Credit Earned Elsewhere (Transfer Credit)

M.Div., M.A.M, M.A.T.M., M.A. and M.A.R. Degrees

Every candidate for the master’s degree programs must complete all degree requirements, including any supervised ministry or internship requirement. Transfer credit may not be used to replace required courses. However, after matriculating at Drew, and in consultation with an advisor, students may apply for waivers of required courses based on their coursework elsewhere. This is a separate process. See requirement waivers. Only in exceptional circumstances, approved by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee, may waivers be applied to the vocational internship requirement of the MDiv or MATM.

To be considered for a transfer of elective credits, complete a petition to the Graduate Academic Standing Committee. Recommendation of the program convener and approval from the Graduate Academic Standing Committee is required for courses taken elsewhere while a student is enrolled in a degree program at Drew. Courses taken as part of a cross-registration agreement with Drew (at Union Theological Seminary or New York Theological Seminary) do not require prior approval of the program convener or the Graduate Academic Standing Committee. With the petition, the student should provide a transcript and the number of credits requested. This petition will be reviewed by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee. A decision will be communicated to the student and the Registrar by the office of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Theological School. 

Previous academic credit must meet the following criteria:

  1. The credit is from a graduate theological school accredited by the A.T.S. (Association of Theological Schools) in the United States and Canada. Credit from unaccredited seminaries will be considered on a case-by-case basis with appropriate documentation provided by the student.

  2. The grade is no lower than a “C” graded on a conventional grading scale. “Pass” grades are not considered for transfer unless the student has documentation to indicate that the work was at least C level.

  3. The course was completed within 10 years prior to matriculation at Drew.

The following guidelines also apply:

Theologically-oriented credits in an uncompleted degree: Students may transfer up to one-half of the credit hours (39) of the M.Div. program at Drew and one quarter (12) of the M.A.M., M.A.T.M., M.A.R. or M.A. program.

Theologically-oriented credits in a completed degree: Credits from a completed degree may be considered for transfer credit provided their cumulative Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) for that degree was 3.0 or higher. Drew transfer credit is limited to not more than fifteen hours toward the M.Div. degree. Not more than one half of the credits required for the previous degree may be transferred. M.A.R., M.A, M.A.T.M., and M.A.M. students may not transfer any credits from a previously completed degree.

Non-Theological Completed Degree: Graduate credit hours in a non-theological degree with a cumulative Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) of 3.0 or higher may be considered for up to twelve hours of transfer credit for the M.Div., provided that the courses are related to studies at Drew. Petitions for such transfer should include a written explanation of how the courses relate to the degree pursued at Drew. M.A., M.A.R., M.A.T.M., and M.A.M. students may not transfer any credits from a previously completed degree.

The maximum number of credits a student may transfer to the M.Div. from completed and uncompleted graduate degrees combined is 39 credits, not more than 15 credits of these may come from completed graduate degrees.

S.T.M. Degree

No credit may be transferred into the S.T.M. program.

D.Min. Degree

Students may petition to transfer up to 2 courses (6 credits) into the D.Min. program. Petitions for such transfer should include a written explanation of how the course relates to the degree pursued at Drew. To request a credit transfer, complete a petition to the Graduate Academic Standing Committee.

Ph.D. Degree

In order to be considered for transfer credit for the Ph.D., the student must first complete one year of full-time study (or the equivalent) and pass at least one language examination.  Students are advised not to present requests until they have met these conditions. No student is guaranteed advanced standing and indeed advanced standing is normally discouraged, regardless of a student’s level of performance.

Students desiring to transfer credit must initiate the process by submitting to the GDR Director a written request supported by syllabi, transcripts, and other academic credentials as necessary (including, for example, copies of major papers written for the courses in question), which will then go to the Area for action, and finally to the Graduate Academic Standing Committee.  

The following guidelines apply:

1. No more than one semester (9 credits) of course credit may be given for previous work at the graduate level in a student’s field. The petition should first be brought to the student’s Area. The Area will consider not only whether the student’s previous work is appropriate for doctoral credit but also whether the student will be sufficiently prepared to proceed to comprehensive examinations with less than 36 GDR-earned course credits. On the recommendation of the Area, the petition can be submitted to the Graduate Academic Standing Committee.

2. Credit toward advanced standing for graduate courses (regardless of the degree earned) is evaluated on a course-by-course basis. Normally, work undertaken for professional degrees such as the M.Div. or D.Min. degrees (or their equivalent) is not eligible for credit toward advanced standing unless the academic content of the courses is clearly demonstrated as appropriate for Ph.D. credit.

3. In the special case of transferring courses from a S.T.M., note that:

a. Ph.D. candidates need to complete the S.T.M. before beginning the Ph.D. program.

b. Each Area may either designate courses not transferable for graduate credit, or individually evaluate S.T.M. candidates.

         c. Completion of the Drew S.T.M. degree does not guarantee admission to the Drew Ph.D. program.

Certificate Programs

No credit may be transferred from other institutions into the following certificate programs:

Up to 3 credit hours may be transferred into the following certificate programs:

Previous academic credit must meet the following criteria:

  1. The credit is from a graduate theological school accredited by the A.T.S. in the United States and Canada.

  2. The grade is no lower than a “C” graded on a conventional grading scale. “Pass” grades are not considered for transfer unless the student has documentation to indicate that the work was at least C level.

  3. The course was completed within 10 years prior to matriculation at Drew.

Transfer Credit at Admission

Applicants who meet the requirements for admission and have completed courses at another theological school accredited by the A.T.S. may be considered for transfer admission. Applicants who wish to be considered for transfer credits should notify the Admissions office during the application process. A written transfer assessment will be produced for the applicant. All transferable elective credit can be applied to the student’s permanent record after successful completion of 10 credit hours at Drew Theological School. At such time, the student must request the transfer using a petition to the Graduate Academic Standing Committee.