Forms and Procedures

Students may add courses in Workday up until the last date to add a class, as listed on the Divinity Academic Calendar on the Academic Resources page.

For instructions on how to add a course, see the Workday Student Job Aid on Searching and Registering for Course Sections.

Students should refer to the Divinity Academic Calendar on the Academic Resources page for the last date to drop a course. As long as a student will not drop below 9 credit hours, courses can be dropped by the student in Workday up to the last date to add a class (see Divinity Academic Calendar). After this date, students should contact the Office of Academic Affairs at acadiv@wfu.edu to request to drop a class.

For instructions on how to drop a course, see the Workday Student Job Aid on How to Drop or Withdraw from a Course.

A student may request to take an independent study (IDS) course with a faculty member. Independent study courses provide students opportunities to complete advanced academic research or creative activity in a field of theological inquiry. It is suggested, but not required, that independent study courses follow upon the completion of required courses in the curricular areas most relevant to the proposed independent study project or theme. It is also suggested, but not required, that students design IDS courses using guidelines provided by the Office of Academic Affairs. 

The following rules apply for this option:

1. An independent study will count only as a general elective course, not as a required course or a required elective.
2. A student may take no more than 6 hours of independent studies in the MDiv program.
3. A student must have a GPA of at least 3.0 in order to register for an independent study.
4. A student must be in their fourth, fifth, or sixth semesters of MDiv study to register for an independent study.
5. A request for the study must be made in writing by the student to the faculty member.
6. The faculty member must be convinced that special circumstances warrant the request.
7. The terms for an independent study must be put in writing and agreed to by the student and the faculty member.
8. No faculty member is obligated to offer independent studies.
9. Credit varies from one to three hours.

Students should forward information from number 7 above, including the title of the course, to acadiv@wfu.edu in order to be registered for the independent study.

The grade of I (incomplete) may be assigned only when a student fails to complete the work of a course because of an emergency. In order to receive a grade of I, the student must consult with the professor of the course who will in turn submit an email to the Office of Academic Affairs stating the intention to grant the student a grade of I. The email shall also outline the due date for the incomplete work (that the student and professor have agreed upon). More information on Incomplete grades can be found in the Academic Bulletin on the Academic Resources page.

Students may take courses using the Pass/Fail grade mode with the following limitations:

• You can only use the pass/fail option on general elective courses.
• You cannot use the pass/fail option on any required course, including disciplinary electives and any course fulfilling an area requirement.
• Excluding courses offered as pass/fail only, you can only choose to count 6 credit hours of pass/fail courses toward the MDiv.
• You cannot take more than 7 credit hours on a pass/fail basis in a single semester

For instructions on how to request to Pass/Fail a course, see the Workday Student Job Aid on Grading Basis Change. Once you have completed these steps, Workday will send the request to the course instructor and your academic adviser for approval.

All enrolled divinity students who must withdraw from the University may do so by completing a withdrawal form and submitting the form to the Office of Academic Affairs. Ordinarily, a withdrawal signals the intent not to return to the University. Students who intend to return to the University should follow the process for Leave of Absence.

While forms completed prior to the semester drop deadline will not result in academic penalties, meeting the deadline may not prevent negative implications for merit and need-based financial aid. Withdrawing from the University within the period allowed for dropping and adding courses may result in partial or total charges for the term and may alter scholarships, grants, and loan amounts, according to the published schedule. Students who borrow under federal loan programs are responsible for repaying loans granted based upon full-time enrollment. Students are strongly urged to discuss the financial implications of all withdrawals from the University with the financial aid office.

Withdrawing after the last day to drop courses results in “W” appearing on the transcript; courses marked “W” are not counted in determining the grade point average. A course abandoned with insufficient reason for withdrawal is assigned the letter grade F. Students who drop all courses are considered withdrawn from the University. A student who has withdrawn from the School of Divinity and wishes to return within one academic year must reapply with the Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Services at least one month prior to the semester in which they wish to re-enroll.

To access the appropriate form for withdrawing or taking a leave of absence, contact the Office of Academic Affairs.