Transfer from Another Institution

Students wishing to transfer from other seminaries to Brite Divinity School follow the basic application procedure. In addition, a student applying for transfer from another fully accredited theological seminary is requested to attach a “Statement of Explanation and Purpose” for the proposed transfer. A student seeking to transfer must also have a letter from the seminary indicating “student in good standing” status. After a transfer student has been admitted, the student may petition the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to receive transfer credit toward the Brite degree. Transfer students seeking transfer credit must complete a “Transfer Credit Request Form” which is available in both the Office of Admissions and the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The material requested at the bottom of that form (including course descriptions and other catalog information) must be submitted by the student before transcripts will be reviewed by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Once all materials are complete and turned into the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the transcript will be evaluated to determine (a) the total number of hours that may be accepted for transfer credit, and (b) the transferred courses that meet Brite degree program requirements. Only the courses with a grade of B- or better, and courses normally completed within the last seven years, will be accepted for credit. Please note: A copy of the appropriate seminary catalog must be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for transfer credit evaluation.

Applicants to the M.Div. program with a completed degree from a fully accredited theological seminary may apply for transfer consideration for up to one-quarter the number of hours completed for the previous degree. Transfer credit will be considered under the following conditions: (1) These applicants will be required to complete with the faculty of Brite Divinity School at least sixty semester hours for the M.Div. degree; (2) graduate credit earned at a fully accredited seminary must be compatible with the curricular structure of Brite Divinity School programs in order to receive semester hour transfer; (3) normally Brite Divinity School does not accept for transfer any hours completed more than seven years prior to enrollment; and (4) normally hours which are part of a completed degree are not transferable into the M.T.S., M.A.T.M., Th.M., Ph.D. or C.T.S. programs.

Applicants to the M.Div. program with a completed non-seminary graduate degree who petition for transfer consideration will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Normally no more than six semester hours credit will be granted toward the M.Div. degree. Normally, Brite Divinity School does not accept the transfer of any hours completed more than seven years prior to enrollment. Applicants with non-seminary credits that did not contribute to a completed degree program may be eligible to receive a maximum transfer credit of six semester hours toward the M.Div. program and three semester hours toward the M.T.S., M.A.T.M., and Th.M. programs. In all cases, these hours must be compatible with the purposes and the curricular structures of these Brite programs in order to receive semester hour transfer credit.

Students, once accepted into a degree program at Brite Divinity School, may occasionally take courses in other seminary or graduate programs. Academic credit in such cases will be limited to twelve hours for the M.Div. program, six hours for the M.T.S. and M.A.T.M. programs, three hours for the Th.M. program, and three hours for the C.T.S. program. Students who transfer hours from another institution upon entering Brite may be limited in the number of additional hours they may take at another institution. Hours taken at another institution while enrolled at Brite will be added to any hours transferred to Brite upon matriculation. The combination of transferred hours must be less than fifty percent of the hours required for the degree. In all cases, only elective credit will be granted for such course work. The twelve-hour limitation placed on the M.Div. program does not include C.P.E. courses. All arrangements for credit must be preapproved by the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

In all cases, a student who transfers from another institution to the M.Div. program must complete at least forty-one semester hours at Brite Divinity School to receive a degree. A student may transfer no more than twenty-four of the credit hours necessary for the Master of Theological Studies degree, twenty-three semester hours for the Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry degree, twelve semester hours for the Ph.D. degree, nine semester hours for the Master of Theology degree or the Certificate of Theological Studies, or three semester hours for the Doctor of Ministry degree. Doctoral courses at the 90000 level taken at Brite Divinity School while in the Th.M. program may be evaluated for transfer credit into the program Ph.D. program. These hours are evaluated by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the end of the first full year of Ph.D. study at Brite Divinity School. Normally, a transfer student must complete the final twenty-five semester hours of the M.T.S. and M.A.T.M. programs, fifteen semester hours of the Th.M. program, or twelve hours of the C.T.S. program at Brite Divinity School directly under the supervision of the Brite faculty. (C.P.E. work is not normally under the direct supervision of Brite faculty and will not count toward this requirement.)

Transfer credit hours are not used in the calculation of the cumulative GPA.

Transfer Between Brite Programs

Students currently enrolled in the M.A.T.M., M.T.S. or the M.Div. programs who would like to transfer into one of the other programs may make application to do so (through the Office of Admissions) once they have completed 18 hours at Brite. Only grades of “C” (2.0) or above will be transferred. Those who wish to transfer from the M.T.S. or M.A.T.M. programs to the M.Div. program, however, must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75. Normally, students transferring from the M.Div. to the M.T.S. program must complete at least 12 hours and the 4-hours Colloquium and Final Exercise independent research study courses while enrolled in the M.T.S. program. Normally, students transferring from the M.Div. to the M.A.T.M. program must complete at least 12 hours while enrolled in the M.A.T.M. program.