ADMISSIONS HANDBOOK APPENDIX A
Policy for the Transfer of Credit and for the Granting of Advanced Standing
From time to time, Kenrick School of Theology is asked to admit a student who has completed a certain amount of graduate-level theological study in another institution, and who seeks to have that work recognized by Kenrick in partial fulfillment of its own requirements. The following policy considerations will serve to guide the Admissions Committee and the Academic Office in determining the transfer of credit and the subsequent adaptation of the Kenrick program for such candidates. This statement will also serve to inform such students, and their ecclesiastical sponsors, of the procedures for the transfer of credit into the Kenrick program. Kenrick indeed wishes to work with such students, and the administration of Kenrick pledges to be flexible to the extent that professional standards allow.
Institutional authority for transfer credit policy
Kenrick School of Theology is a not-for-profit corporation recognized as a degree-granting institution by the State of Missouri. It is fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and the Higher Learning Commission. It is solely responsible for determining its policies and practices with respect to the transfer and award of credit. In setting forth the following considerations, it is guided by the recommendations of the “Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit,” developed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the American Council on Education (ACE), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Credit accepted for transfer
Kenrick School of Theology accepts credit in transfer from the graduate-level theology programs of institutions of higher learning. Such work must have been completed within the seven years previous to application to Kenrick, subject to review by the Academic Dean. Regardless of the amount of field education or supervised ministry course work that may have been completed beforehand, Kenrick always requires that transfer students complete at least one such course in the Kenrick program itself.
In accordance with the accreditation standards of ATS, Kenrick accepts in transfer an amount of credit not to exceed two-thirds (2/3) of the total credit required in the degree program at Kenrick. (Only 50% of the credits earned as part of a previously-awarded graduate degree can be applied toward the Kenrick degree.)
The determination of credit in transfer is made by the Academic Dean, in consultation with such instructors as may be necessary. A written record of this determination is kept in the student’s academic file, subject to the terms of Kenrick’s policy on files.
Institutions from which transfer credit is accepted
Kenrick School of Theology accepts credit form the member schools of ATS, and from schools accredited by those agencies recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation. Kenrick also accepts credit from schools accredited by the Congregation for Catholic Education, a dicastery of the Holy See.
Under certain circumstances, Kenrick will accept credit from an unaccredited institution, but only after investigating the institution. This investigation will be conducted by the President-Rector or the Academic Dean, and will seek both a direct knowledge of the unaccredited institution and some sort of third-party testimony to the institution’s standards and procedures. The investigation will not relieve the student of his responsibility for documentation, as described below.
Credit earned in institutions outside the U.S.
Kenrick School of Theology accepts credit earned in institutions outside of the U.S., under two conditions: (1) such credit must be comparable in nature and content to its counterpart(s) in the Kenrick program; and (2) the sending institution must operate a graduate-level theology program recognized in some fashion by the Holy See or by the Roman Catholic episcopal conference of the country or region.
Special Situations
In those situations in which Kenrick School of Theology is unable to accept credit in transfer, it will consider the granting of advanced standing to a candidate. Advanced standing, in distinction to the transfer of credit, refers to decisions about a student’s competence when no transcript of credit is available or when there are otherwise insufficient data to document the student’s competence. In such a case, Kenrick determines by appropriate written and oral examination that the student possesses the knowledge, competence, or skills that would normally be provided by the specific courses for which he has been admitted with advanced standing. Note that advanced standing is not granted on the basis of ministerial or life experience, nor on the content of undergraduate study. In accordance with ATS standards, Kenrick awards advanced standing for an amount of credit not to exceed one-fourth (¼) of the total credits required for a Kenrick degree program. A fee per credit hour is charged for this service, in the amount of 20% of the current credit-hour tuition.
In some situations, a student may ask consideration for seemingly applicable credit earned in a graduate-level program not specialized in theology, e.g., counseling. In such cases, the Academic Dean may request the student to interview with the appropriate Kenrick instructor, and, after receiving a written report of the interview, may transfer the credit. This interview may be required in addition to the documentation specified below.
The formation of candidates for the priesthood involves a spiritual component and a pastoral component beyond the academic program, and each of these components is the subject of a discrete program at Kenrick. In general, each year of graduate-level seminary experience in another institution is considered the equivalent of one unit of Kenrick’s human and spiritual formation program. In the case of pastoral formation, transferring students must document that their experience in the field was supervised.
Qualifications, requirements, and limitations related to transfer of credit
The qualifications for requesting the transfer of credit or for requesting advanced standing are the same as those for admission to Kenrick School of Theology.
In every case of such a request, the responsibility for providing the appropriate documentation rests with the student. At a minimum, such documentation includes the forwarding of an official transcript of studies, communicated directly from the sending institution to the Kenrick Academic Dean, as well as a catalogue description of the courses that were taken and the program of which they were part. In the absence of such documentation, Kenrick reserves the right to deny the student admission into its programs. The student may consider (or be requested to supply) additional documentation, such as syllabi, examinations, written work, etc.
As stated above, Kenrick accepts in transfer an amount of credit not to exceed two-thirds (2/3) of the total required in the degree program at Kenrick (or ½ in the case of credits applied toward a previously earned graduate degree). In the instance of advanced standing, Kenrick awards advanced standing for an amount of credit not to exceed one-fourth (¼) of the total credits required for a Kenrick degree program.
Appeal procedure
The decisions of the Academic Dean in matters of credit in transfer or advanced standing may be appealed to the full Admissions Committee. The decisions of the Committee are final.
