Academic Standards
Master of Divinity Program
Qualitative Progress: M.Div. degree students must maintain a minimum 2.0 G.P.A. each semester and a cumulative minimum 2.0 G.P.A., based upon completion of a minimum of nine credit hours per academic term. A student who fails to achieve this G.P.A. minimum is placed on academic warning or probation for one semester. Students who remain on warning or academic probation for a second semester may lose their scholarship eligibility.
Quantitative Progress: Students who wish to complete the degree in six semesters must earn at least 28 credits per year. Full-time students who will complete the degree in eight semesters must earn 21 semester hours per year. Full-time students who have completed fewer than 42 credits at the end of their fourth semester may be required to file a plan of studies approved by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee showing how they plan to complete the degree within eight semesters. All academic requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years from the date of initial matriculation.
Extended track students are expected to earn at least 15-18 credits per year. Students who have completed fewer than 42 credits at the end of their third year in the program may be required to file a plan of studies with the Graduate Academic Standing Committee. All academic requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years from the date of initial matriculation. Financial aid awards for extended track students are limited to a total of twelve semesters.
Master of Arts and Master of Arts in Religion Programs
Qualitative Progress: M.A. and M.A.R. degree students must maintain a minimum 3.0 G.P.A. each semester and a cumulative minimum 3.00 G.P.A., based upon completion of at least nine credit hours per academic term. A student who fails to achieve this G.P.A. minimum is placed on warning or academic probation for one semester. If the student is placed on warning or academic probation for the following semester, she/he may be ineligible for financial assistance.
Quantitative Progress: Full-time students are expected to complete the degree in four semesters. Full-time students must register for a minimum of nine hours per academic term and a maximum of fifteen. Drew’s financial aid awards are limited to a total of six semesters. All academic requirements for the degree must be completed within five years from the date of initial matriculation.
Master of Arts in Ministry and Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry Programs
Qualitative Progress: M.A.M. and M.A.T.M. in Ministry degree students must maintain a minimum 2.0 G.P.A. each semester and a cumulative minimum 2.00 G.P.A. A student who fails to achieve this G.P.A. minimum is placed on warning or academic probation for one semester. If the student is placed on warning or academic probation for the following semester, she/he may be ineligible for financial assistance.
Quantitative Progress: Full-time students are expected to complete the degree in four semesters. Full-time students must register for a minimum of nine hours per academic term and a maximum of fifteen. Drew’s financial aid awards are limited to a total of six semesters. All academic requirements for the degree must be completed within five years from the date of initial matriculation.
Master of Sacred Theology Program
Qualitative Progress: S.T.M. degree students must maintain a minimum 3.00 G.P.A. each semester and a cumulative minimum 3.00 G.P.A. A student who fails to achieve this G.P.A. minimum is placed on warning or academic probation for one semester. If the student is placed on warning or academic probation for two consecutive semesters, they may be ineligible for financial assistance.
Quantitative Progress: Students are expected to complete the degree in four semesters. Exceptions require the approval of the Graduate Academic Standing Committee. Although only 24 credits are required to complete the degree, Drew’s financial awards apply for up to 30 total credits. If a student has completed 24 credits but does not have the required G.P.A. to graduate, they may complete up to 6 additional credits. If they cannot achieve the required G.P.A. after completing 30 credits, they will be withdrawn from the program of study. All academic requirements for the degree must be completed within four years from the date of initial matriculation.
Doctor of Ministry Program
Qualitative Progress for Courageous Leadership in a Changing Culture DMin students entering in or after 2019: D.Min. degree students who receive a NQ course assessment at any time during the first eighteen credits of their program will be placed on academic probation and be required to meet with the Director of Doctoral Studies to establish a plan for improvement. A second NQ (even if acquired in the same semester) will result in the student being withdrawn from the program or, in extenuating circumstances, permitted by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee to repeat course(s) in an attempt to achieve qualifying assessment. Students granted such permission to repeat a course who still fail to achieve a Q will be withdrawn from the program.
Qualitative Progress for all other DMin students: D.Min. degree students must maintain a cumulative minimum 3.2 GPA in the first twelve credits of their program. Students who fail to achieve this minimum may be withdrawn from the program or, in extenuating circumstances, permitted by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee to repeat course(s) in an attempt to achieve the minimum GPA. Students granted such permission who still fail to achieve the minimum GPA will be withdrawn from the program. Students whose cumulative or semester GPA falls below 3.2 after the first six credits will be placed on warning or probation according to the guidelines below.
Quantitative Progress: The normal time for completion of this part-time advanced professional degree program is three years and a total of 30 credits distributed as follows: 12-18 credits in the first year (including one summer), 6-12 credits in the second year, followed by the remaining credits for the satisfactory completion of the research and writing phase of the program. All requirements for the degree must be completed within five years from the date of initial matriculation. Students who are not registered for any courses in a given semester must register for Continuing Registration or file for a Leave of Absence.
Students may maintain up to four semesters of six-credit continuous registration at any stage in the program by approval of the director. To be approved, students must demonstrate progress toward the degree and a satisfactory plan of study approved by their faculty advisor. Students may maintain three credits of continuous registration without approval at all stages of the program. Registration in the program beyond five years must be approved by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee.
Ph.D. Program
Students must be making qualitative and quantitative academic progress to maintain financial assistance eligibility.
Qualitative Progress
Students must maintain at least a 3.1 GPA (3.4 for students beginning Fall 2009 and later) in doctoral programs to remain in good academic standing. Failure to maintain this average will result in a letter of warning in the first semester after the average fails to meet the standard. Continued failure to attain the minimum GPA can result in academic probation or termination from the program. Students who have not met the required average at the conclusion of the stipulated number of courses required for a given degree may not seek to meet the required average by taking additional courses without specific permission from the Graduate Academic Standing Committee, in consultation with the student’s area faculty. Students who are subject to academic review are also subject to financial assistance review.
Faculty will review a student’s academic performance before approving the petition for the comprehensive examinations. The maintenance of the minimum required GPA, therefore, does not necessarily qualify the candidate to complete the doctoral degree. Similarly, faculty will also review a student’s academic performance at the conclusion of comprehensive examinations. Successful qualification of the comprehensive exams does not necessarily qualify the candidate to complete the doctoral degree.
Quantitative progress
Students who are receiving merit scholarships of full tuition and stipend must be enrolled full time. Students receiving 80 percent of tuition or a full tuition waiver must carry a minimum of six credit hours per semester. All academic requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years from the date of initial matriculation.
Students not registered for coursework may maintain full-time continuous registration as follows:
Complete language exams – one semester
Prepare and take comprehensive exams – four semesters
Prepare dissertation prospectus – two semesters
Complete dissertation – four semesters
Additional semesters of full-time continuous registration within the first seven years of the program are granted by the director and only by exception. Students requesting additional full-time semesters at each stage must demonstrate progress toward the degree and a satisfactory plan of study approved by their faculty advisor. Part-time maintaining matriculation status is available without approval at all stages of the program. Registration in the program beyond seven years must be approved by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee.
Appeals
Appeals of decisions made by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee must be made in writing by the student to the committee.
Minimum Degree Requirements
M.Div: | 78 credit hours with a grade average no less than a C (2.00). |
M.Div.: | 84 credit hours with a grade average no less than a C (2.00) [prior to fall 2018]. |
M.A.R.: | 43 credit hours with a grade average no less than a B (3.00). |
M.A. in Min. & M.A.T.M.: | 45 credit hours with a grade average no less than a C (2.00). |
M.A.: | 44 credit hours with a grade average no less than a B (3.00). |
S.T.M.: | 21 credit hours with a grade average no less than a B (3.00). |
D.Min.: | 30 credit hours with no more than one NQ course assessment OR 18 credit hours with a grade average no less than a B (3.20) and the satisfactory completion of a professional project for 12 credit hours. |
Academic Standing
Students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress, as determined by the Theological School and the Graduate Academic Standing Committee. At the end of each term, the Graduate Academic Standing Committee conducts a review of all student progress. Students whose records do not meet qualitative or quantitative degree standards are placed in the following academic standing categories:
Warning
Students previously in Good Standing will be placed on Warning for any of the following reasons:
M.Div., M.A.M., M.A.T.M. and M.T.S. students with a semester or cumulative GPA between 1.99 and 1.40. M.A. and S.T.M. students with a semester or cumulative GPA between 2.99 and 2.75;
A failure to satisfactorily complete credits according to minimum progress standards for the degree;
A withdrawal from all classes in a fall or spring semester.
A student on Warning who at the end of a fall or spring semester has satisfactorily met the minimum credit and grade point levels described above will be returned to Good Standing. A student on Warning who at the end of fall or spring semester has not made satisfactory academic progress and returned to Good Standing will be placed on Probation or may be dismissed.
Probation
Students will be placed on Probation for any of the following reasons:
M.Div., M.A.M., M.A.T.M., and M.T.S. students with a semester or cumulative GPA between 1.39 and 0.00. M.A. and S.T.M. students with a semester or cumulative GPA between 2.74 and 2.00.
D.Min. students who receives a NQ course assessment;
A student who has already been on a semester of Warning for either unsatisfactory GPA or progress.
Students on probation are restricted to 10 credit hours during the probationary semester and must complete at least 6 credit hours. Students who do not attain the GPA and progress minimums may be recommended for leave of absence or required withdrawal.
Required Withdrawal
Students can be placed on required withdrawal for any of the following reasons:
Any student who receives all “F’s” in any one semester;
Any D.Min. student who receives a second NQ course assessment;
Any student who has been on probation and has not returned to Good Standing at the end of the probationary semester;
Students with two or more non-consecutive semesters on Warning or Probation.
Under exceptional circumstances only, a student on Required Withdrawal may appeal to the Graduate Academic Standing Committee to be re-admitted in the next term. If the appeal is approved, the student will be reinstated and placed on Probation. Such re-admissions are granted only in unusual cases, and in no cases may a student be readmitted twice.
Except in the case of grade appeals, appeals of decisions made by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee may be made in writing by the student to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Theological School. The Associate Dean will convene a three person committee of faculty and administrators to hear the appeal of the decision and render a final decision. The decision of this committee is not eligible for further appeal.