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.
A student who completes degree or certificate requirements in December, May, or August may participate in the annual May Commencement unless the academic department prescribes restrictions on participation, and will receive the diploma or certificate 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 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:
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.00 must be maintained for all courses taken which apply toward the degree. In addition, if a student earns below a B- (such as a C) in a course for the D.Min. degree, that course will need to be retaken until a B- or higher is earned.
- 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 Registrar's 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 if done in regular academic sessions.
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. 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.
- Normally, courses taken at Wheaton College will be selected from regularly scheduled courses. However, a maximum of eight credits (four credits in the Biblical and Theological Studies programs, and Christian Formation and Ministry program) may be taken as independent study courses (listed as 695) and/or tutorial courses. A course is considered a tutorial when it is listed in the catalog but taken in a semester when it is not being offered. Permission to take an independent study course is normally granted only when the student can demonstrate why the particular 695 course is needed to fulfill a requirement in the student's program. These courses must meet strict guidelines and be approved by both the course instructor and the department chair.
- 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. With department approval, up to 25% of the program can be graduate-level transfer or distributed learning credit, including Wheaton College distributed learning courses. Courses in which the grade was lower than B- cannot be transferred. Grades from transferred courses are not used when determining a student's cumulative grade point average at Wheaton. Credits from a conferred master’s degree cannot be transferred. Courses taken more than eight years prior to enrollment at Wheaton may not be transferable. 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 Registrar's 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 if done in regular academic sessions. 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.
Second Degree
Currently enrolled M.A. students may apply for a second degree in the following programs: Biblical & Theological Studies, Theology, History of Christianity, Evangelism & Leadership, TESOL & Intercultural Studies, or either of the Graduate Certificate programs. The following degrees require a complete application due to the selective nature of the programs: Biblical Archaeology, Biblical Exegesis Clinical Psychology.
It is not possible to enroll in two M.A. degree programs at the same time. The entry term of a student's second degree must be after the final semester of the first degree.
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
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 historic Christian orthodoxy.
All non-Bible and Theology master’s-level students must select one course from the Category I list:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category I | ||
| BITH 565 | Christian Theology | 4 |
| BITH 566 | Foundations for Biblical Interpretation | 4 |
| BITH 578 | Global Church History | 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:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BITH 638 | Old Testament Theology | 4 |
| BITH 648 | New Testament Theology | 4 |
| BITH 675 | Advanced Systematic Theology | 4 |
as well as one course from the academic discipline-specific Category II 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 |
| 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 (required for the Leadership program) | 4 |
| OAL 662 | Theology and Practice of Outdoor Ministry (required for the Outdoor and Adventure Leadership program) | 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.