Graduate School
Official Policies and Procedures for Individual Courses
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to change any financial charges or regulations listed below.
Registration
Eligibility for Elective Courses
The Graduate School elective courses are open to adult students. Students enrolling in these elective courses do not have to be admitted to a degree program at Bethel. NOTE: These courses are not open to degree-seeking students currently enrolled at the College of Arts & Sciences at Bethel University.
Students registering for graduate courses must provide verification of graduate student status by submitting an official transcript documenting their highest earned degree. Students registering for nursing graduate courses must submit an official transcript documenting their baccalaureate degree in nursing.
Bethel admits qualified students regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, or disability.
Registration Confirmation
Students will receive a confirmation of registration in the mail within two weeks. An orientation letter will be sent prior to the course start date and will include a campus map, classroom number, information on the purchase of textbook(s)/course materials, and other pertinent information.
Cancellation Policy
Bethel University reserves the right to cancel any course if minimum enrollment has not been met.
Payment
Tuition
Students will be billed or each course. Contact the Business Office at 651.638.6208 for more information.
Books and Materials
Books and materials must be purchased prior to the start of each course through the online book service. Information about ordering through the online service will be provided.
Refunds
Drop Before Course Begins
Tuition will be refunded in full (or not billed) if students drop a course prior to the start date.
Refunds for Course Cancellation
Tuition will be refunded in full if Bethel cancels a course. If deemed necessary, courses will be canceled 10 days prior to the first class session.
Withdrawal
For instructions on how to withdraw from a course already in session, contact academic services or your academic advisor at 651.635.8000 or 800.255.8706, ext. 8000. Courses in progress will be refunded on a prorated basis to be determined by the last date of attendance. Tuition refunds are based on the date of a student's official written withdrawal. No refund is issued after the midway point of the course. Students who leave without officially notifying the Graduate School academic services in writing will receive no refund of tuition unless mandated by the federal or state refund policy.
Academic Policies
Attendance
Due to the concentrated, accelerated nature of the courses and emphasis on participatory learning, all students are expected to be in attendance at every scheduled class session. Students must contact the instructor in the event of absence due to illness or other emergency. Students are responsible for the content and activities of the class session, even if they were not in attendance. Under extreme circumstances, up to 20 percent of class time may be excused when arranged with the instructor. Make-up work may be assigned by the instructor in the event of an absence. Individual instructors will determine to what degree absence and tardiness affect the class grade. If more than 20 percent of class time is missed, the student and the instructor must meet to discuss whether continuing in the course is viable. In most circumstances the course must be retaken if more than 20 percent of class time is missed.
Audit
Auditors are required to
meet the attendance and other requirements set by the instructor. Auditors who do
not meet the attendance and other requirements will be graded W (withdraw).
Participation for auditors beyond attendance in class activities is at
the instructor's option. Students may change the registration status in a course between credit and audit no later than the mid-point of the course.
Course Assignments
In addition to course attendance, assignments are required of all students. Auditors must fulfill the instructors' requirements, which may include course assignments.
Course Numbers
All undergraduate courses are numbered 499 and under. Graduate courses are numbered 500-699. Graduate courses numbered 600-699 may be master's degree applicable.
Credit
All courses are assigned semester credit hours.
Grading System
All courses are graded A-F unless the course description identifies the course as graded on an S/U basis. Grades are normally posted online within three weeks following the last class session. All grades except I (Incomplete) are considered final and are not subject to change except for errors in calculation or as a result of a formal grade appeal process. Contact the academic services manager at 651.635.8033 or 800.255.8706, ext. 8033 for the procedure.
The grade I is given when a student is unable to complete the course requirements in the regular time due
to extenuating circumstances that are beyond the student's control. The Incomplete must be negotiated with and approved by the instructor before a grade of I will be allowed. (Contract for Grade of Incomplete form) Remaining work must be of the
kind that can be done largely through the independent effort of a
student. Unless the grade of I is removed by the deadline
stated in the contract, the student will be graded for the course
according to the terms of the contract. The maximum deadline the
instructor may assign for the removal of the I grade is three months from the end of the course. Students with multiple Incompletes may be required to withdraw from their original cohorts and finish their programs with another cohort after all Incompletes have been resolved.
Transcripts
Transcripts showing all academic work done to date at Bethel are available from the Office of the Registrar. Official and unofficial transcripts are available from the Office of the Registrar at the cost of $2.00 per transcript.
Transcript release forms are available on BLink at bethelnet.bethel.edu/gs-students/forms and at the Office of the Registrar. A letter including the student's name, address, ID number, number of transcripts requested, to whom they should be sent, and the student's signature is also acceptable. Indicate if the transcript should be delayed until a specific course grade or degree is posted on the transcript. Address all transcript requests to the Office of the Registrar, 3900 Bethel Drive, St. Paul, MN 55112. Allow two working days for processing. A transcript cannot be released if there is an unpaid balance on the student's account. Contact the business office with account questions.
Facilities Information
Library
Students in individual courses will be given computer access and library privileges, if the professor has requested it for the course. Computers are available in the library for word processing and research.
Parking
Parking is free in well-lit, on-campus parking lots within close proximity to the campus buildings. A security officer is on duty at the west entrance of the campus beginning at sunset. Students can be escorted to their cars after dark upon request.
Bethel Community Expectations
Adult students are asked to honor Bethel's community expectations by abstaining from the use of tobacco, alcohol, and profane language on the campus and at off-campus sites.
About Bethel University
Bethel University, an educational community committed to the integration of faith and learning, is a private Christian liberal arts college shaped by a 125-year heritage. The campus is located on 231 acres of wooded hillsides in Arden Hills, a suburb of St. Paul.
Bethel served over 2,000 adult learners in graduate and undergraduate evening programs in 2007.
Bethel University is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602-2504, 1.800.621.7440.