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UMC Course of Study

We offer all 20 English COS courses in a hybrid format, in which students engage faculty and one another through 5 hours of online learning pre-session and 15 hours in residence per course. The online classroom hours are facilitated through individual course hubs using Moodle as the learning management system. Our residential sessions are held at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. 

The dates for the 2020 residential sessions are July 19-24 for Session I and July 26-31 for Session II.   (Please note that some classes end in the afternoon on the Friday of your session, so plan to travel back home Friday after your last class. There will be no housing accommodations available for the Saturday/Sunday after your last class..)

The registration deadline is April 1, 2020. 

Please click on the individual slides below to learn more about Registration, Technology Requirements, and Coursework.  

Registration, Tuition and Fees

Admission Requirements for Course of Study

In order to attend the Course of Study School, you must:

  • Be licensed as a local pastor in the United Methodist Church (students from other denominations or programs may be admitted to the program at the discretion of the Course of Study director in consultation with your presiding elder or other denominational supervisor. If you are attending our school for the first time a copy of your License to Preach must accompany your application);

  • Be endorsed by your annual conference board of ordained ministry's registrar for local pastors;

  • Receive permission from your district superintendent and local pastor registrar.

Application Procedure

Registration for the 2020 session will open in October 2019 and ends on April 1, 2020. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR A COMPLETE APPLICATION:

1. Registration Fee

2. District Superintendent and Local Pastor Registrar Approval to Attend Course of Study School (approval form)

3. Copy of your certification of completion of licensing school or your current License for Pastoral Ministry (only if this is your first application to Course of Study at Garrett-Evangelical)

4. Signed Financial Responsibility Form (use same approval form as in #2 above)

 

To apply to the Course of Study program click on the Apply button below to access the online registration form.

 

Tuition and Fees

  • If paid on or before December 6, 2019, $25 per course.
    If paid between December 7, 2019 and February 7, 2020 $35 per course.
    If paid between February 8 and April 1, 2020, $55 per course (non-refundable after April 1, 2019) 

  • $210 tuition fee per course ($280 tuition fee per course for Non-Local Pastors)

  • $45 Student activity fee

  • $100 housing deposit (non-refundable after April 5, 2020) for students choosing Garrett housing accommodations 

    • Room costs range from $250-$425 per week depending on room/apartment assignment. 

  • $110 meal plan per week for students choosing Garrett on-campus housing accommodations 

  • Please use the Anticipated Expenses Worksheet to help you estimate costs

Housing

If you are interested in campus housing and/or parking, you will need to fill out a separate form: COS Housing Form . All students interested in housing should fill out the application.  This application asks important questions about dates and parking, gives more detailed information about housing prices, and provides space for students to make their housing deposit online. Even though you complete the COS Housing Form, granting of housing, meals and parking is contingent on your being admitted to COS this year. For questions related to housing, please contact the Office of Housing and Events: (847) 866-3939 or garrett.housing@garrett.edu 

Please note that some classes end in the afternoon on the Friday of your session, so plan to travel back home Friday after your last class. There will be no housing accommodations available for the Friday night/Saturday/Sunday after your last class.

Many annual conference Boards of Ordained Ministry help students with costs for Course of Study School. Contact your conference BOM directly to determine your annual conference policy.  

Please also review the Student Handbook.

Technology Requirements

Minimum Technology Requirements

1.  Reliable access to a broad-band (high-speed) internet connection (e.g. DSL or cable). Modem dial-up will not work for all classroom activities).

2.  Access to an up-to-date computer and operating system, sufficient to run an up-to-date web browser (e.g. Windows 7 or 8 for Windows users, Mavericks or Yosemite for Mac users). The user should have run/installed all system-related updates.  

3.  Computer with sound and web camera (built-in or as a plug-in device) capabilities.

4.  The most up-to-date version of a Web browser (e.g. Firefox, Chrome, Safari). Internet Explorer is not recommended.

5.  Ability to work with files normal to the Microsoft Office environment, mainly *.doc/*.docx, *.ppt/*.pptx. Many students with Apple computers can manage such files with the iWork suite of applications. Students without MS Office or Apple iWork might try the freely available OpenOffice application: http://www.openoffice.org/. Finally, documents and presentations made on Google Drive can also be exported/downloaded in MS Office formats.

6.  Adobe Reader to view pdf files.

7.  For synchronous audio-visual sessions (e.g. Google Hangouts), students should plan to wear earphones or ear buds to minimize echoes and feedback.

8.  A given course *may* ask students to download and use safe, freely-available cross-platform software like Apple QuickTime or iTunes.

 

Courses

Curriculum

The Course of Study School prepares pastoral leaders for local church ministry through a 5-year, 20-course curriculum established by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. Normally courses are to be taken in the sequence prescribed by the curriculum. At a minimum, students are expected to take first year courses in the first year of study and fifth year courses in the final year of study. 

Hybrid Learning

Each of our 20 courses are structured in a hybrid format, with 5 learning hours facilitated online pre-session by an instructor and 15 learning hours faciliated face-to-face on campus during one of the July sessions. To access courses, including syllabi, you will first need to register (see Registration slide). Once registered, you will be given a username and temporary password to be able to login at the online host site.  All students, new and returning, will then be required to take a prerequisite course through the getscos.com site titled GETSCOS 101. Upon successful completion, you will then be able to access all of the online course hubs.    

Faculty

Our faculty is made up of professors from Garrett-Evangelical and other theological seminaries, as well as program staff from boards and agencies and seasoned pastors who are excellent instructors.   

Homework

Individual courses may require homework submissions as you work through online course assignments at your own pace. All final homework, however, is due June 15, 2020. Submit your homework by emailing one attachment (e.g. Word doc.) per course to your professor as well as to coshomework@garrett.edu. All written work shall use proper citation methods to avoid plagiarism (this is explained in the GETSCOS 101 prerequisite course).   

Session I Course Schedule and Syllabi

Session I

July 19-24, 2020 (mandatory orientation is on the 19th, classes begin the 20th)

Course Instructor Hours Syllabi

122-E Theological Heritage I: Introduction

123-E Formation & Discipleship

René Schreiner

Barbara Javore

8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

Syllabus

221-E Bible II: Torah & Israel's History

223-E Worship & Sacraments

Kenneth Hutchens

Carol McPherson

1:30-5:00 p.m.

8-11:30 a.m

Syllabus

Syllabus

321-E Bible III: Gospels

323-E Congregational Care

Dennis Tevis

Preston Price

8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

Syllabus

421-E Bible IV:Prophets,Psalms & Wisdom Lit.

423-E Mission

Kenneth Hutchens

Patricia Efiom

8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

Syllabus

523-E Evangelism

521-E Bible V: Acts, Epistles & Revelation

Mark Teasdale

René Schreiner

8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

Syllabus

 

Session II Course Schedule and Syllabi

Session II

July 26-31, 2020 (mandatory orientation is on the 26th, classes begin the 27th)

Course Instructor Hours Syllabi

121-E Bible 1: Introduction

124-E Transformative Leadership

 Aquiles Martinez

Michael Turner

 8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

Syllabus

224-E Administration & Polity

222-E Theol. Heritage II: Early Church

Dennis Tevis

Carol Korak

 8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

Syllabus
322-E Theol. Heritage III: Medieval-Reformation

324-E Preaching

Carol Korak

Peter Civetta

8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

Syllabus
422-E Theol. Heritage IV: Wesleyan Movement

424-E Ethics

 Michael Turner

David Dault

 8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

Syllabus

TBD
522-E Theol. in the Contemporary Church

524-E Theol. Reflection: Practice of Ministry

 David Dault

Hwa-Young Chong

 8-11:30 a.m.

1:30-5:00 p.m.

TBD

Syllabus