Academic Information

Academic Counseling

Students will be assigned a faculty advisor at the beginning of their studies at Trinity Graduate School. The faculty advisor will provide not only academic guidance but also a measure of spiritual, emotional, and social counsel. Advisors will assist students in making the necessary adjustments to campus life and in planning an appropriate program of study. The Associate Registrar in the Records Office is also available by appointment to discuss program completion requirements.

Academic Handbook

Detailed information related to the MA/L and MA/MHC programs of the Graduate School is contained in the Academic Handbook. Students enrolled in degree programs are responsible for the contents of this document, which can be found online at MyTIU > Academic Resources > Student Handbooks.

Academic Load

To be considered full time, TGS master’s-level students must enroll in at least 9 credit hours each semester. Students will be considered part time if they are enrolled in 1-8 credit hours. For financial aid purposes “half time” is defined as 5-8 credit hours.

Students may not register for more than 18 credit hours in any semester without approval in advance by the Dean’s Office.

If it is necessary to earn part or all expenses while enrolled at Trinity, students are encouraged to reduce their academic load accordingly. If employed for more than twenty hours per week, students are advised against registering for a full-time academic load.

Students are responsible to submit all required academic work by the assigned deadline for every course, including internship, guided research, and reading courses. Work that is completed, but not submitted, will not be accepted beyond the end of the course. In cases where students have an emergency during the semester, the professor is allowed to grant an exception, provided that all work is submitted by the end of the semester. Extensions beyond the end of a semester are approved only by the TEDS/TGS Dean of Students in Bannockburn and by Director of Academic Operations at TIU-Florida .

Academic Year

Residential programs within Trinity Graduate School operate on the semester system, in which the academic year is divided into three semesters. The fall, spring, and summer semesters are fourteen weeks, plus an exam week, each, and full-time students take three or four courses per semester.

In the residential programs, a semester hour is equivalent to fifty minutes of class instruction per week for one semester. For the purpose of comparing semester hours with quarter hours, 1 semester hour equals 1.5 quarter hours.

Nonresidential programs, such as the MA/L (blended), may have course starts and class configurations that vary from the traditional semester format. Course credits for these classes are expressed in semester hour equivalents.

Active and Inactive Student Status

Program students are expected to register at the beginning of each semester for coursework (including short-term modular courses) or other program requirements (internship, thesis, extensions of capstones, etc.) that they intend to complete during the semester. The status of such students is considered active, and campus services, such as library, e-mail, and faculty, are available to them. Student accounts must also be in good standing for a student to remain active and able to register for the next semester.

Students who desire not to register for classes for a period of one to three semesters (a maximum of twelve months) should request a Leave of Absence (LOA) from the Graduate Student Life Office (see “Leave of Absence Policy” in this Catalog). This apprises Trinity of student program plans and enables appropriate services to be provided. If a student desires to leave TGS, a withdrawal must be completed through the Graduate Student Life Office (see “withdrawal” in this catalog).

If a LOA or withdrawal has not been completed by students and they do not register and successfully complete coursework each consecutive semester (fall, spring; summer is exempt), their status is rendered inactive (e.g., active students must register for at least one course each semester).

Inactive students wishing to reenroll must reapply to TGS with no guarantee of readmission. At the time that inactive students reapply, they are subject to a reactivation fee. Students who withdraw appropriately and reapply are not subject to a reactivation fee.

Catalog

Students admitted to Trinity Graduate School will be subject to the program requirements of the catalog that is current at the time of initial enrollment rather than the catalog that was current when application was made. The catalog is updated annually. Students may complete the graduation requirements for their programs under the terms of the catalog that is current when they first enroll or any other subsequent catalog published by Trinity Graduate School during the time of uninterrupted resident study. If students ever withdraw and are readmitted, or if they finish one program and are readmitted into a second one, they will be subject to the requirements of the catalog that is current in the term when they re-enroll. 

Course Scheduling

Classes are arranged in a variety of formats, generally depending on the program. Some classes during fall and spring semesters are arranged in a block format in which each course meets once or twice a week throughout the semester, ranging from sixty to one-hundred minutes per meeting. Classes meeting twice weekly are normally scheduled in either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday combinations. Modular courses meet during the fall and spring semesters and during the summer on designated weekdays or weekends or as conference wrap-around courses. They generally require pre- and post-coursework.  

Examinations

All students, whether or not English is their primary language, are expected to complete all examinations—quizzes, midterms, finals, comprehensive exams, and otherwise—within the time allotted for the particular exam. Those students covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should consult with the Dean of Students if they need adjustments in the location, length, or manner of their exams based on documented disability.

Final Examinations

Final examinations are held during specified times in every regularly scheduled university course. These require mastery of subject matter, but the method and manner in which such mastery is demonstrated is left to the discretion of each faculty member. All final examinations must be taken when scheduled unless there is an emergency, in which case the Dean of Students office may grant permission for a change in final examination time.

Gender References in Speech and Writing

In recognition of the divine act of creation whereby the imago Dei (image of God) has been equally given to women and men, the faculty of Trinity International University offers the following statement on gender references in speech and writing. We do this as a demonstration of the reality of our belief in the imago Dei and as an example of our serious desire to see all men and women treated with the worth and value with which both were invested since the creation of the world:

As members of the faculty of Trinity International University and leaders in the church of our Lord, we recognize that God has given his gifts to both men and women in the body of Christ. Therefore, as we teach in class, speak in the pulpit, or write our books and articles, we commit ourselves, before God, to be sensitive to the presence and needs of both sexes and the forms of address that will represent both genders rather than unthinkingly adopt potentially offensive conventions of speech.

Our decision is based on the fact that God’s gift of the imago Dei to both women and men has forever settled the question of their equal worth, value, and meaning as persons.

As believers desiring to support such an affirmation, we intend, by God’s help, to avoid any unwarranted usage of exclusive language. We will seek to avoid referring to all men and women as if only one gender were in view when actually we are intending to address the whole group.

Furthermore, we pledge ourselves as faculty to encourage students, staff members, and the wider Christian community to use language and illustrations that include women and men in teaching, writing, witness, and worship.

This statement reflects the principles of both Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Trinity Graduate School.

 

Grading

The following criteria are used at Trinity Graduate School in assigning letter grades:

“A” Designates outstanding work: superior achievement of course objectives
“B” Designates good work: commendable achievement of course objectives
“C” Designates acceptable work: satisfactory achievement of course objectives

Note: Courses for which a student receives a grade of “C-” or lower will not be counted toward meeting degree requirements.

“D” Designates minimal work: marginal achievement of course objectives
“F” Designates failure: unacceptable work. Normally assigned also to courses dropped after the eighth week of the semester, except in emergency circumstances.

The following grade points are assigned to letter grades:

A 4.0
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0
C- 1.7
D+ 1.3
D 1.0
D- 0.7
F 0.0

The following grades and notations are also used in the grading system of the University:

CR/NC (Credit/No Credit): Certain courses of a practical nature such as colloquia and internships are offered only on a CR/NC basis. Other courses such as — 7501 Guided Research are completed for a letter grade or CR/NC. One option must be chosen at the time of registration.

  • CR (Credit): Represents the successful completion of a course offered on a credit/no credit basis. These hours apply toward graduation requirements but are not calculated in the grade point average.
  • NC (No Credit): Represents the failure to complete successfully a course offered on a credit/no credit basis. These hours are calculated as hours attempted but do not apply toward graduation requirements and are not used in the calculation of grade point averages.

AU (Audit): Indicates that the student registered for the class on an audit basis; normally indicates regular attendance in class and participation in discussion although not enrolled for credit. Since no grade is assigned, grade points and hours are not accumulated for courses audited.

NR: Not Reported. (A special grade designation is posted when a student grade is not submitted by a faculty instructor. The student will see an “NR” designation posted on the web grade report on the my.TIU dashboard, which indicates that the Records Office is waiting for the grade to be submitted. Students should contact their faculty instructor with questions regarding any pending grades posted with an “NR” designation.) An NR designation on a student’s record that remains for longer than three consecutive semesters will be administratively changed to an “F” (failing grade).

EX: Official extension granted.

W (Withdrawal): Indicates that a student dropped a course after the add period for a class but before the appropriate deadline:

  • Traditional courses (semester, quad, etc.) must be dropped within the first 50 percent of class meetings.
  • Modular courses must be dropped by the end of the first class meeting.

No hours or grades are recorded as attempted. Withdrawals after the deadline result in administrative assignment of an “F.”

NOTE: Students should note that tuition and fees assessment and financial aid deadlines may differ from academic deadlines.

Grade Replacement Policy

A student may elect to repeat any course in which a grade of “B-” or lower is earned provided that the repeated course is taken at Trinity Graduate School (TGS) in a regularly scheduled class, or as a reading course with instructor’s permission. The higher grade earned in the course will be used in the calculation of the GPA.

A student who has earned a “C-” or lower grade at TGS may repeat the course at another institution, and the credits earned (with the appropriate transfer grade level) may be applied toward degree completion; however, the grade earned at another institution will not be used in computing the TGS cumulative GPA.

A repeated TGS course, for which credit has been earned, may produce an improved grade and improved cumulative grade point average but will not provide additional credits. A required course in which a “C” or higher is earned may be repeated only once. All courses, grades, and GPA calculations will remain printed on the transcript.

Independent Study Options

In general, a maximum of one-third of a student’s program may be completed through guided research, reading courses, or extension or distance education courses. The maximum for some programs may be higher.