Academic Requirements

Upon satisfactory completion of the requirements for graduation, Wheaton College confers upon the student the degree of Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Psychology, or Doctor of Ministry.

A certificate of post-baccalaureate study will be awarded to those students who complete specific certificate program requirements. Certificate students are subject to the same academic standards as M.A. students, and a 2.80 cumulative GPA is required.

A student is subject to the requirements listed in the catalog for the year in which the first enrollment occurred or to the requirements of a subsequent catalog under which the student is enrolled for credit as a degree-seeking student. All requirements must be met, however, under the same catalog.

The May Commencement ceremony recognizes the completion of degrees. In order to participate in the annual May Commencement ceremony (including in absentia), a student needs to minimally meet the following criteria:

• All course requirements for the degree need to have been completed before or during the prior fall, registered for in the spring, or be able to be completed in the upcoming summer, and

• If relevant to the program, the student would need to be registered for all the required credits in their final independent project (such as the capstone, thesis, or dissertation) no later than the spring semester but would not need to be on track to complete the project by the end of the summer term.

Students need to submit an application to graduate and identify which May Commencement ceremony they wish to participate in according to the criteria above.  Students may only participate in one Commencement ceremony (including in absentia).  They will receive the diploma when all requirements are finished.

In a graduate school setting, research is of critical importance. The student is expected not only to reach a certain level of expertise in a chosen field of interest, but also to contribute to the ever-expanding fund of knowledge that this field encompasses. The research involved in that contribution is to be of the highest order in terms of theory, as well as technique, with excellence at every stage as its proximate and ultimate goals. It is only as such standards are applied and such results attained that the term graduate can be used properly to describe an educational experience. For this reason research projects, theses, and internships are an integral part of the graduate program.

Credit Hour Policy

Wheaton College abides by the federal definition of a student credit hour, which states that a credit hour is equivalent to:

• one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction [for Wheaton, like the majority of colleges and universities, one hour is 50 minutes] and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or

• at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward to the award of credit hours. (34 CFR § 600.2) 

For non-traditional courses, such as those that are hybrid with intensives or shorter than 15 weeks in length, Wheaton College policy provides corresponding standards for direct contact hours and outside-of-class work.  More details are available on the College website.

Graduation Requirements for Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical and Theological Studies

(Note: Graduate students should consult the appropriate handbook for additional information on graduation, candidacy status, research project requirements, as well as various procedures and protocols in the Graduate School.)

The following requirements must be met for graduation:

• At least 75% of the total hours required for a degree program must be taken from Wheaton College no more than eight years prior to matriculation or readmission. Students must complete their last semester of study at Wheaton.

• An Application for Degree must be submitted to the Academic Advising Office according to announced deadline dates.

• All requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree must be completed within six years from the date of entrance unless the student has been given an extension by petition.

Graduation Requirements for Doctor of Ministry

(Note: Graduate students should consult the appropriate handbook for additional information on graduation, candidacy status, research project requirements, as well as various procedures and protocols in the Graduate School.)

The following requirements must be met for graduation:

• D.Min. students must take all the D.Min. Core courses and complete the Doctoral Project in the D.Min. program at Wheaton College Graduate School. D.Min. students will also need to take their final semester of study at Wheaton College Graduate School.

• An Application for Degree must be submitted to the Academic Advising Office according to announced deadline dates.

• All requirements for the Doctor of Ministry degree must be completed within seven years from the date of entrance. 

Graduation Requirements for Master of Arts

(Note: Graduate students should consult the appropriate handbook for additional information on graduation, candidacy status, research project requirements, as well as various procedures and protocols in the Graduate School.)

The following requirements must be met for graduation:

• A minimum of six semester hours must be taken in Bible and Theology courses. For students who are not enrolled in programs in the department of Biblical and Theological Studies, the courses are to be taken through Wheaton College, and are to be selected only from the approved list noted later in this section of the catalog.

• A cumulative grade point average of 2.80 must be maintained for all courses taken which apply toward the degree.

• The requirements for courses for one specific graduate program must be satisfactorily completed. Courses must be selected from course numbers 500-699, or have been 300- or 400-level courses taken at the master's level prior to fall 2023.

• Normally, courses taken at Wheaton College will be selected from regularly scheduled courses. However, a maximum of eight credits may be taken as independent study courses (listed as 695) and/or tutorial courses. 

• At least 75% of the total hours required for a degree program must be taken from Wheaton College no more than eight years prior to matriculation or readmission. Students must complete their last semester of study at Wheaton.

• Some programs require that a comprehensive examination must be taken and successfully passed.

• An Application for Degree must be submitted to the Academic Advising Office according to announced deadline dates.

• All requirements for the Master of Arts degree must be completed within five years from the date of entrance. Master’s degree students are expected to complete all program requirements within the allotted time limits of their degree; however, they are not necessarily expected to maintain continuous enrollment throughout their course of study at Wheaton College.

Graduation Requirements for Post-Baccalaureate and Post-Master's Certificates at the Master's Level

• The requirements for courses for one specific graduate certificate program must be satisfactorily completed.

• At least 75% of the total hours required for a certificate must be taken from Wheaton College no more than eight years prior to matriculation or readmission.

• A cumulative grade point average of 2.80 must be maintained for all courses taken which apply toward the certificate.

• All requirements for certificates must be completed within five years from the date of entrance.

Second Degree Program

Prospective or currently enrolled M.A. students may apply and, if accepted, concurrently pursue a second degree program or certificate.  The following programs require a complete application due to the selective nature of the programs: Biblical Archaeology, Biblical Exegesis, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Marriage and Family Therapy.  

Currently enrolled Psy.D. students may apply for a second degree in Biblical Studies after completing the first year in the Psy.D. program.

Master's Degree Program Plan

If required in their program, students must submit an approved master's degree program plan by the time they have completed 12 semester hours at Wheaton. Students who have not completed the form at that point in their program cannot register for additional degree courses until the form is completed.

Biblical and Theological Studies Requirement (TSR)

All students are required to take at least six semester hours in Biblical and Theological Studies courses as part of their master’s degree program at Wheaton. Building on foundational biblical and theological knowledge, this Biblical and Theological Studies (TSR) requirement, supported by the integrative focus of all of the graduate programs, prepares students to:

• Employ appropriate hermeneutical methodology in the accurate interpretation and application of biblical texts;

• Evaluate and construct theological statements and systems for congruence with Scripture and historical Christian orthodoxy;

• Evaluate presuppositions, positions, and systems in their disciplines for congruence with Scripture and historical Christian orthodoxy.

All non-Bible and Theology master’s-level students must select one course from the Category I list as well as one course from the academic discipline-specific Category II list.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Category I
BITH 565	Christian Theology	4
BITH 566	Foundations for Biblical Interpretation	4
BITH 578	Global Church History	4

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Category II
BITH 561	Theological Anthropology (required for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy programs)	2
EVAN 526	Gospel: Theological Perspectives on Evangelism and Renewal (required for the Evangelism & Leadership, Ministry Leadership, and Missional Church Movements programs)	4
HDI 614	Transformational Development (required for the Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership program)	4
HESD 549	Theology and Philosophy of Ministry (required for the Higher Education and Student Development program)	2
LEAD 512	Leadership and Spiritual Formation (required for the Leadership program)	4
LING 531	Theological Perspectives on Language and Education (required for the Master of Arts in Teaching and TESOL & Intercultural Studies programs)	2
MML 513	Theological and Systematic Foundation of the missio Dei	4
OAL 662	Theology and Practice of Outdoor Ministry (required for the Outdoor and Adventure Leadership program)	4

Students entering the graduate program with an M.Div. (or comparable M.A.) degree, or in some cases students who have had previous documented graduate-level courses with significant content overlap, may be granted permission to substitute one of the following for the Category I TSR course:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
BITH 638	Old Testament Theology	4
BITH 648	New Testament Theology	4
BITH 675	Advanced Systematic Theology	4

Students who have completed a previous Master of Arts degree at Wheaton College may use the 4 credit Category I TSR course that was taken in their first M.A. degree toward their second M.A. degree at Wheaton College.  However, the typically 2 credit Category II TSR course is not transferrable from the first M.A. to the second M.A. degree.

Students who completed a previous M.A. or comparable degree at another institution must still complete both the 4 credit Category I TSR course and the 2 credit Category II course at Wheaton College in order to fulfill the complete 6 credit TSR requirement.