2020-2021 Student Catalog | Admissions

Transfer and Advanced Standing


TRANSFER AND ADVANCED STANDING TERMINOLOGY

  1. Transfer: The use of this term at Northeastern Seminary follows generally accepted practice. It describes the process of transferring graduate credits earned elsewhere and applying them to the student’s program at Northeastern Seminary. Except for courses taken at Roberts Wesleyan College, course credits transfer without the grades.
  2. Advanced Standing without Credit: This practice at Northeastern Seminary follows guidelines established by the faculty in accordance with ATS standards. The terminology “without credit” describes the waiver of a specified course requirement in the Seminary curriculum based on undergraduate studies in the same area of study. The student must replace the course being waived with a free elective in order to achieve the number of credits required for degree completion.
  3. Advanced Standing with Credit: This practice at Northeastern Seminary follows guidelines established by the faculty in accordance with ATS standards. The terminology “with credit” describes a process by which students may be granted advanced standing in a graduate program at the Seminary, based on evaluation of their competence by testing as described below.

General Transfer Policies

Students who have prior graduate credit should take initiative during the admissions process to have transcripts evaluated to determine whether credit can be applied to their Northeastern Seminary program. Students may be asked for a letter of good standing from their prior seminary as part of the admissions process at Northeastern Seminary.

  1. Transfer credits will not be accepted as a substitute for, or waiver of, the Northeastern Seminary capstone requirements (MIN 692NE, MIN 790NE, RES 690NE). Rarely will transfer credit be granted for the Great Conversation competency or for PSF 611NE and 612NE.
  2. Only credits eligible for graduate credit in the institution where they were taken will be considered for transfer
  3. Only the graduate credit earned within 8 years of enrolling at Northeastern Seminary may be applied toward degree requirements
  4. Only the graduate credits earned at an institution accredited by a recognized accrediting body will be considered for transfer
  5. Students may be asked for a letter of good standing from their prior seminary as part of the admissions process at Northeastern Seminary
  6. Graduate credits earned at an ATS-accredited seminary/graduate school with a grade of C+ or higher (2.3 on a scale of 4.0) or a non-ATS-accredited seminary/graduate school with a grade of B or higher (3.0 on a scale of 4.0) will be eligible for transfer consideration
  7. No more than 12 credits may be transferred into the M.A. in Ministry Practice from a non-ATS accredited school
  8. Transfer credits for certificate programs will be limited to 9 credits and must meet the stated requirements of the certificate and relate to the mission and goals of a seminary education
  9. Transfer credits for the M.A. Theological Studies free electives will be limited to 12 credits and must be related to the mission and goals of a seminary education
  10. Transfer credit for the M.Div. free electives will be limited to 18 credits and must be related to the mission and goals of a seminary education
  11. Upon receipt of documentation of completion, students may receive transfer credit from the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality's Certification Program. Master's students may receive up to 12 transfer credits (2 credits per Epiphany course) toward the elective competency. Doctor of Ministry students may receive up to 9 transfer credits (1.5 credits per Epiphany course) as support course credits.
  12. Once evaluated and approved by the director of field education, a student may transfer one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) for six credits (M.Div.) or three credits (M.A.) of field education. Additional CPE credits may be applied to a Northeastern degree only by petition. Students planning to apply for chaplaincy certification through the military or through the Association of Professional Chaplains should determine whether utilizing CPE credit toward the degree will prevent the CPE credits from counting toward certification.
  13. No more than two-thirds of the credits required for a Northeastern Seminary degree may be granted on the basis of transfer credits, subject to the limitations noted above
  14. Credit from a previously earned graduate degree may be considered for transfer, but not more than half of the credits required for the previously earned degree may be transferred into a Northeastern Seminary program. In addition, no more than half the Northeastern Seminary program may be earned through credit from the previously earned degree. Such credits will be accepted as a substitution for, and waiver of, specific Northeastern Seminary courses only on the basis of equivalency as determined by the vice president and dean’s office.
  15. Students may not transfer field education credits from a previously earned degree when enrolling in a new degree program at Northeastern Seminary

Application for Advanced Standing without Credit

Accepted applicants and students may apply to the vice president and dean’s office for advanced standing without credit per the following stipulations:

  1. To qualify for consideration, the course(s) must meet the following conditions:
    1. The undergraduate course appears to replicate a specific course requirement in the curriculum
    2. It has a transcript listing at the 300 level or higher
    3. The recorded grade is B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher
  2. Advanced standing without credit will be limited to a maximum of twelve credits in the M.Div. program and six credits in any M.A. program.

Application for Advanced Standing with Credit

Accepted applicants and students may apply to the vice president and dean’s office for advanced standing with credit for coursework taken as an undergraduate or from an unaccredited graduate program under the following conditions:

  1. Except in certain articulated agreements, advanced standing credit will not be granted as a substitute for, or waiver of, field education (MIN 731—734NE) or capstone requirements (RES 690NE, MIN 692NE, MIN 790NE)
  2. Advanced standing with credit will be limited to one-fourth of the total credits required for the degree, subject to the limitations of number one above
  3. Students must complete an advanced standing exam for each course for which advanced standing with credit is being sought
  4. An exam credit posting charge of $25/credit hour will be applied to the student’s account when credit for passed exams is added to the student’s Seminary transcript
  5. All exams will be given and graded by professors who have expertise in the areas tested
  6. The exams are evaluated as pass (80% or higher) or fail
  7. Students are encouraged to take all advanced standing exams before completing the first year of the program

Students may complete advanced standing with credit through an approved B.A. + M.Div. program at one of the Seminary's partner schools. Courses in these programs require students to complete a graduate-level assignment as a part of undergraduate coursework. Students may contact the admissions office for a list of current courses and program partners.

Biblical Language Proficiency

The Northeastern Seminary biblical language proficiency requirement may be met by one of the following means:

  • Successfully completing a 3-credit Northeastern Seminary course: HEB 510NE-Biblical Hebrew or GRK 510NE-Biblical Greek
  • Passing the Northeastern Seminary year one Advanced Standing exam in either Greek or Hebrew with at least 80% to receive three Greek or Hebrew graduate credits

Advanced Standing without credit does not fulfill the biblical language proficiency requirement.