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Graduate Transfer Credit

This page contains information regarding Transfer of Credits, Advanced Standing, and Shared Credit.

Transfer of Credits

Current students and applicants who have completed courses at other accredited graduate institutions may receive transfer credit for comparable course offerings in Lincoln Seminary curriculum. After having completed their application and having received a letter of acceptance, incoming students may request a transcript evaluation by contacting the Director of Seminary Operations and Community Formation. According to the established practice in higher education, receipt of credit from other institutions is neither automatic nor obligatory. The receiving institution has the exclusive right to accept or reject credits earned at other institutions. Transfer of credits is conditional upon approval by the Lincoln Seminary Office in consultation with the faculty as described below.

1. Lincoln Seminary at Ozark Christian College will accept credit for equivalent courses for degrees offered at Lincoln from other institutions accredited by accrediting organizations recognized by CHEA (Council for Higher Education Administration).

2. Academic transcripts from previous colleges will be evaluated by the Lincoln Seminary Office. Official transcripts must be sent to the Ozark Christian College Registrar’s Office directly from the college(s) and/or university(ies) previously attended. The transcripts must be official, authentic, signed, and affixed with the school seal. Transcripts may be faxed to the college; however, they will be considered unofficial documents only, pending the official, authenticated, signed, and sealed documents received in the mail or via an electronic transcript service used by the other institution.

3. Determination of equivalency will be made by the Lincoln Seminary Office in conjunction with the faculty. Students may be asked to submit a course description, course syllabus, and completed assignments to evaluate equivalency of course work.

4. Students must have earned a grade of at least 2.000 on a 4-point scale.

5. Lincoln Seminary measures all courses in semester/term credits. Transferred courses that were transcripted using a quarter system will be converted to semester/term credits.

6. Courses completed more than ten years previous may not be accepted unless continued academic capacity can be demonstrated.

7. For students enrolling in master’s degree programs, a maximum of 50% of transfer credits can be accepted toward a master’s degree.

8. Transfer credit will not be accepted for the certificate programs.

Upon completion of the evaluation of a student’s previous coursework, a copy of the Transfer of Credit Form indicating awarded courses will be sent to the student by email.

Advanced Standing

The Association of Theological Schools allows students to apply for advanced standing of up to one-third of the total credits required for a graduate degree program. (The Higher Learning Commission and Association for Biblical Higher Education allows students to apply for advanced standing of up to one-half.) Advanced Standing is not automatic; it is conditional upon approval by the Lincoln Seminary Office in consultation with the faculty as described below. Advanced Standing is available to students whose undergraduate cumulative GPA is 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), and the courses being considered received a grade of B or higher. Typically, Advanced Standing is granted where the bachelor’s degree is from an accredited institution with a major or minor in Bible, theology, religion, or a ministry-related field of study. Upon approval from Lincoln Seminary Office in consultation with the faculty, such standing may be assigned:

· Without credit. Waives students from some course requirements without reducing the total number of academic hours required for the degree. (Students will replace the required course with another approved course offered by Lincoln Seminary.)

· With credit. Reduces the number of hours required for the degree. [NOTE: Advanced Standing “with credit” is limited to nine (9) hours in 36-hour master’s degrees and fifteen (15) hours in the 72-hour Master of Divinity.]

Biblical Languages

Advanced Standing for Biblical Languages (with or without credit) will be considered if the requesting student’s undergraduate transcripts demonstrate at least two semesters/terms in the specified language. In addition to the application for Advanced Standing listed below, the student will be required to demonstrate proficiency through an oral or written exam from the professor of the chosen biblical language course. The professor’s recommendation will then be reviewed by the Lincoln Seminary Office for final approval or denial.

Application for Advanced Standing

Students must request an Advanced Standing evaluation before the end of their first academic year. Incoming students must have a completed application on file and have received a letter of acceptance before Advanced Standing will be considered. It is the student’s responsibility to request an Advanced Standing evaluation from the Lincoln Seminary Office. The student must submit the following:

1. A list of courses for which Advanced Standing is being requested.

2. A web link to the undergraduate catalog or hard copy of the course descriptions.

3. Upon request, a syllabus for the course and/or copies of completed assignments.

Upon the completion of the evaluation of a student’s previous course work, a copy of the Advanced Standing form indicating awarded courses will be sent to the student by email.

Shared Credit

The Association of Theological Schools defines shared credit as the counting of credits from one master’s degree toward those required for a second master’s degree. This would most naturally apply to Lincoln Seminary if a student completed any of our 36-hour master’s degrees and then decided to pursue our 72-hour Master of Divinity. Credits from the smaller degree are transferable to the larger degree so long as at least 1/3 of the credits for the second (MDiv) degree are earned while the student is enrolled in that second degree (and the student meets the learning outcomes and other relevant curricular expectations for the second degree).

Shared Credit may also apply if a student first earns one of our 36-hour master’s degrees and then decides to pursue a second master’s degree with an equal number of credits, or if a student first earns our MDiv and then decides to pursue one of our 36-hour master’s degrees. Credits from the completed first degree are transferable to the smaller degree so long as at least 1/3 of the credits for the second degree are earned while the student is enrolled in that second degree (and the student meets the learning outcomes and other relevant curricular expectations for the second degree). Students pursuing graduate certificates may apply their completed coursework to any of our accredited master’s degrees upon enrollment in those degree programs.