THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM
Southern Methodist College offers a program of studies leading to four different programs, all focusing on Bible and Christian Ministries. The program is offered primarily on-line with a limited number of classes offered on-site.
The College offers a one-year certificate program in Biblical Studies.
The College offers a two-year Associate of Arts degree in General and Religious Education.
The College offers a four-year degree in Bible with a Christian Ministries double major.
The College offers a one-year Master of Biblical Studies program for students having completed a Bachelor of Arts degree.
All students must demonstrate the ability to earn a degree by at least one full semester of satisfactory work before being considered a candidate for a degree.
Southern Methodist College confers only earned degrees, not honorary degrees.
COURSE OFFERINGS
The schedule of classes for each semester is established to meet the curricular need of the degree student. The College assumes no responsibility to offer courses for transient or non-degree students. The College reserves the right to make changes in course offerings when deemed advisable by the Administration.
THE ACADEMIC YEAR
The academic year is divided into two semesters beginning in August (fall semester) and in January (spring semester). Each semester is divided into two eight-week terms. A summer semester is also scheduled each year. A flex schedule program is also available upon request and approval of the Administration.
REGISTRATION
Pre-registration is held at a time announced on the college calendar. Registration is finalized at the beginning of each semester term. Each student is assigned to a faculty advisor for assistance in the registration procedures; however, the responsibility for taking the courses required for fulfillment of any degree or certificate program rests with the student.
CREDIT HOURS
The semester-hour is the unit of credit for all courses. Thirty semester hours are required for the Certificate in Biblical Studies. Sixty semester hours are required for the Associate of Arts degree. One hundred twenty semester hours are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Thirty additional semester hours (in addition to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible or Religious Studies) are required for the Master of Biblical Studies degree.
ACADEMIC LOAD
A full‑time student may register for an academic load of up to eighteen hours. A student with at least a 3.0 grade point average may register for three additional hours once during his program of study with permission of the Administration. A full-time student must register for no fewer than twelve semester-hours. A student who registers for fewer than twelve semester-hours is considered to be a part-time student, but may take courses leading to a degree. A non-degree student is one who registers for courses but who is not a candidate for a degree.
ACADEMIC CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS
Academic classification is based on the total number of semester hours earned. A student with fewer than 30 semester hours is classified as a freshman. A student who has earned 30 semester-hours with all entrance deficiencies removed is classified as a sophomore, 60 semester-hours, as a junior, and 90 semester-hours, as a senior.
GRADES, QUALITY POINTS, AND GRADE POINT AVERAGE
All work is graded by letters that are assigned grade points per semester hour as follows:
Grade Grade Points Definition Numerical Score
A 4.0 Excellent 90-100
B 3.0 Good 80-89
C 2.0 Satisfactory 70-79
D 1.0 Passing 60-69
F 0 Failure 0 -59
S Satisfactory (non-credit courses only)
U Unsatisfactory (non-credit courses only)
I 0 Incomplete
W 0 Withdrawn from course
WF 0 Withdrawn from course, failing
AU 0 Audit
Quality Points are the number of Grade Points received for a course multiplied by the semester-hours attempted. Courses with a grade of “S,” “U,” or “W,” reflect 0 hours attempted; the number of semester-hours attempted is equivalent to the load for a course with any other grade. Grade Point Average is computed by dividing the total number of Quality Points earned by the total number of semester-hours attempted.
Grade Reports
Students will receive periodic evaluation each semester from the instructor. Students will receive a course grade report at the conclusion of each course. All students will receive an academic check sheet with final semester grades following the end of each term.
Honor Rolls
Full-time students earning a semester grade point average of 3.7 with no grade less than a “B” are named to the President’s List at the conclusion of the semester. Full-time students earning a semester grade point average of 3.0 with no grade less than a “C” are named to the Dean’s List.
Incomplete
A grade of “Incomplete” is given by an instructor only if the student, prior to the end of the course, has requested additional time to complete course assignments due to illness or extenuating circumstances, and the instructor concurs that the request is justified. Students who receive an “I” for incomplete course work are required to complete the work by a date set by the instructor and no later than middle of the following term unless special approval has been granted by the Administration.
If a student fails to meet the deadline given for resolving the grade of “Incomplete,” the instructor will submit a grade based on work received before the deadline, which will include a grade of zero for any required work not submitted.
CHANGE OF COURSE
After the end of registration, students are allowed one week to make any necessary adjustments to their schedules without cost.
Courses dropped during the first week following the end of registration will be removed from the student’s record. Classes dropped after the first week but prior to the end of the third week of the term will be posted with a grade of “W.”
Any course dropped after the third week will receive a grade of “WF” unless the Administration rules that a “W” is justified due to extenuating circumstances. The student must make a request in writing for consideration of extenuating circumstances.
The student must follow these procedures for dropping a course to avoid academic penalty:
- Make a request in writing to the Administration.
- Have the change approved by a faculty advisor.
- If adding a course which brings the student over the applicable load limit, secure approval from the Administration.
The Registrar will send the student confirmation of the change.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
Regular and punctual attendance in all classes is expected whether on-line or on-site and academic deadlines met. On-line classes and class requirements are available through a dedicated website maintained by the Director of Internet Services. There will be an automatic 10% deduction for late work unless excused by the Instructor or Academic Committee.
Students are expected to be on time for on-site classes. A student may not miss more than one scheduled classes for an on-site course. Absence from more than one scheduled class will result in bring dropped from the class with a grade of WF. A student may appeal to the Administration for a W if there are extenuating circumstances.
TRANSCRIPTS
Official transcripts will be issued to another institution upon written request from the student. Students may request an unofficial transcript of their academic record. After the first transcript, a fee of $10 is charged for each additional transcript. No transcript will be released if the student’s account is not paid in full.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
The College Board of Directors approves all candidates for degrees and certificates at the regular fall and spring meetings pending satisfactory completion of academic requirements for graduation and barring serious moral failure that results in expulsion by the Disciplinary Committee.
The Certificate in Biblical Studies is offered to all students who satisfactorily complete requirements for this program as outlined in the Catalog.
The Associate of Arts degree in General and Religious Education is offered to all students who satisfactorily complete requirements for the degree as outlined in the Catalog.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible is offered to all students who satisfactorily complete requirements for the degree as outlined in the Catalog.
The Master of Biblical Studies degree is offered to all students who satisfactorily complete requirements for the degree as outlined in the Catalog.
In addition, a degree candidate must
- Complete a minimum of 120 credit hours for the Bachelor of Arts in Bible degree or 60 credit hours for the Associate of Arts degree; complete 30 hours in addition to a Bachelor’s degree for a Master of Biblical Studies degree.
- Earn at least a 2.0 Grade Point Average at Southern Methodist College.
- Receive at least a “C” in each of the following courses: all required courses in Bible, and the courses En 101 English Composition I and En 102 English Composition II.
- Complete the final 30 semester hours at Southern Methodist College (24 semester hours for the Certificate in Biblical Studies and the Master of Biblical Studies).
- Settle all financial obligations to the College before a degree (or certificate) may be granted or a transcript released.
A student may request to participate in the annual commencement service with academic concession (six semester hours or less) or with financial obligations to the college. The decision of the administration on any such request is final. A diploma will not be released to the student until all academic and financial obligations are met.
GRADUATION WITH HONORS
A candidate for the Bachelor of Arts in Bible degree will be graduated with honors as follows:
cum laude 3.30-3.60 GPA
magna cum laude 3.61-3.80 GPA
summa cum laude 3.81-4.00 GPA
The grade point average is based on the student’s entire college program. In computing the average, work taken elsewhere which has been accepted in transfer is considered at the same grade value as in the school where it was earned.
TRANSFER CREDIT
The College reserves the right to determine what credits, if any, for courses taken elsewhere shall be counted toward a degree, and will give consideration to and acceptance of transfer credit according to the following policies and procedures. The Administration will consider the quality of the course content, timeliness of the work, and student performance (a minimum grade requirement) in evaluating transcripts from another institution. The assignment of credits is made on the basis of the content of the course pursued elsewhere as compared with parallel courses offered by the College. The accredited status of the institution is a significant factor in the evaluation, but not the sole determinant of the transfer decision.
No grade below “C” is accepted for transfer credit. Quarter hours earned elsewhere are evaluated at the ratio of three quarter hours to two semester hours. No fractional credits are transferred.
Credits earned in a Bible school that does not have a recognized college department (not classified as a college) may be transferred only by validation determined by examination.
Credits earned in an alternative educational setting will be evaluated for demonstrated competencies according to guidelines recommended by recognized accrediting associations (CAEL, ACE).
Students submitting work from non-accredited colleges or alternative educational settings will be responsible to assist the Academic Dean in the evaluation by providing the following upon request: course syllabi, faculty credentials, and course materials.
A statement of transfer credit is provided to the student during the admissions process. The student will be informed in writing of any reasons for refusing to accept transfer credits.
BIBLE REQUIREMENT
Every full-time student must register for a Bible course each semester unless granted exemption by the Administration.
RESIDENCE
In order to earn a B.A. degree at Southern Methodist College, a student must complete a minimum of eighteen semester-hours in the major field (Bible) and eighteen semester-hours in the double major field (Christian Ministries) at Southern Methodist College, and must complete the final thirty semester-hours of the program at the College unless approval is granted by the Administration. Work completed at the College may be on-line or on-site. The term residence refers to either online or onsite venues.
Any student leaving the College before completing requirements for graduation must meet the requirements specified in the catalog current at the time of re-enrollment.
NON-RESIDENCE WORK
A limited amount of work from other college institutions may be taken while in residence at Southern Methodist College and transferred to count toward the requirements for graduation. A maximum of 30 semester-hours may be obtained in this manner. Any such work taken during the time that the student is in residence must be counted as part of the student’s load for the semester and approved in advance by the Administration.
VALIDATION EXAMINATIONS
Students desiring academic credit for course content for which credit was not earned at an accredited or recognized institution may seek validation by examination after enrollment at the College. A fee of $25 is charged for each validation examination. This procedure also applies to academic work taken in Bible schools that do not have an approved college department.
ACADEMIC PROBATION
The Academic Committee will place new students on academic probation for any of the following reasons:
- The lack of a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma in the case of a student who shows academic ability or potential (for example, an early admissions student or an ability-to-benefit student).
- The high school transcript indicated questionable academic ability.
Students placed on academic probation upon enrollment for any of the three reasons stated above will remain on probation until the student demonstrates the ability to do college level work (a 2.0 Grade Point Average or higher). Probationary students unable to do college level work may be allowed to enroll for additional semesters at the discretion of the Administration but for a total of no more than three semesters total before being denied re-enrollment.
The Administration reviews the records of all students, including students on academic probation and the students whose grades are unsatisfactory, each semester. Students whose Grade Point Average falls below 2.0 after enrollment will be placed on academic probation. If a student’s record shows satisfactory improvement (at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0), the student will be removed from academic probation. If satisfactory improvement is not shown in the student’s GPA after two semesters on academic probation the student will not be permitted to re-enroll for one semester, after which the student may request consideration of the Administration for re-enrollment.
Students not earning a 1.0 GPA in the first semester may be denied reenrollment at the discretion of the Administration.
Students may be denied re-enrollment by the Administration at any time for habitual non-compliance with academic requirements of the curriculum.
The Registrar periodically reviews the academic regulations of the College and recommends to the Faculty and Administration any revisions deemed necessary. The Administration considers special requests or situations that represent any deviation from established policies and renders an official decision in each case.
DISCIPLINARY PROBATION, SUSPENSION, EXPULSION
Students will be placed on disciplinary probation, suspended, expelled, or denied re-enrollment by the Administration for serious moral failure or habitual non-compliance to the Biblical standards of the institution.
Students who are expelled or denied re-enrollment may apply for readmission after a period of two semesters by stating in writing the reasons for requesting readmission and by scheduling a personal interview with the Administration.
OFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COLLEGE
Students who withdraw must submit a written withdrawal request to the Registrar or Administration in order to avoid a grade of “WF” in all registered classes.
Students will receive a grade of “W” for all semester courses if they withdraw before the three week deadline and a grade of “WF” if they withdraw after the three week deadline. Students who withdraw after the three week deadline must submit a written request to the Administration explaining any extenuating circumstances in order to avoid receiving a grade of “WF” for all courses.
The decision of the Administration shall be final.
UNOFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL
Students who cease to meet the published class schedule without completing the official process for withdrawal remain on active status until such time as the academic term ends, at which time they are declared officially withdrawn, with a grade of “WF” in each course.
TRANSFERRING CREDIT
Completion of courses and/or a certificate program and/or a degree program at Southern Methodist College does not guarantee that credit earned will transfer to another institution nor does the College guarantee employment after graduation. However, the administration and staff will make every effort to assist students in transferring credit to another institution and in securing a position of employment.
Admissions personnel will provide practical information and guidance to prospective students concerning the likelihood of transferring credits to another institution. Academic personnel will provide print or electronic assistance for students considering transfer to another institution.