The Ecumenical Institute of Theology Transfer of Credits
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Academic Policies General Student Responsibility It is expected that students already have basic skills in library usage, critical reading , research, and writing term papers. Students are required to research, organize, and write their own papers, and to keep a copy of any work submitted in a course. Attendance and Participation Auditors are required to attend more than 50 percent of a course's class sessions in order to have the course audit appear on their transcripts. Students are also expected to be on time for class and to deactivate cell phones and beepers. (Exceptions are made only for physicians, pastors, and other professionals who are on call, and for persons whose immediate family medical situation requires availability.) A detailed policy on attendance and related matters may be found in the Student Handbook. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities St. Mary's is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. It is St. Mary's policy that all such requests be made to the office of the Registrar. St. Mary's requires supporting documentation for these requests.
The Registrar and Dean will review the request and the documentation, consult with the student and make a decision about the request. The Registrar will provide written notice of the approved accommodation to any faculty or staff member who may be directly involved in implementing the accommodation. Unit of Credit Name changes St. Mary’s Seminary & University requires that all official records bear a student’s full and legal first, last, and middle (if applicable) name. If a student’s name has been changed because of marriage, divorce, legal action, etc., the student is required to provide documentation such as a driver’s license, passport, or social security card before the name can be changed in St. Mary’s records. Grading System
The grade of "I" is a temporary notation indicating that some course work has not been completed by the end of the term due to some circumstance beyond the student'’s control and that the professor has approved an extension of time. An "I" is never automatically granted; a student must submit a written petition, available for download here and from the E.I. office, that requires the approval of both the professor and the Dean. Dates for the submission of all work to remove Incompletes are published each term by the Registrar's office. Failure to submit outstanding work to the professor by this date will result in a grade of "F" being assigned by the Registrar. Course Failures and Repeats A student whose GPA falls below 3.0 is also placed on probation. A student on probation for this reason who wishes to repeat a course voluntarily, in order to improve his or her cumulative GPA, may petition the Committee on Admissions and Academic Standing for permission to do so. Permission is normally granted only if the course grade was less than B- and if the Committee believes that repeating the course will improve not only the student's GPA, but also his or her mastery of the subject. If the student earns a better grade in the repeat course, the original grade remains on the transcript but is no longer calculated in the student'’s GPA, and the new grade both appears on the transcript and is calculated as part of the student's GPA. Voluntary repeat courses must normally be taken no more than two years following the term in which the original course was taken. Grade Requirements Life of Credits Because of the nature of theological research and study, students should have a command of the most recent information available when working toward a degree. Normally, credits earned at St. Mary’s or transferred from another accredited institution must have been earned within the past ten (10) years and completed with a grade of B or better to be eligible for application to a current degree. Use of these credits must be approved by the Dean and the Registrar. Grades for work in transfer courses are not calculated in the current program GPA. Dean's List Academic Integrity Grade Reports and Transcripts Written, signed requests (available for download here) for transcripts, which must include the student's date of birth and years of attendance, should be addressed to the Registrar. Email messages are not acceptable as legal release of records. The charge for both official and unofficial transcripts is $5 per transcript. Transcripts will not be issued for any student who has failed to fulfill his or her financial or library obligations. Concerns and Grievances Probation and Dismissal Academic Planning and Advising The average E.I. student takes one or two courses per term and is often somewhat confined, with respect to scheduling classes, by other commitments. The following guidelines are given with the understanding that some students cannot follow the "ideal" program. All degree and certificate candidates, potential degree and certificate candidates, "seekers" exploring various programs, and students who need a general introduction to theological study should take TH601 during their first or second term. BS600 is also strongly recommended early on for actual or potential degree candidates, and is required for most other biblical studies courses. Students new to theological study may also begin with courses that are part of the Explorations in Theology program. Degree-seeking students should then normally continue with foundational courses in each of the core theological disciplines. There is no prescribed order, but the ideal sequence for the first four to six courses would be: (1) biblical core (taking Hebrew Bible before New Testament); (2) H601 The Early Christian Church (for the M.A. Theol.); (3) ST601 Foundations of Systematic Theology; (4) MT600 Fundamentals of Theological Ethics. The required course in Spirituality may be taken at any time in the program. Additional required foundational courses (depending on the degree program) may be taken later in the program. Students may take courses only after they have completed the appropriate prerequisites. Research and Writing Assistance Permanent Records Policy 1) In addition to biographical information (name, address, state or federally mandated demographic data), St. Mary’s keeps the following information on all students and it becomes part of a student’s permanent academic record: a) admissions and other test scores b) diocese information (for seminarians) c) recommendations (when required for admission) d) dates of application, acceptance, registration, matriculation, withdrawal e) academic program(s) information at St. Mary’s f) all coursework, with grades, status, dates and grade point averages g) official transcripts from other institutions h) courses transferred for credit i) photograph of student if needed for admission process j) information about other language(s) studied k) correspondence with St. Mary’s faculty and administrators relating to student’s program l) all information on theses m) comprehensive examinations and examination scores n) information on degree(s) conferred o) other pertinent documents and information (withdrawal, transfer, leave of absence, financial documents that pertain to academic status, pastoral year, dismissal etc.) 2) Restrictions are placed on student records in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and to protect the privacy rights of individuals. These documents may be inspected only by those faculty members or administrators at St. Mary’s who have a legitimate educational interest in seeing them. Others may inspect these files or obtain copies of information in a student’s record only after the Registrar’s Office has received a signed written request or permission form from the student and the student has paid a nominal fee, or as otherwise permitted or required by law. No e-mail requests are accepted. Transcripts will not be issued to any student who has not fulfilled his or her financial and/or library obligation to the institution. 3) St. Mary’s does not designate any student information as “directory information” under FERPA and therefore does not release personally identifiable information from educational records without written authorization or as otherwise permitted or required by law. 4) Students are at liberty to inspect their own academic files by making an appointment with the Office of the University Registrar. By submitting a letter of application to the University Registrar, a student may 1) inspect and review his or her records, 2) petition to seek amendment of records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights. No part of any record may be inspected by the student without the express written consent of the University Registrar. Permission will be granted within a reasonable time and in no case more than forty‑five (45) days from the date of the receipt of a written request for inspection. Any suspected inaccuracies in any of St. Mary’s records should be reported at once to the Office of the University Registrar. Since each institution is responsible for the accuracy of its own files and for correcting them when necessary, St. Mary’s will not amend academic documents from other parties which may be in its possession nor forward such records to third parties. This includes documents such as transcripts from other institutions sent to St. Mary’s as part of the admissions process. 5) Only those St. Mary's staff members who are directly responsible for students’ accounts or billing matters may examine financial documents that relate to a student’s stay at St. Mary’s. Submission of Original Work and Retention of Copies It is customary for students to submit exams, papers, theses and other projects to their instructors for evaluation during a course or as part of their culminating experience in a degree program. When work is submitted for evaluation, the student retains the intellectual property rights to that which has been created, but the original hand-written, typed, or word processing document (or, for a thesis, the original and one copy) or other medium of work (e.g., video tape, audio tape, electronic file) submitted becomes the property of St. Mary’s Seminary & University. In the case of course work, the instructor evaluates the submitted work and communicates the results of the evaluation to the student. The faculty member, at his or her discretion, may return the work to the student, retain the work, discard the work, or request that the administration retain the work or place the work in the student’s academic record. The administration of St. Mary’s also retains the right to request the original work from the instructor and may place it in the student’s academic record, store the work elsewhere (e.g., in the library or in a special collection of submitted projects), or discard the work if the student fails to retrieve it in a timely manner after being asked to do so.
It is St. Mary’s policy to retain all student work about which the instructor or administration has raised questions about its academic integrity.
It is the student’s responsibility to retain a copy of all work submitted for evaluation, including written materials, electronic files, and work submitted on other media such as audiotapes and video tapes.
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Graduate theological education requires a high degree of involvement in the classroom and initiative outside the classroom. Regular attendance and informed participation are expected and evaluated in all classes. A necessary absence should be cleared in advance with the professor. More than one absence from a course may result in additional work or a lower grade, at the professor's discretion. More than three absences may result in administrative withdrawal. 
All course assignments are to be done with integrity. Written work is to be the student'’s own, and care is to be taken to give full documentation for all material quoted or paraphrased from other sources. The standard for written work is Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed. (University of Chicago Press). Plagiarism and the submission of work other than one's own are viewed as serious offenses and grounds for dismissal. A detailed policy on academic integrity and honesty may be found in the Student Handbook. 