Special Students and Auditors

Special Students

Those who meet requirements for admission to a master’s degree program but do not wish to work toward degree may enroll as a special student and take courses for credit. Special students may be enrolled for an approved course of study over a specified time period determined by the Office of Academic Affairs. Persons whose first language is not English and/or English Language Learner (ELL) students are required to submit recent test scores, ordinarily taken within the last two years, from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In most cases, students accepted to Columbia’s first-level master’s degree programs (MDiv, MAPT, and MA{TS}) submit a TOEFL score of 84 or higher on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT, iBT Home Edition, or Paper-delivered) with a minimum score of 21 in each of the skill sections. Student entering advanced degree programs (ThM, DMin, and DEdMin) typically submit a TOEFL score of 90 with a minimum of 22 in each of the skill sections. TOEFL scores should be submitted by TOEFL directly to Columbia (Institutional Code: 5118). All test fees are the responsibility of the applicant.

In all cases, students seeking special student status must submit to the admissions office the following application materials:

• Online application for admission • $50 nonrefundable application fee • Resume / CV • Plan of Study: two – three pages, typed, double- spaced that identifies their area of concentration and clearly outlines the applicant’s plan for completing their research and/or vocational goals as a special student. Where applicable, the plan

of study should also include an applicant’s area of research, courses they plan to take, and faculty with whom they hope to work. • Official Transcript(s): applicants must submit transcripts from all colleges, universities, seminaries, and graduate schools attended by the applicant for at least one course whether or not a degree was granted. Official transcripts should be sent directly from the institution to Columbia

Theological Seminary. If an applicant is currently enrolled in a degree program, the applicant should send an official transcript that includes all work to-date. Such applicants will be admitted provisionally contingent upon receipt of the final transcript post-graduation.

Students from other institutions of theological education who want to take courses for credit at Columbia can enroll as special students. Such students must include with their application either a letter of good standing from their home registrar or an official transcript of work completed at their home institution. It is the responsibility of the student to determine the transferability of Columbia’s credit to their home institution.

Auditors

Columbia students, spouses of students, and other members of the community are invited to audit courses with the permission of the instructor and the Office of Academic Affairs as space permits.

Auditors must register for courses with the registrar.

Auditors are advised to follow the following procedures: • Request a class schedule from the registrar; • Select the class to be audited; 46

• Secure permission from the professor of that class; and, • Secure permission from the registrar.

The cost for auditing a course is one-half the tuition for the course. Full-time master’s degree students may audit a course in the Fall and Spring semesters for no charge pending the professor’s and registrar’s permissions.