Dean.
We reserve the right to withdraw any course listed among our
course offerings, to restrict course enrollment or to cancel a
course if there are fewer than five registrants.
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Credit Hours
In keeping with standard academic practice, instruction at Saint
Meinrad is measured in terms of credit hours. Each credit hour is
equivalent to approximately 50 minutes of formal instruction and
two hours of out-of-class student work per week per semester (13 to
14 weeks). Alternative-format courses (weekend courses, Web-hybrid
courses, etc.) are designed to be roughly equivalent to this
standard.
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Credit Waivers and
Transfers
Saint Meinrad allows you to complete a degree in fewer than the
normally required 48 credits. Here are the most common reasons for
credit waivers:
- Undergraduate philosophy or theology credits,
no more than 10 years old, from an accredited institution. Specific
credit waivers up to 12 graduate credits are permitted, at the
discretion of the Director of Lay Degree Programs and the Academic
Dean.
- Clinical Pastoral Education. You may waive 3
credits per unit of CPE, up to a maximum of 12 credits.
- Transferred graduate credits from another
institution, in appropriate fields and subject areas,
usually up to 15 credits. See "Transfer Credit Policy" section
below for specific policy.
- Permanent Deacon Formation. If you have
completed a Saint Meinrad-sponsored permanent deacon formation
program, you may receive 24 waived credits toward a Master of Arts
(Pastoral Theology) degree. Credit waivers for permanent deacon
formation programs not sponsored by Saint Meinrad will be
determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Some spirituality and ministry formation certificate
programs. You may receive up to 12 waived credits for
successful completion of certificate programs. The programs must
entail graded writing and reading assignments and be taught at
least on the undergraduate level. Other non-credit workshops and
programs will not merit waived credits.
- Center for Ministry Development's Youth Ministry
Certification Program. You may earn 8 graduate credits for
successfully completing the graduate assignments for all eight CMD
courses in diocesan-sponsored certificate programs. We charge a
nominal fee for these credits.
Transfer Credit Policy
You may apply credits earned at other accredited theological
seminaries or graduate schools of theology toward a Saint Meinrad
degree if the following conditions are met:
- You earned a grade of "B-" or above; and
- The course is comparable to one taught at Saint Meinrad or, in
the school's judgment, complements the educational objectives of
your degree.
As a general rule, transfer credits may not exceed one-third of
the 48 credits required for a degree. At the school's discretion,
you may transfer a maximum of 3 transfer credits of related but
non-theological coursework.
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Off-Campus/Distance
Learning Regulations
At least half of your required credits must be taken on the
Saint Meinrad campus. Independent studies, online courses and
transferred credits are considered non-campus courses.
You may take up to two Web-hybrid courses as on-campus credit;
additional Web-hybrid courses will count as off-campus credit. You
may take up to 15 credits in the online and/or independent-study
format, with a maximum of nine of those credits being independent
studies.
You may take only one independent study per division area
(philosophy, systematics, biblical/historical, etc.). You must
complete your degree requirements by the end of the tenth year from
the date of your first enrollment; courses older than 10 years will
no longer count toward your degree requirements.
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Guarantee of
Degree Requirements
Any student who enrolls in a degree program is guaranteed the
right to complete that degree according to the stated requirements
at the time of enrollment. If new requirements are established or a
new program inaugurated, students already enrolled will have the
option to change to the new program. No student will be required to
change programs if the student is still within the approved time
limits of the program in which the student first enrolled.
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Graduation
Requirements
Saint Meinrad does not guarantee the award of a degree. Rather,
the award of a degree is conditioned upon your (1) fulfillment of
all academic requirements, and (2) satisfaction of all financial
obligations to Saint Meinrad.
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Grading
At the end of each term, students receive (by mail) a report of
academic achievement. The quality of work done, as shown by
classroom participation, papers, tests and examinations, is
recorded in letters having these official interpretations and
quality point values:
| |
A - Excellent |
|
(100 - 94) |
| |
B - Good |
|
(93 - 86) |
| |
C - Fair |
|
(85 - 78) |
| |
D - Poor |
|
(77 - 70) |
| |
F - Failure |
|
(69 - 60) |
Quality Points:
| A (4.00) |
B+ (3.34) |
C+ (2.34) |
D (1.34) |
F (0.00) |
| A- (3.68) |
B (3.00) |
C (2.00) |
D (1.00) |
|
| |
B- (2.68) |
C- (1.68) |
D- (0.68) |
|
If you receive an "F," you earn no credit for the course and
must repeat the course if it is required. If you receive two "Fs"
in one semester, or fail a required course twice, you will be
dismissed for poor scholarship. If you repeat a failed course (or,
because of limited course availability, an equivalent core course)
and earn a passing grade, the "F" will show on the transcript, but
will not be computed in your cumulative grade point average.
I or Incomplete: An "I" is automatically changed to an "F" if
you do not complete your work within six weeks after the course
concludes.
W - Withdrew from the course. A student may withdraw from a
course at any point before the established deadline listed in the
academic calendar. A "W" will appear on the student's transcript
and no credit hours will be granted for the course. Under
extraordinary circumstances a student may petition the dean for
permission to withdraw from a course after the deadline and before
final grades are due to the registrar.
DF - Grade deferred. This applies to the research paper
concluding exercise option for the MA(T) or the MA(PT). If you do
not complete your paper by the appropriate deadlines, you may
either take a failing grade ("F") or arrange with the director to
receive a grade deferral (DF). The DF grade may be replaced by
re-registering (tuition will be charged) for the research paper in
a subsequent semester and earning a satisfactory grade.
Grades for all weekday courses are due from instructors to the
Registrar's Office one week after the last day of class. Grades for
weekend courses are due from instructors to the Registrar's Office
three weeks after the last day of class.
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Class
Attendance
As a general rule, you are expected to attend all classes, with
the professor determining the specific regulations for class
attendance. For weekend courses, you may miss up to one full class
day, provided you have received permission from the Director of Lay
Degree Programs and the professor and have arranged for additional
assignments to make up for lost class time.
Legitimate reasons for missing class are ministry commitments,
health and family emergencies, and inclement weather. If weather or
emergency results in you missing more than one full class day, the
Director of Lay Degree Programs, in consultation with the
professor, will determine on a case-by-case basis if and how you
may complete the course.
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Exemptions from
Required Courses
You may petition for exemption from any required course by using
forms available from the Office of Theology Administration. An
exemption does not earn you course credit, but does allow you to
take a different course than the normal requirement.
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Academic
Probation
You will be placed on academic probation if:
- You have received an "F" as a final course grade, and/or
- Your grade point average falls below 2.0.
You will be removed from academic probation when you have
repeated and passed the failed course (if it is a required course
for graduation) or when your cumulative grade point average reaches
2.0. If you fail a required course twice or do not raise your
cumulative grade point average above 2.0 within three consecutive
semesters, you will be dismissed for poor scholarship. You will
forfeit any applicable financial aid for the duration of your
probation.
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Plagiarism
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is committed to
creating an intellectual environment in which both faculty and
students participate in the free and honorable pursuit of
knowledge. Therefore, all work submitted by students is presumed to
be their own. Any violation of academic integrity-cheating,
plagiarism or collusion-is considered a serious offense.
View
Statement on Academic Integrity.
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Transcripts
You may request transcripts from the
Office of the Registrar by submitting a signed request form; phone
or email requests cannot be honored. Official transcripts must be
sent directly to the designated school or organization. We charge
$5 for each transcript.
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Confidentiality and
Access to Student Records
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords
you certain rights with respect to your education records. These
rights include:
- The right to inspect and review the student's education record
within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access.
Students should submit to the Registrar, Academic Dean or other
appropriate official written requests that identify the record(s)
they wish to inspect. The school official will make arrangements
for access and notify the student of the time and place where the
records may be inspected. If the school official to whom the
request was submitted does not maintain the records, that official
shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the
request should be addressed.
- The right to request the amendment of the student's education
records that the student believes is inaccurate. Students may ask
the school to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They
should write the school official responsible for the record,
clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and
specify why it is inaccurate. If the school decides not to amend
the record as requested by the student, the school will notify the
student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right
to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional
information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to
the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
- The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable
information contained in the student's education records, except to
the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One
exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure
to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school
official is a person employed by Saint Meinrad Seminary and School
of Theology in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research,
or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel
and health staff); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a
student serving on an official committee such as disciplinary or
grievance committee or assisting another school official in
performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate
educational interest if the official needs to review an education
record in order to fulfill his or her professional
responsibility.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of
Education concerning alleged failures by the school to comply with
the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that
administers FERPA are:
Family Policy Compliance
Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act requires that
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, with certain
exceptions, obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of
personally identifiable information from a student's education
records. However, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology may
disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without
written consent, unless the school has been advised in writing in
the registrar's office to the contrary. A student may file a
written restrainer with the registrar requesting that disclosure of
this information not be made without written permission.
Directory information includes, but is not limited to, the
information in the Registry: name, address, telephone
number, email address, home parish, affiliation and class listing.
Date/place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance,
degrees, honors, parents' names and address, along with your
photograph, are also considered directory information although they
are not listed in the Registry.
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