Registration

The office of academic affairs produces a schedule of classes and establishes dates and times for registration each semester. Students are expected to give thoughtful consideration to the selection of courses before consulting their faculty advisor. Individual students assume full responsibility for compliance with all academic requirements. A student is considered registered only after he or she appears properly on class lists, as indicated in Banner.

Returning students register for classes in the semester preceding the one for which they are registering. Incoming students register for Advent (fall) semester classes in the School of Theology, Office of Academic Affairs, on the Friday before classes begin. The coordinator of academic affairs will contact any students who begin their course of study in the Easter (spring) semester to arrange for registration. Summer term students generally register via email.

Registration for the Summer Session

The advanced degrees program web page is updated in early October to show the coming summer’s course offerings. Information regarding registration, housing, and financial aid will be posted in February each year. Registration forms must be received by May 31. A student may take no more than two courses (six hours) for credit in a given summer session.

Student Load

It is assumed that the average student will need to spend at least two hours of study in order to be adequately prepared for each class hour. The student’s time management is a matter of personal responsibility, but it is a responsibility for which he or she is held accountable.

Student load should not normally exceed 17 credit hours per semester. Registration for more than 17 credit hours requires written permission from the associate dean for academic affairs. The student should email the associate dean to request permission, setting forth the courses to be taken and the rationale for taking the extraordinary load. The associate dean will notify the student and the coordinator of academic affairs of the outcome. If the overload is approved, the coordinator of academic affairs will add the additional course.

Courses in the College

Every year, courses are offered in the College of Arts and Sciences that are relevant and open to students of the School of Theology. Students interested in these courses should consult the College catalog. With the approval of the associate dean for academic affairs, students may take as electives upper level (300–400) courses taught in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the South, provided:

• The course can be demonstrated to meet an educational need of the student;
• The instructor requires additional work in the course, sufficient to allow graduate credit. The additional work required is to be documented with the coordinator of academic affairs of the School of Theology.

Directed Readings

When a student, in consultation with his/her advisor, determines that an educational goal cannot be met through courses offered, the student may propose to meet this goal through a directed reading. The student must be in good academic standing to pursue a directed reading elective. Directed reading electives are generally not open to summer term students.

The student must identify a faculty member willing and qualified to direct the work. Only regular members of the School of Theology faculty may supervise directed reading courses or outside projects. Working with the faculty member, the student develops a written proposal to submit to the faculty. The proposal must conform to the ROSE model and include a substantial bibliography. See details below.

The proposal is submitted by the student, through the proposed instructor, to the dean’s assistant for consideration by the faculty. It must be submitted not later than one week before the last regularly scheduled faculty meeting of the semester prior to the one in which the student intends to pursue the directed reading.

The associate dean for academic affairs will communicate the results of the faculty’s consideration to the coordinator of academic affairs, who will register the student for the course or will communicate the faculty’s rejection of the proposal to the student.

The ROSE Model

The ROSE model is a planning design for educational events aimed at describing and facilitating the clearest and most efficient planning and execution of courses and learning events. The term ROSE is an acronym for Rationale, Objectives, Strategies, and Evaluation, the four steps in preparing a "ROSE." 

The ROSE gives the student a guide by which they may know what is intended to be taught, what strategies may be used, and what evaluation will take place. This measurement, or evaluation, customarily results in a grade given for the course of study to report the extent to which the objectives of the course have been accomplished by the student.

A carefully designed ROSE model assures the student that the instructor has planned a course with specific direction in mind and with the contents of the course fully disclosed from the beginning. A carefully designed ROSE model assures the instructor that the student is aware of the requirements of the course. The evaluation to be accomplished is determined in advance so that there are no justifiable complaints of surprise by the student at the completion of the study.

The ROSE model for any given course of study should be stated as briefly as possible in clear and precise language. 

The RATIONALE indicates why the topic, course, title, or lesson is important to the curriculum and the situation of the student at the moment. It may indicate why the learning event comes at the point at which it does in the total learning process of the curriculum.

The OBJECTIVE indicates the specific learning expectation for the student. It indicates the skills, knowledge, or expertise to be gained.

The STRATEGY is the manner in which the objective or objectives will be accomplished. Strategies may include lectures and seminars, library research, and classroom presentation by the students, for example.

The EVALUATION is the set of instruments used to measure the extent to which the student has accomplished the objectives, such as papers or presentations. The evaluation may include classroom participation in discussions. Whatever evaluation is chosen to be accomplished should let the instructor know to what extent the objectives of the course have been achieved by the student.

Course Drop/Add

A student may drop or add a course during the first two weeks of a semester. He/she should consult with his/her advisor and the instructor(s) before doing so. During the first week, the student may make the change via Banner self-service or by contacting the School of Theology coordinator of academic affairs. During the second week, the student must provide the coordinator of academic affairs an email documenting the permission of both the advisor and the course instructor(s) for the change.

Changes during the summer session should be made through the School of Theology coordinator of academic affairs by the second day of classes.

Course Withdrawal

A student may withdraw from a class before the end of the sixth week of classes and receive a grade of W (Withdrawal) or WF (Withdrawal, Failing), based on his/ her performance to date in the class, on his/her transcript. Withdrawal from a course should be done in consultation with the advisor and the instructor. The instructor should notify the coordinator of academic affairs of the grade to be entered (W or WF).

Withdrawal during the summer session is rare and handled on a case-by-case basis by the director of the advanced degrees program and the coordinator of academic affairs.

Special Students

A special student is one who is not pursuing a degree, diploma, or certificate program but nevertheless enrolls in a course at the School. A special student application form may be obtained from the School of Theology coordinator of academic affairs. Upon approval by the associate dean for academic affairs, the special student may take a course for credit or audit with the permission of the instructor.

The first time a class is taken, the special student will complete a registration form. In subsequent semesters, an email from the instructor giving permission for the person to take a course for credit or audit is sufficient. Spouses of degree-seeking students may receive a discounted tuition rate. Up-to-date information will be included with student financial information on the School of Theology website.

Special Students in the Summer Session

Non-degree-seeking students may enroll in courses in the advanced degrees program with some limitations. Special students must be able to do graduate level work, and the Advanced Degrees Program Committee reserves the right to determine who will be admitted as a special student. Special students are limited to nine credit hours. Special student applications must be approved by the associate dean for academic affairs and include:

• The Special Student Application form
• Transcripts of all previous college, seminary, and graduate work