Admission to the Master’s Degree Programs
In addition to the Regulations Concerning General Admission, applicants for admission to any master’s degree program must meet the following requirements:
Education Requirements
Normally, all applicants to any master’s degree program must have graduated from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. It is recommended that this degree should include at least 60 semester hours of liberal arts studies (other than religious studies). The applicant’s grade point average for all college-level work must be at least a C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale).
An official transcript is required from each institution of higher learning that the applicant has attended. Transcripts from institutions from which the applicant has received a degree must show the date of graduation and the degree granted. Students still in the process of completing an undergraduate degree at the time that they apply to the Seminary may submit a current official transcript. An official final transcript showing the degree granted and date of graduation must then be submitted by the end of the first semester of study at MABTS.
Undergraduate students who are within nine semester hours of graduation from college may be allowed, with faculty permission, to enroll concurrently in the Seminary for a maximum of one semester while completing their baccalaureate degree, provided that all other admission requirements are met.
Minimum Age
All applicants to any master’s degree program must be at least 20 years old by the time of their first registration.
Provisional Admission
The Seminary may require students to make up serious deficiencies in their undergraduate studies. All exceptions to published admission requirements must be approved by the faculty upon recommendation of the Dean of the Seminary. In such cases, an applicant will be granted provisional admission. During this period, students are subject to the same limitations as students under academic probation, described under Disciplinary Regulations in this catalog. Provisional admission will be removed after a student completes 15 semester hours at the Seminary and keeps a grade point average of at least a C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale).
Non-Accredited Baccalaureate Institutions
Students are admitted from baccalaureate institutions that are not accredited by one of the regional accreditation agencies within the following guidelines:
- Students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and it is recommended that their degree should include at least 60 semester hours of liberal arts.
- Not more than 10 percent of the total enrollment in master-level programs may be made up of graduates from non-accredited institutions.
- Students must have completed the work in resident study. In the case of students who receive their degrees from institutions that offer online baccalaureate degrees, such degrees must be accredited by one of the regional accrediting agencies. The Seminary faculty will consider each application on an individual basis.
- The Seminary faculty must approve such applicants.
- Approved students will be on academic probation during their first semester.
The Seminary does not discriminate against students who graduated from non-accredited institutions once they have been admitted.