Admission

Admission application forms for all programs are available online at http://www.brite.tcu.edu

Requirements

Master’s Degree and Certificate Programs

Brite Divinity School is selective in its admissions policies. Through a thoughtful evaluation process the Admissions Committee seeks to accept applicants who are capable of engaging in graduate theological education and give evidence of being able to use that education in the service of the church. Factors taken into consideration in making this determination include the applicant’s academic record, personal references that address the applicant’s maturity of character and clarity of purpose, and the applicant’s writing ability as reflected in a personal essay.

For admission to the Masters degree programs (M.Div., M.T.S., and M.A.C.S.), as well as to the Certificate of Theological Studies program, a student must possess a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent as shown by a complete and certified transcript from an accredited college or university. Ordinarily the Divinity School expects that students will have achieved an overall grade point average of at least 2.75 and an average of not less than 3.0 in courses taken at the junior and senior level. Those with a GPA between 2.50 and 2.749 or whose junior and senior course level work is below 3.0 may be eligible for admission on academic probation. Students admitted on academic probation must limit registration to nine credit hours. They are initially eligible for financial aid, although continuation of aid is contingent upon satisfactory progress in the student’s course of study.

For admission into the Master of Theology (Th.M.) program, a student must have completed a first theological masters degree (i.e., M.Div. or M.A., or equivalent). Other admission requirements for this degree are located in the section of this bulletin describing the degree program.

Certain standardized tests may be required of applicants. Selected by the Masters Admissions Committee of Brite Divinity School, the tests may be administered by the Texas Christian University Counseling and Testing Center or by any qualified college or university testing center. Results must be forwarded to the Director of Admissions of Brite Divinity School.

Applications for admission to Masters degree programs at Brite are submitted to the Masters Admissions Committee within 30 days of a completed file being received in the Office of Admissions. The non-refundable application fee for all Masters degree programs is $50. Under most circumstances, action is taken on an application within six weeks, and the applicant receives prompt notification of the decision of the Masters Admissions Committee. If the action is favorable, the applicant will receive an offer of admission as well as an indication of any award of tuition and fee grants.

Applications for a Masters degree program may be submitted at any time during the year, but the Office of Admissions may not be able to act on those applications submitted less than forty-five days prior to the beginning of a semester. The deadline for scholarship and financial aid consideration is March 15 for the following academic year. If aid is available after the deadline, students may be considered for financial aid. If admission has been granted and accepted, a student is eligible to apply for student loans through the Office of Scholarships and Student Financial Aid at TCU. We strongly encourage those requesting student housing to have their applications on file no later than May 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester.

Those applicants whose undergraduate records and potential for ministry indicate that they may be eligible for consideration for an additional financial award that includes an annual stipend will receive a second review. Final decisions for the fall semester will be made shortly after April 1. Recipients of the awards will be notified promptly, and they will have two weeks to notify the Admissions Office whether they wish to accept or decline the stipend.

Every complete application will be carefully reviewed by the Masters Admissions Committee. Brite Divinity School, however, reserves the right to deny admission to those applicants who, in the judgment of the Committee, have not demonstrated adequate academic preparation, personal maturity, or emotional stability, or who, in the judgment of the Committee, are not compatible with the Divinity School's self-understanding as described in its mission statement.

Preparation for Graduate Theological Education. The faculty advises those who are in the process of completing an undergraduate degree to select college courses in the liberal arts and humanities that provide a broad introduction to the history of culture and an understanding of contemporary life and thought. Extensive undergraduate study in religion is not a requirement for admission, although some course work in religion is generally helpful to students beginning graduate theological education. Before entering Brite Divinity School, prospective students are strongly urged to acquire knowledge of a popular word processing program and the ability to navigate within either the Windows or Macintosh environments.

Brite Divinity School welcomes applications from those for whom considerable time has elapsed between the completion of their undergraduate degree and their desire to attend a graduate seminary. If, however, these applicants do not meet the minimum academic standards for admission to a degree program, they may be required to take additional upper level courses in the liberal arts in order to gain admission on academic probation.

Personal Interview and Campus Visit. A personal interview with the Director of Admissions is required of all applicants to the Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Theology, Master of Arts in Christian Service and Certificate of Theological Studies programs. Those who for valid reasons are unable to schedule a personal interview may request to be interviewed by telephone.

The Director of Admissions will be pleased to make arrangements for prospective students to tour the TCU campus, to attend classes, and to visit with Brite students and faculty.

An appointment for a personal interview and a campus visit can be made by contacting the Office of Admissions at Brite Divinity School.

Denominational Endorsement. Normally Brite expects those accepted into the Master of Divinity program to be certified as ministerial candidates by the responsible governing body of their denomination or that they are making reasonable progress toward such certification. Normally, evidence of such certification must be filed with the office of the Director of Field Education and Supervised Ministry before the student is eligible to enroll in PRTH 70503.

Doctor of Ministry Program

For admission to the Doctor of Ministry program, a student must possess a Master of Divinity degree or its formal academic equivalent from an accredited theological school, and at least three years of experience in the full time practice of ministry following completion and reception of the M.Div. or its equivalent. The non-refundable application fee is $75.

Applications to the Doctor of Ministry program are evaluated with a view to determining the applicant’s academic preparation for advanced studies and potential for creativity and effectiveness in Christian ministry. Additional information on requirements for admission to the Doctor of Ministry program may be found in the program descriptions in this bulletin.

Doctor of Philosophy Program

Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation

For admission to the Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation, a student must possess a Master of Divinity degree, Master of Theological Studies degree, Master of Arts degree, Master of Theology degree (or equivalent) with a concentration in biblical studies, from an accredited theological school. The non-refundable application fee is $75.

Applications to the Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation program are evaluated with a view to determining the applicant’s academic and scholarly potential for independent research and vocations of teaching biblical interpretation and related historical and theological areas in theological schools, colleges, and universities, or for the scholarly enhancement of ministerial practice.

Additional information on requirements for admission to the Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation program may be found in the program descriptions in this bulletin. Complete applications and all supporting credentials must be received by January 15. Admission decisions are made by March 31 for fall semester admission.

Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Counseling

For admission to the Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Counseling, a student must possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent from an accredited theological school. The non-refundable application fee is $75.

Applications to the Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Counseling program are evaluated with a view to determining the applicant’s potential for the academic disciplines of pastoral theology, pastoral care and pastoral counseling, and for service to the church through ministry with individuals, families, congregations and social systems.

Additional information on requirements for admission to the Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Counseling program may be found in the program descriptions in this bulletin. Complete applications and all supporting credentials must be received by January 15. Admission decisions are made by March 31 for fall semester admission.

Procedure

Application forms for master’s degree programs and the certificate program are available from the Office of Admissions of Brite Divinity School or online at http://www.brite.tcu.edu/. The applicant must provide an official transcript of all college and university work pursued to date. (Prior to enrollment, the applicant must provide a final transcript that certifies he or she has completed an undergraduate program of study and has received a baccalaureate degree or, in the case of the Th.M., a first theological masters degree.)

Applications may be submitted following the completion of 90 hours toward the B.A. or equivalent degree. Because early application is important, especially for scholarship and student housing considerations, applicants are encouraged to submit their completed file four months prior to date of enrollment. Applications received less than 45 days before the beginning of a semester may not be able to be acted upon in time for the student to enroll that semester. Applicants from other schools and colleges of Texas Christian University must follow the regular procedure for admission.

The Masters Admissions Committee of Brite Divinity School meets monthly throughout the year. Applicants are notified promptly of the Committee’s decision. If the Admissions Committee identifies deficiencies, applicants may be required to complete remedial work. Once enrolled, a student who fails to register for two or more semesters in succession must file an application for readmission before permission to re-enroll may be granted.

Application forms for the Doctor of Ministry program are available from the Office of Admissions of Brite Divinity School or online at http://www.brite.tcu.edu/. Procedures for application are detailed in the program descriptions in this bulletin.

Application forms for the Ph.D. program are available from the Office of Admissions of Brite Divinity School or online at http://www.brite.tcu.edu/. Procedures for application and an admission schedule are detailed in the program descriptions in this bulletin.

Criminal Background Check

Brite Divinity School, along with other institutions of theological higher education, conducts criminal background checks as an expression of our commitment to the safety and security of our learners and the congregations, agencies, and other institutions our students serve. We are also committed to this requirement because excellence in ministry calls us to fulfill the best practices of our profession.

This means that those who are granted admission to Brite Divinity School will be mailed a provisional letter of acceptance and financial aid offer. If the applicant accepts the offer and returns the signed release form, the Office of Admissions will then initiate a criminal background check. Should that background check reveal any information that might compromise the applicant’s participation in the life of the Divinity School, the applicant will be contacted and will be given the opportunity to respond to the report. If the reported information is accurate, the provisional offer of admission and financial aid may be revoked.

The charge to the applicant for this procedure is $20.00. Applicants may review the information received in the background check, but the document will remain in possession of the Divinity School and be subject to the highest standards of confidentiality.

Transfer Students and Transfer of Credit Hours

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 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.C.S., Th.M., or C.T.S. programs.

Applicants 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. Brite Divinity School does not accept the transfer of any hours completed more than seven years prior to enrollment. Applicants with non-seminary credits which 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.C.S., 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.C.S. 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 in Brite Divinity School to receive a degree. A student may transfer no more than twenty-three of the credit hours necessary for the Master of Theological Studies degree and Master of Arts in Christian Service degree, or nine semester hours for the Master of Theology degree or the Certificate of Theological Studies. Normally, a transfer student must complete the final twenty-five semester hours of the M.T.S. and M.A.C.S. 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.)

Readmitted Students and Credit Hours

Students who fail to register for two or more full semesters in succession must file an application for readmission, and be officially readmitted, before permission to register may be granted. Course work at Brite Divinity School that is more than seven years old for the M.Div., M.A.C.S., M.T.S., and Ph.D. programs, or more than five years old for the C.T.S., Th.M., and D.Min. programs, by the filing of the degree program for graduation, normally will not be counted toward the degree. Grades for these courses will not be counted in the cumulative grade point average.

Special Students

Persons who desire to take courses at Brite Divinity School, not leading to a degree, may apply to be special students. “Special students” 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 special students 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 will be given 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 student may register for the course two weeks 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 special students.

Tuition grants of fifty to eighty percent are available for those special students who are in the process of applying for admission to a degree program the next semester. Such grants, however, will be awarded for no more than twelve semester hours. For those special students who have a graduate theological degree but who wish to take additional courses, tuition grants of up to sixty percent may be available for a maximum of six hours. Those special students taking courses to transfer to another institution will be expected to pay full tuition.

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

International Students

International students are welcome to make application to all Brite degree programs. Special procedures are required and Brite Divinity School cooperates with the Texas Christian University Office of International Student Services.

Each student must be proficient in the English language at the time of admission. The Divinity School requires an official report from the Educational Testing Service of at least 550 (internet-based 79-80) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for masters degrees, and normally 600 (internet-based 100) for D.Min. and Ph.D. degrees. American citizens for whom English is a second language may also be required to take the TOEFL exam. International students must be prepared to demonstrate financial capability before TCU issues a notice of final acceptance and an I-20 form. Each student should consult the annual Information Bulletin for International Students published by the Divinity School and available from the Director of Admissions.

Undergraduate Preparation

College courses prior to theological seminary should provide the cultural and intellectual foundations essential to an effective theological education. They should issue in at least three broad kinds of attainment:

1. The college work of a pre-seminary student should result in the ability to use certain tools of the educated person:
   1. The ability to write and speak English clearly and correctly. English composition should have this as a specific purpose, but this purpose should also be cultivated in all written work.
   2. The ability to think clearly. In some persons this ability is cultivated through courses in philosophy or specifically in logic. In others it is cultivated by the use of scientific method, or by dealing with critical problems in connection with literary and historical documents.
   3. The ability to read at least one language in addition to English and in some circumstances more than one.
2. The college work of a pre-seminary student should result in increased understanding of the world in which he or she lives:
   1. The world of persons and ideas. This includes knowledge of English literature, philosophy and psychology.
   2. The world of nature. This is provided by knowledge of the natural sciences, including laboratory work.
   3. The world of human affairs. This is aided by knowledge of history and the social sciences.
3. The college work of the pre-seminary student should result in a sense of achievement:
   1. The degree of mastery of the field of study is more important than the credits and grades which the student accumulates.
   2. The sense of achievement may be encouraged through an academic concentration, or through "honors" work, or through other plans for increasingly independent work with as much initiative on the student’s part as he or she is able to use with profit.

Orientation Requirements and the Theological Resources Seminar

All entering students for the M.Div., M.A.C.S., M.T.S. programs (and the C.T.S.) are required to attend the Orientation program scheduled just prior to the beginning of their first semester at Brite. Students must complete the Sexual Misconduct and the Clergy Seminar as well as the Thinking Theologically Seminar during orientation. PRTH 60011 Theological Resources Seminar must be completed within the first 18 hours of program. Failure to complete these requirements could result in a canceled registration. Th.M., D.Min., and Ph.D. students are required to attend an Orientation session as well, including a Sexual Misconduct and the Clergy Seminar. Information about this session is provided by the Assistant Dean for Advanced Programs.

Policy and Procedures for Students with Disabilities

Brite Divinity School complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. No otherwise qualified individual shall be denied access to or participation in the services, programs and activities of Brite solely on the basis of a disability. The Divinity School shall provide reasonable accommodations for each eligible student who (a) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, (b) has a record or history of such an impairment, or (c) is regarded as having such an impairment.

Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities at Texas Christian University. Information concerning a student's disability is treated in a confidential manner in accordance with Divinity School and TCU policies as well as applicable federal and state laws. Documentation presented to the Coordinator shall be reviewed by the appropriate University professional(s) to verify the existence of a disability. Further documentation may be required from the student to substantiate the claim of a disability or to assist the Divinity School and University in determining appropriate accommodations.

Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations. The Coordinator shall prepare letters to appropriate faculty members concerning specific, reasonable academic adjustments for the student. The student is responsible for delivering accommodations letters, conferring with faculty members, and returning validation of the receipt of information to the Coordinator. The Coordinator shall consult with the student and with University faculty and staff to ensure delivery of appropriate support services and shall serve as liaison between the student and the faculty member as needed.

Students who wish to appeal a decision regarding appropriate accommodations shall file a written request for review with the Dean of Brite Divinity School. The Coordinator for Students with Disabilities may be contacted at The Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas 76129, (817) 257-7486.