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Educational Studies
Special Study Status Students actively enrolled in an accredited doctoral program in education may be eligible to take an elective course either for enrichment purposes or transfer credit. An abbreviated application for such purposes would include a completed short special sessions form, a letter from the Registrar of the school indicating good standing and a completed pastoral reference form. Those wishing to explore the possibility of entering doctoral studies at Talbot, or who have already earned a doctoral degree and wish to pursue further study for personal enrichment, and who generally meet the doctoral admission requirements, may be able to enroll in one elective course as a special student. Contact the Graduate Admissions office at Biola University for more information. General Academic Information Classification of Students Doctoral students meeting all entrance requirements will be classified as regular graduate students. Students who do not fulfill all entrance requirements may be admitted with provisional status until they compensate for any deficiency. Normally all prerequisites must be satisfied before beginning doctoral study. Full-time study is defined as 6 credits per semester. Research Competence Specific research skills appropriate for proposed dissertation study are to be demonstrated. The doctoral program committee will validate competence through review of examinations, completed research, or coursework. Appropriate research tools and methods include biblical languages, modern languages, statistical analysis and qualitative research methodologies applicable to educational problems and issues. Deficiencies in research competence may result in additional program specialization components. Grading System Students wishing to obtain a doctoral degree must maintain a consistently high academic performance throughout their program. An overall grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, is required. Only grades of "A," "B," "C" earn graduate credit, although the course grade of "B-" or lower will trigger a review of the student's qualification to remain in the program, as noted below under Academic Dismissal. Grades of all students are recorded in the Office of the Registrar. Academic Probation and Dismissal Cumulative Grade Point Average: A student failing to maintain the minimum GPA of 3.25 will be placed on academic probation. The following semester, should the student not meet the minimum cumulative GPA (3.25), the Doctoral Program committee will review the matter and the student is subject to dismissal from the doctoral program. Students who receive one course grade of "B-" or lower will be reviewed by the Doctoral Program committee and are subject to probation. For a second course grade of "B-" or lower, the Doctoral Program committee will review the matter and the student is subject to dismissal from the doctoral program. Dismissal Candidacy Examination Portfolio—Revision of Items: When students do not successfully complete a course-related Candidacy Exam portfolio item during the coursework phase of doctoral study, they must then revise and successfully pass the item within the following semester. The
student will be placed on Academic Probation until that item has been satisfactorily revised and passed within that following semester. If a student does not successfully complete the item within that time period, then the program committee will review the matter and the student may be subject for dismissal from the doctoral program. Should any student receive a notice that a third course-related Candidacy Exam portfolio item was not successfully passed and must be revised, then at that time the program committee will review the matter and the student may be subject for dismissal from the doctoral program. Timely Progress Timely Progress in the Coursework Phase: During the coursework phase, doctoral students must complete a minimum of 12 credits toward the doctoral degree per academic year, except for the final year of coursework study. Following a second year in which a student does not complete the required minimum of 12 credits per academic year, then the program committee will review the matter and the student may be subject for dismissal from the doctoral program. Timely Progress in the Dissertation Phase: Students in the dissertation phase of doctoral studies must make timely progress toward the completion of a dissertation. Timely progress is made by achieving the relevant semester-by-semester milestone requirements related to the particular degree program as specified in the Program Handbook. If the student misses the achievement of a dissertation semester milestone a second time, then the program committee will review the matter and the student may be subject for dismissal from the doctoral program. Time Limit for Degrees All course and academic requirements must be completed within six years (Ed.D.) or seven years (Ph.D.) from the date of the student's first registration for graduate study in the doctoral program. The dissertation must be completed within 1.5 years (Ed.D.) or 2.5 years (Ph.D.) of
successfully completing the candidacy exam portfolio. Failure to Register/Unofficial Withdrawal
Students who fail to register or pay the necessary portion of their tuition bill in any given semester without arranging for a leave of absence or formal withdrawal are dismissed from the program by default since official registration for that semester was never completed. It is the student's responsibility to be aware of course selection and registration procedures and deadlines, and program deadlines for paying tuition and fees. Students who unofficially withdraw from the program and are later readmitted may be required to pay continuation fees for semesters during which they were not enrolled and are subject to doctoral program curriculum changes and graduation requirements implemented during
their program inactivity. Leave of Absence
Inactive students are those who have requested and been granted a Leave of Absence from the program. A Leave of Absence may be granted upon petition for change of status if there is deemed sufficient reason for interrupting the program and there is an intention to return to the program. A Leave of Absence must be renewed by petition each semester and may not exceed two consecutive semesters. A Leave of Absence longer than two semesters will require withdrawal from the program and a petition for readmission if the student later wishes to regain active status. Each Leave of Absence must receive the approval of the student's advisor, if applicable, and the final approval of the Doctoral Program
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