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Special Students

Persons who desire to take courses at Brite Divinity School not leading to a degree or certificate may apply to be special students. “Special Student” usually designates those who are pursuing graduate work at another institution who need to take specific courses, persons with undergraduate degrees from accredited colleges or universities who wish to take a course in a particular area of interest, or persons with graduate theological degrees who wish to take a course for professional development. On occasion, Brite will allow those who have not fully completed the application for admission to a degree program to enroll as a Special Student for one semester. Continuation in studies at the Divinity School requires either regular admission to a degree program or a new application to enroll as a Special Student that is subject to the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Some courses may not be open to Special Students when the nature, size, or scope of the course requires that it be restricted to degree candidates. In addition, those enrolled in degree programs receive priority over special students in the registration process. Special Students who are approved to enroll in a course but are unable to do so because the course closes are able to reapply to take the course the next time it is offered. If approved, the Special Student may register for the course one day after the start of pre-registration.

Successful completion of a course is noted on the student’s transcript, and transcripts will be mailed to other institutions upon request. However, no work taken as a Special Student will count automatically toward a degree at Brite. If the student wishes to enroll for a degree, the regular admission procedure must be followed. After admission as a degree candidate, students may petition the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for an evaluation of their work as a Special Student.

The maximum number of hours accepted for work completed as a Special Student is twelve hours toward the M.Div., M.A.T.M., and M.T.S. degrees. Hours completed as a Special Student do not count toward the Th.M., D.Min. and Ph.D. degrees.

Audit Enrollment

At Brite Divinity School occasional visitation of classes by students is allowed with the consent of the instructor. In all cases, attendance of more than one-third of the class sessions requires official enrollment as an auditor. Auditors are admitted to classes on space-available basis only. Interested returning students should consult the instructor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. New students should consult Brite’s Office of Admissions. An audit fee is charged, and written permission of the instructor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs is required. Full-time students enrolled in a program other than the PhD program, and faculty spouses, are eligible for grants equivalent to the audit fee. Brite will pay audit fees for up to two courses audited by PhD students. Normally, no more than one course per semester may be audited.

The only period during which students may register for an audit or change a credit class to audit is from the second day of late registration as published in the Divinity School calendar up to the end of the time period covered by the first one-third of the class sessions. Students wishing to audit courses must be admitted for graduate study through the Admissions Office and have written approval of either the instructor of the course for which they wish to register or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Classroom recitation and participation may be restricted at the discretion of the instructor; no grade is assigned and no credit is awarded.

If credit is desired, the student must register for and repeat the regular course after paying regular tuition. If a student switches from credit to audit enrollment for a class, that too may be done no later than the time period covered by the first one-third of the class sessions.

The student’s name will appear on the instructor’s class roll. In order for “AU” to appear on the transcript, however, the instructor must certify at the end of the semester that the student has attended as an auditor. Audits not approved by the instructor as a final grade will be omitted from the student record.