Academic Regulations
COURSE PLANNING AND
REGISTRATION
Semester system
Cal Grad operates on the semester system. The unit for counting
credit is the semester hour, which consists of one fifty-minute
period of class work per week in a normal semester. Nine (9)
units or more per semester is considered a full load.
In addition to the normal Fall and Spring semesters, concentrated
modular periods are offered in the summer and winter in short
intensive time-frames. These course schedules are designed especially
for the busy pastor and Christian school teacher or administrator
who cannot make long term commitments toward an advanced degree
program.
Transfer credits
Transcripts are evaluated by the Registrar under the guidelines
established by the faculty. Course credits with a minimum grade
of "C" earned at other graduate theological schools
and seminaries are accepted at full value to the extent that
the courses are comparable to Cal Grad's stated requirements. The
maximum amount of credit transferable is listed under each degree
description.
Selection of courses
Each student upon entering California Graduate School of Theology
is assigned to an advisor. Students should understand that all
questions concerning academic problems should be taken first
to the advisor and only later, when a problem remains unresolved,
to the Registrar. Required courses are offered on a regular
basis and elective courses are generally offered on a rotating
basis. Information on the elective courses offered for any given
semester can be obtained from the Registrar.
Registration
Official registration is required at the beginning of each
semester, and students will not be admitted into classes without
formal registration.
Adding and dropping
Any changes after a student and an advisor have arranged the
student's semester program are discouraged. No course can be
added after the third week of classes. Any course dropped during
the first three weeks will not be recorded on the student's
permanent record. From the beginning of the fourth week of classes
through the end of the fifth week of instruction, all drops
will be recorded as a "W," Withdrawal. No course is
considered officially added or dropped until the proper form
is submitted to the Registrar in order that the student's schedule
may be properly changed.
Withdrawal
A student withdrawing during the semester must submit a Petition
for Withdrawal form to the Registrar's Office. The petition
will then be reviewed by the Academic Dean. The effective date
of withdrawal shall be the date the Academic Dean's signature
is affixed. Non-attendance does not constitute withdrawal. Withdrawing
without prior approval will result in a failing grade which
will forfeit any financial refunds otherwise due.
Auditing
A student who wishes to audit, or take courses without credit,
must indicate his or her intention at the time of registration.
Audit students do not take examinations, and are not required
to complete assignments. Courses audited cannot be counted toward
meeting graduation requirements, and also cannot be taken in
subsequent semesters for credit. Only lecture courses may be
audited.
Independent study
Students are allowed to apply for a certain amount of Independent
Study units each semester for the M.A., M.Div., D.Min., Th.M.,
and Th.D. degrees. Details on how many are permitted for each
degree are listed under each degree program description in the
Degree Programs section of this website.
GRADING SYSTEM
All work is graded with letters which are assigned points as
follows:
A Excellent 4.00
A- 3.67 |
B+ 3.33
B Good 3.00
B- 2.67 |
C+ 2.33
C Satisfactory 2.00
C- 1.67 |
D+ 1.33
D Poor 1.00
D-. 0.67 |
F Fail 0.00
I Incomplete
W Withdrawal
AU Audit |
Grade point average
A student's gpa is calculated by dividing the student's total
number of earned points by the number of semester hours attempted.
The grade of W is not used in calculation of the gpa.
Incomplete
The grade of "I" will be assigned by the instructor
only if the student has been unable to complete the course on
time due to unavoidable circumstances. Students must submit
a petition for an Incompletegrade to the Registrar's Office
prior to the deadline for grades for instructors.
Each Incomplete must be made up by the end of the second week
after the close of the semester in which it was granted. If
the work is not completed and submitted by the deadline, the
grade designated by the instructor at the time the request for
the "I" was made will be recorded.
Changes in grades
All grades will be recorded in the Registrar's office as reported
by the instructor in each course. Once grades are recorded,
only the instructor, or in special cases, the Academic Dean,
can submit requests for changes in writing to the Registrar.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Class attendance requirement
All students are expected to attend all classes, except under
extenuating circumstances. Excusable circumstances include illness,
injury, childbirth, death of a family member, or other serious
events.
Three (3) instances of tardiness are also counted as an absence.
All students must have 80% attendance of all courses, regardless
of the nature of the absences. Those students who fail to maintain
satisfactory class attendance in any subject shall not be permitted
to take the final exam in that particular subject. If attendance
fails to improve, the instructor, at his/her discretion, may
dismiss a student for unsatisfactory attendance.
Leave of absence
If a student cannot maintain progress on a degree program for
more than one term, then he or she must request a leave of absence
from the Academic Dean. A leave of absence may be granted for
reasons relating to family or economic hardship, and allows
one to resume his or her studies without having to apply anew
for admission.
Academic probation and suspension
Students who do not maintain a cumulative grade point average
of 2.0 will be placed on academic probation for one semester,
and will be notified in writing. At the end of the probationary
semester, if the student has not achieved the required minimum
grade point average, the student will be suspended from Cal Grad.
Under extenuating circumstances, the student may appeal the
suspension in writing to the Admissions Committee. All decisions
made by the committee shall be final. Requests for an appeal
must be made within the first five days of the semester of suspension.
The results of an appeal are conveyed to the student as soon
as possible. In the event that the appeal is denied, the student
will be dismissed from the school, and will receive a "W"
in all courses for the semester. Dismissals are considered final.
DEGREE COMPLETION
Students must be in good academic standing in order to graduate.
Some degree programs have additional requirements that must
be met before a student is able to graduate. Details are outlined
under each degree program description in this catalog. Students
are responsible for meeting the graduation requirements set
forth in the catalog published at the time of their matriculation
for the degree they are seeking. All candidates for graduation
must be approved by the Degree Committee. To receive this endorsement
students must have acted responsibly in manifesting wholesome
Christian character and adhering to the standards of this school.
Students who change programs are responsible for meeting the
graduation requirements of the new program. Students who take
an extended leave of absence for more than one year are subject
to the graduation requirements in effect at the time of their
reinstatement unless written permission was obtained prior to
the extended leave.
Intent to graduate
Students who plan to participate in commencement must complete
and submit an Intent to Graduate application to the Registrar's
Office. This must be done no later than the beginning of the
Spring Semester of the year in which the student plans to graduate.
Prior to commencement, the Registrar will evaluate each candidate's
academic record. Copies of the evaluations will be sent to the
student, his or her advisor, and the Academic Dean.
Financial obligations
In addition, students must clear their accounts of any remaining
balances before graduation. Students who fail to do this will
not have access to any services, including transcripts, conferral
of degree, diploma, or enrollment into another degree program.
Dissertation requirements
Students are encouraged to give thought to the choice of a
dissertation topic from the very beginning of their programs.
Dissertation proposals must be submitted to the Registrar within
two years of initial admission into the program. Upon approval
of a proposal, an advisor will be selected and assigned according
to the student's topic of research. Dissertations must be worthy
of publication and demonstrate the student's ability to conduct
independent research, deal constructively with theological issues,
and communicate clearly and effectively in written English.
Specific instructions and due dates appear in the manual on
dissertations.
Students who wish to attend commencement services in May must
finalize their dissertation by the 1st of May. If they cannot
complete it by this time but still wish to participate in commencement
ceremonies, they may petition for an extension. The student
must show that he or she is able to complete his or her dissertation
by August 31 of the same year in order to be approved for an
extension. In the case that the student is not able to complete
it by August 31, the student will graduate the following May.
Commencement
All candidates for graduation are expected to participate in
the annual commencement exercises which take place at the close
of the Spring Semester. Those who cannot attend the commencement
because of extenuating circumstances must make a formal request
in writing to the Registrar to receive the degree in his or
her absence.
STUDENT RECORDS AND TRANSCRIPTS
Confidentiality of student records
Cal Grad follows the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Acts
of 1974 and regulations adopted thereunder (45 CFR 99) and California
Education Code, Section 67100, which state that educational
institutions shall not release educational records to non-school
employees without prior consent of the student.
Right of access
Also in accordance with the same regulations, with a few exceptions
provided by law, students at California Graduate School of Theology
may see any of their educational records upon request. Students
are also entitled to copies of all records to which they have
access. Students further have the right, under established procedures,
to challenge the factual accuracy of the records, should they
find discrepancies between the school records and their own.
Students also have the right of access to recommendations and
evaluations in the cases of admissions and applications for
employment.
Transcripts
Official transcripts are issued by the Registrar only at the
written request of the student together with the $20 transcript
fee. The student must give his/her full name used while enrolled
in the school, date of birth, Student or Social Security number,
dates of attendance, and degree(s) received, if any. No transcripts
will be issued for anyone who has failed to meet any financial
obligations to California Graduate School of Theology.
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