Academic Policies

Transfer Credit

Courses being considered for transfer credit must meet the following criteria:

• The course must be taken at a regionally or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredited institution. The institution must have been accredited at the time the courses were completed.
• The course must be equivalent in content and credit hours (i.e. 4.5 quarter hours = 3 semester credit hours).
• The student must earn a grade of B- or better. A course graded on a pass/fail basis will not transfer.
• Credits that exceed ten years from the date of completion are not transferable toward current program requirements.
• The combined total of all transfer credits cannot exceed 50% of a student’s program requirements.
• The course fulfills one of the student’s academic program requirements.
• Records must be submitted on official transcripts within the first semester of enrollment.
• Students submitting international transcripts will be required to have a course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services (wes.org or (212) 966-6311) or Education Credential Evaluators (ece.org or (414) 289-3400).

Advanced Standing / Validation Exam Credit

Advanced Standing Credit

In order to receive advanced standing credit, the following criteria must be met:

• The course must be taken at a regionally or Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) accredited institution.
• The course must be upper-level (300–400 level).
• The course must be equivalent in content.
• The student must earn a grade of B- or better. A course graded on a pass/fail basis will not transfer.
• Credits that exceed ten years from the date of completion are not eligible for advanced standing.
• Records must be submitted on official transcripts within the first semester of enrollment.

Advanced standing credit and validation examination credit combined cannot exceed 25% of a program (see Academic Credit Limits).

Validation Exam Credit

MTS offers validation examinations for all courses to students who desire to earn graduate academic credit based on undergraduate coursework completed at a Bible or Christian liberal arts college, extensive personal study, or other nontransferable learning. For more information contact the MTS office at 312-329-4314.

Academic Credit Limits

The maximum of transfer, advanced standing, and validation examination credit allowed in each academic program are as follows:

*Note: Transfer credit, advanced standing credit, and validation examination credit combined cannot exceed 50% of a program.

Directed Study Credit

A directed study course is an option available to students who, due to extenuating circumstances, are not able to meet program or graduation requirements within the regularly scheduled courses. Directed studies may only be used to meet requirements for a student’s designated degree program. Students must request a directed study using the form available from the Office of Academic Records. Students enrolled in a graduate certificate program are allowed a maximum of three credits of directed study. Students enrolled in a master's degree program are allowed a maximum of six credits of directed study. Students enrolled in the Master of Divinity degree program are allowed a maximum of nine credits of directed study.

Access to Records

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amend­ed, sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records. This document outlines the Moody Bible Institute polices for the handling of student educational records, which are protected by this federal law. All edu­cational officials requesting educational records on any MBI (MTS) student must read the following policies and demonstrate a legitimate educational interest in order to access FERPA-protected information.

This information is also provided to all students at Moody Bible Institute and Moody Theological Seminary as required by federal law, in accordance with the Annual Notification Requirement. Students have three primary rights under FERPA. These rights include 1) the right to inspect and review their educational records, 2) the right to seek to amend educational records, and 3) the right to have some control over the disclosure of information from their education records.

Moody Bible Institute is in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which is designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of the students to inspect and review their records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or mis­leading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office concerning alleged failures by Moody Bible Institute to comply with the provisions of the Act. Such complaints should be sent to Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.

For additional information, contact the Academic Records office at (312) 329-2087 or academicrecords@moody.edu.

Active students are required to meet all academic requirements within their academic program time limit as listed below:

Students who need additional time to complete their certificate or degree program must submit the Graduate Program Extension Appeal prior to the final semester of their program time limit. If denied, students will be required to complete all requirements by the original program time limit. Failure to do so will result in discontinuation from their program.