Academic Appeals

An academic petition may be submitted to request changes to program requirements or to request an exception to academic policy. In all cases, students must consult with their faculty advisor prior to submitting a petition. Extenuating circumstances must be accounted for to warrant consideration for the petition.

Academic Petition Form

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.

Add/Drop/Withdrawal

Adding Courses. The deadline to enroll in a TMU course depends on the type of class and the academic term.

• On-campus courses and High School Partnership courses:
  • Fall or Spring: 10th business day of term (excluding holidays)
  • Winterim: First day of class
  • Post-Session/Summer: Second day of class
• Online courses:
  • Any term: Fourth day of class

Dropping Courses. The deadline to drop a TMU class without penalty depends on the type of class and the academic term.

1. On-campus courses and High School Partnership courses:
   • Fall or Spring: 10th business day of term (excluding holidays)
   • Winterim: First day of class
   • Post-Session/Summer: Second day of class
2. Online courses:
   • Any term: Friday of the second week of class

Withdrawal. The deadline to withdraw from a TMU class depends on the type of class and the academic term. After the drop deadline, a withdrawal will be denoted on the student’s record (transcript) by a grade of “W” for withdrawn.

1. On-campus classes and High School Partnership courses:
   • Fall or Spring (grade of “W”): Monday of the 14th week of term.
   • Winterim (grade of “W”): Fourth day of class.
   • Post-Session/Summer (grade of “W”): Eighth day of class.
2. Online classes: a. Any term (grade of “W”): Monday of the sixth week of class.

Changes in Course Schedule. If a student desires to withdraw from a course after the add/drop period, he/she must have the permission of the instructor, academic advisor, and the Office of the Registrar. Add/Drop forms are available in the Office of the Registrar and on the Student Portal online.

Class Levels

Freshman: An accepted high school graduate who has enrolled in the University and less than 30 completed semester units.

Sophomore: A student with at least 30 completed semester units.

Junior: A student with at least 60 completed semester units.

Senior: A student with at least 90 completed semester units.

Complete Withdrawal from The Master’s University

A student who, for any reason, finds it necessary to withdraw from the university during the course of the semester must do so through the Admissions Office. The student must complete the Complete Withdrawal form. Failure to comply with these regulations will result in failing grades entered on the student’s record. Any refund due the student is according to the refund policy available in the Student Accounts Center.

Directed Studies

Directed Studies (DS)

A Directed Studies (DS) course is a course that does not meet as a regularly scheduled class. A DS course may be appropriate to resolve a scheduling conflict, to complete a course not offered in a given academic term, or to study an academic topic or subject matter not offered by TMU.

Directed Studies Course Contract

A “Directed Studies Course Contract” is used to enroll in a DS course. A completed Contract may be submitted to the Registrar’s Office as soon as the registration period opens for a given academic term and must be submitted no later than the end of the add/drop period for the academic term in which the DS course is to be added. Drop/withdrawal procedures are identical to those for non-DS courses.

Completion

A DS course taken in either the Fall or Spring term must be completed by the end of that academic term. A DS course taken in either the Winter or Summer term must be completed by the Friday before the start of the subsequent academic term. If a student does not complete the DS work on time, the Registrar’s Office will assign a grade of “F” to the student for the DS course.

Tuition

For tuition purposes, there is no distinction between units from DS and non-DS courses. Tuition refunds for dropping a DS course will be calculated and processed in accordance with normal Student Accounts procedures. A DS course fee of $50 per unit may be assessed in addition to tuition. The DS course fee is non-refundable after the end of the add/drop period.

Maximum:

• A student may enroll in no more than two DS courses in any one academic term.
• A maximum of 13 units of TMU DS coursework may be used to complete a bachelor’s degree program.

Enrollment Verification

Written verification of enrollment may be requested by a student at any time during the semester. Verification of enrollment may be released to any party: for student loan deferment, good student discounts on auto insurance, health insurance, scholarships, etc. A copy of the verification is kept in the student’s file. The Master’s University can verify enrollment for current and previous semesters, not for future semesters.

Enrollment Verification Request

Good Standing

Information to come!

GPA Verification for Cal-Grant

GPA Verification for Cal-Grant

Grades

Audit (AUD). Audit students are those who receive no credit but wish to attend lectures in a course or participate in musical ensembles or private lessons without any responsibility to take examinations, complete homework or papers or practice hours, or be evaluated. Audit registration will appear on the student’s record but will not be included in computing a full-time academic load. Students may audit a maximum of three units per academic year. Audit-only students must submit an application for admission and a pastor recommendation to the Office of Admissions.

Credit (CR). Credit is measured in semester units. A semester unit represents one recitation period (55 minutes) per week for one semester of 15 weeks and assumes about two hours of outside preparation for each recitation period. Credit units of each course are given with each course description.

Failure (F). No credit or grade points given. This policy means all units attempted that are shown on the transcript as “F” will be charged against the student with a value of 0.00 grade points. The effect of this will be to lower the overall GPA.

Incomplete (I) See Forms below.

• Extenuating Circumstances. This is based on professor discretion and approval. An Incomplete Contract Form (available through the Registrar) between professor and student must be completed, signed, and filed with the Office of Registrar.
• This is based on a medical injury/illness that prohibits a student’s ability to complete the academic semester. Medical documentation must be submitted to the Office of Disability Services (ODS) for review and approval. An Incomplete Contract Form is between ODS/Professor/Student and must be completed, signed, and filed with ODS and Office of Registrar. Any Incomplete not finished within the terms of the Incomplete Contract will lapse into the grade designated on the Incomplete Contract.

No-Credit (NC). No credit.

Pass (P). Indicates that the student passed a course, but credits do not count toward GPA, such as MA090.

Quality Points (QP). Quality points are assigned in order to determine the student’s scholastic average. Quality points are determined by multiplying the grade points by the number of semester units of credits given in each course. 45

Withdraw (W). Indicates withdrawal from a course after the add/drop period but before the withdrawal deadline. The course will remain on the transcript but will not be reflected in the student’s GPA.

Grade Changes

It is the student’s responsibility to immediately bring any error in grades to the attention of the instructor. Grade changes are made at the discretion of the instructor and will be posted to the student’s permanent record when the instructor completes a Grade Change Form and returns it to the Registrar’s Office.

Full-Time Student

A student who is carrying a minimum load of 12 semester units. Only full-time students not on academic probation may be elected to student association offices, serve on student publications, or compete on intercollegiate athletic teams unless an NAIA exception applies.

Exception: A senior in their last semester can take six units on campus in addition to six units online and be considered full-time.

Repeated Courses

A student may repeat any course which was previously attempted. No additional credits may be earned, however, by repeating a course which a student has already passed (grade of D- or higher) unless the course is designated as repeatable for credit. When a course is repeated at The Master’s University, the subsequent grade replaces the previous grade for GPA purposes (even if lower), but the previous grade remains on the student’s academic record and transcript.

Scholastic Honors

It is recognized that the ability to concentrate and persevere in scholastic work is an important part of the preparation for effective Christian ministry. The following scholastic honors are recognized:

Semester Honors: Granted to undergraduate students completing 15 or more semester units who attain the following grade point average:

• President’s List 3.80
• Dean’s List 3.60

Graduation Honors: Granted at graduation to students who have completed at least 60 semester units at The Master’s University and have attained the following cumulative grade point average:

• Summa cum laude 3.85
• Magna cum laude 3.65
• Cum laude 3.50

Scholastic Probation

Any student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation for one semester. Any student entering on probation is limited to 15 units per semester. They must earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 at the end of the first semester to be removed from probation.

Any student whose cumulative GPA remains below 2.00 for two consecutive semesters will be subject to academic disqualification. A student subject to disqualification may appeal by submitting a letter to the Vice President for Academic Affairs stating why he/she should not be disqualified. The student’s request will then be reviewed by the Academic Affairs Council for final decision.

The procedure for readmission of an academically disqualified student includes: (1) a minimum of one semester of academic suspension, (2) attendance at another accredited institution and achievement of a 2.50 cumulative GPA on a minimum of twelve semester units of transferable coursework with no course grade lower than a “C”, and (3) review of the student’s application for readmission by the admissions committee.

Any student whose GPA falls below 2.00 may not participate in extracurricular activities such as student government, athletics, music and mission teams.

Winterim & Post-Session

Non-term courses are identified as those not taken during the fall or spring semesters. Non-term at The Master’s University is considered as winterim and post-session.

Winterim takes place during the second week of January. Course registration for winterim takes place simultaneously with spring course registration and extends until the first day of the winterim class. Tuition and fees are included on the student’s spring bill. A student may take no more than three total units during Winterim.

Post-session takes place during two time periods: 1) the final three weeks of May and 2) the first three weeks of June. Course registration for post-session begins during spring course registration and extends until the first day of the post-session class. Tuition and fees must be paid before the first day of class. A student may take no more than six units during each post-session.

Maximum

Students may take a maximum of 24 units of Post-Session or Winterim TMU courses.