Academic Dishonesty

It is the responsibility of the faculty member to pursue suspected incidents of academic dishonesty occurring within his/her courses. If a student is found to be guilty of cheating, plagiarism, or another form of academic dishonesty, the faculty member is required to document the incident in writing and submit the report to the Provost. The first documented incident of academic dishonesty will result in the student failing the assignment or the course at the instructor’s discretion, depending on the severity of the incident. Any subsequent documented offense of academic dishonesty by that student (regardless of whether it occurs in the same or any other course taken by the student at the University) will result in automatic failure of the course and expulsion of the student from the University for a minimum of one academic year.

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Academic Probation

Academic Probation is a status assigned to students who do not meet satisfactory academic requirements (see below). It is a procedure that helps the Graduate Studies faculty and staff monitor the student’s progress in the program and come alongside those who may need greater assistance to improve their academic skills. Students will only be placed on Academic Probation one semester at a time. Students who satisfactorily improve their academic results during the semester of academic probation will be taken off academic probation for the following semester. Students who are unable to satisfactorily improve their academic results during the semester of academic probation may be placed on academic probation for another semester or asked to take a leave of absence from studies, as deemed by the Graduate Studies administration.

New Students

To enter the Graduate Studies program, prospective students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in their undergraduate studies, provide a satisfactory educator recommendation, and supply a writing sample that demonstrates competency for graduate level writing and research. For those who do not meet this qualification, the Admissions Committee may place such students on academic probation at the start of the program or deny them admittance to the program.

Current Students

Current students in the Graduate Studies program are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and a grade of ‘C’ or higher for each class they take. Students who do not meet these standards in a given semester may be placed on academic probation for the following semester. Any class in which the student earns a ‘C-‘ or lower will need to be retaken before graduation at the current cost.

Any graduate student whose cumulative GPA remains below 3.0 or receives grades lower than a C- in classes for two consecutive semesters will be subject to academic disqualification and dismissal from the University. A student subject to disqualification may appeal by submitting a letter to the Provost, stating why he/she should not be disqualified. The student’s request will then be reviewed by the Provost for a final decision.

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Active Student Status

Continuing Education

For students to remain active in the program, they need to take classes every fall and spring semester (summer semesters are optional). However, students can take advantage of the continuing education provision for each semester they cannot take classes during a fall or spring semester. This involves registering for BC091 Continuing Education through the registration portal (see below).

The continuing education fee is $50 per semester. Students may register for the continuing education fee for a maximum of three semesters (consecutively or in total) to extend their active status in the program when they don’t take classes during fall or spring semesters.

The continuing education fee can be paid by registering for classes like normal, except instead of selecting typical classes, students can just add BC091 Continuing Education to their cart. BC091 is not a course, but rather an indicator that lets our Registrar and Student Accounts offices know that such students are not taking classes but still want to keep their student status active in their program.

Students will become inactive, must reapply to return to the program, and are subject to any applicable fees, if they fail to meet the criteria above.

Program Extension

For students to remain active in the program, they need to finish the program in 6 fall and 6 spring semesters (12 fall and spring semesters total). Each fall and spring semester a student is active in the program counts toward the total number of semesters allowed, regardless of whether the student took classes that semester. However, students can take advantage of the program extension provision once their limit is reached to extend their active status in the program. This involves registering for BC092 Program Extension through the registration portal (see below).

The program extension fee is $150 per semester and is to be paid each semester following the term limit assigned to each student. The fee needs to start being paid the next fall or spring semester after the student reaches their limit of either 6 fall and 6 spring semesters. Students have a maximum of three consecutive semesters (fall or spring) over which they can pay the $150 program extension fee in order to maintain their active status in the program.

The program extension fee can be paid by registering for classes like normal, except students can add BC092 Program Extension to their cart in addition to the classes they are taking that semester. BC092 is not a course, but rather an indicator that lets our Registrar and Student Accounts offices know that such students want to keep their student status active in their program after reaching their allotted limit of semesters.

Students will become inactive, must reapply to return to the program, and may need to take some or all of their classes over again, if they fail to meet any of the following criteria above.

If a student needs to reapply to the program, the 6 fall semesters and 6 spring semesters or the 6 summer semesters will reset to 0.

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Advanced Standing

Any graduate from TMU’s undergraduate biblical counseling major is immediately eligible for up to six (6) credits of advanced standing in the program. The department also reserves the privilege to award sixteen (16) credits of advanced standing in the program based upon an evaluation of previous study and experience. Students awarded advanced standing will be waived credits on selected program requirements. Advanced standing is not guaranteed and will be decided on an individual basis at the discretion of the program director and Biblical Counseling Department chairperson.

Considering the Graduate Studies program’s unique curriculum and emphasis on biblical counseling and the sufficiency of Scripture to handle all soul-related problems, it is not common for students to receive advanced standing from other graduate schools of study, even if the student majored in psychology, Christian Counseling, or biblical studies. Furthermore, re-admit students are not guaranteed they will receive advanced standing for classes previously taken. Since curriculum can change over the years, along with accreditation guidelines, the Graduate Studies administration may require students to retake some classes for graduation. If a student has not been active in the program for 10 years or more, the Graduate Studies administration may require the student retake all current courses in the program to graduate.

Students who have received ACBC Certification more than one year prior to starting the MABC program may be eligible for advanced standing in BC501, BC556, and BC592. However, students who have been certified for less than one year prior to starting the MABC program may be required to take these courses and / or additional electives that will assist them in gaining the necessary experience, knowledge, and supervision in training as a biblical counselor. Students who have been certified for more than one year prior to starting the MABC program but have not been actively counseling or involved in biblical counseling ministry may also be required to take these courses to ensure adequate preparation for biblical counseling ministry.

Students who have started but have not completed ACBC Certification prior to starting the MABC program, should not continue to pursue ACBC Certification outside of the MABC program. ACBC Certification is an integral part of the MABC curriculum and the requirements for both the degree and certification are combined into a single course of study. Students are recommended for ACBC Certification when they complete the MABC program. Students are encouraged but not required to attend the annual ACBC Conference following successful completion of the MABC program and following approval of their application for certification, so that they may receive their ACBC Certificate in person.

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Appeals of Academic Dismissal

A student subject to academic dismissal because of a low cumulative GPA or because of academic dishonesty may appeal by submitting a letter to the Provost within two weeks of being notified of dismissal, along with an explanation of why the student believes the dismissal was unfair. The student’s request will be reviewed by the Provost with input from the student’s advisor, faculty who have had the student in recent classes, and the academic counselor. The Provost will make a decision on the appeal, which will be communicated in writing to the student.

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Full/Part-Time Student Status

Any student enrolled in 8 units or more is considered “full-time” in the MABC program. A student must be enrolled in at least 4 units of graduate-level classes to be considered “part-time.”

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Graduation

A student is eligible to graduate with a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Counseling by meeting the following criteria. The student must . . .

1. Complete all current and required coursework.
2. Meet the 34 required units with a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0.
3. Earn a ‘C’ or higher in every required class (including the elective course).
4. Finish the program in no more than 6 falls and 6 springs for residential students, and no more than 6 summers for distance students (with the exception of 3 additional semesters via program extension).
5. Pay all remaining applicable costs and fees.
6. Fill out a graduation contract and pay graduation fee.

Each student coming to the end of his or her program will need to complete a graduation contract. A link to the contract will be sent by email to all students every year in September. Students not planning to graduate by the end of the upcoming Spring semester should not fill out the contract until they anticipate finishing the program before or by the end of the following Spring semester.

If students choose to participate in the ceremony, they will need to indicate this on the graduation contract and will be charged a fee of $125 for cap and gown. If students do not wish to participate in the ceremony, they will need to indicate this on the graduation contract instead and will be charged a fee of only $25. The deadline to complete the graduation contract and pay one of these fees is December 1. After this date, graduation contracts cannot be completed and our university cannot ensure a student’s official graduation come May.

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Pass/Fail

Certain courses in our program are graded on a pass/fail basis (no letter grade A-F is given). These courses occur at the end of a students program of study. Due to the nature of these courses and the grading scheme, students are required to submit work within the first 30 days of the class or they will not pass the class and be required to retake it.

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Proctor Requirements

All Quizzes and Exams in Graduate Studies Biblical Counseling programs require a proctor who meets the following qualifications (unless the exam is taken on-campus during class; i.e. on-campus students only):

• Must be an educator, church leader or staff member of a church or educational institution.
• Must not be a relative (blood or marriage), close friend, roommate, colleague or business partner of the student
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Must subscribe to standards of honesty and integrity.
• Chairman of the Biblical Studies Department or Professors reserve the right at their discretion to disapprove proctors even if they meet the preceding specifications.
• Must provide contact information and be available to discuss the testing process with a staff member from the Graduate Studies Office in the event any verification of the testing procedure, if required.

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Remote Library Access

To facilitate research from off-campus locations, the University library provides remote access to many of The Master’s University’s online databases. This access allows the student to search the available databases from any off-campus computer that has an internet connection. Currently, The Master’s University has more than 20 databases available with remote access. Students are welcome to contact the library directly if they need help with their research needs.

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Scholarships

Scholarships for the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MABC) program are provided through the Graduate Studies department directly, not through our Financial Aid office. Scholarships are awarded semester by semester, any active MABC student who wants a scholarship must apply each semester. Because scholarship funds are provided directly from our department they are limited. In this way, scholarship applications are considered on the basis of a combination of academic performance, financial need, and ministry potential. Scholarship applications are due to be submitted by the first day of the semester to which they will apply. Scholarship notifications will be provided by the beginning of the third week of the semester. Since scholarships are not guaranteed, students should plan to fund their education separately. See Tuition for more information and to apply for scholarships.

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Theological Distinction

The Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling program stands firm on the sufficiency of Scripture, specifically, that the Bible is everything a person needs to address the spiritual problems people face (2 Pet. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). As a result, the MABC program takes the doctrine of sign gifts seriously and holds to a cessationist position. It is the counselor’s responsibility to help a counselee change based on the standard of God’s Word. If other forms of revelation, such as prophecy or tongues, are allowed in biblical counseling, the sufficiency of Scripture is undermined and called into question. We welcome those who are unsure about the gifts as result of not being taught thoroughly about them. The MABC program offers clear instruction on these issues. However, the following consequences could result for those who are approved to enter the program and maintain a non-cessationist position on sign gifts or those who remain unconvinced of the cessationist position after having been taught about it in the program. First, a student may score lower on the ACBC exam which includes questions about the student’s position on the doctrine of sign gifts. It is also possible that a non-cessationist position will prevent a student from obtaining certification with ACBC. Second, a student may score lower on certain assignments and in certain classes based on their position as well.

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