The United Methodist Church Course of Study (COS) is a General Board of Higher Education and Ministry-Division of Ordained Ministry prescribed educational process that:
In order to attend the Course of Study School, you must:
Please note that the cost per course will total $350 plus $45 per session for the student activity fee.
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.
Register by January 28, 2022
Register by May 6, 2022
Register by May 6, 2022
Register by September 2, 2022
Spring and summer sessions will be fully online, with the fall session being a hybrid of in person and online. Courses will be cancelled if we do not have a minimum of 6 students registered. Pre-course readings will be available on Moodle after the registration deadline for each session. Students must be registered to access Moodle.
“At minimum, students are expected to take first year courses in the first year of study and fifth year courses in the fifth year of study. Course 121 (Bible 1: Introduction) and Course 122 (Theological Heritage 1: Introduction) will be prerequisites for enrollment in any other Course of Study courses. Any exceptions to the COS 121 and 122 Prerequisite Policy requires written approval by the Division of Ordained Ministry.” (From GBHEM: Policies and Guidelines for Course of Study Schools 2021, p. 1)
March 4-5 and March 18-19 (5 hours per weekend)
March 7-11 and March 14-17 (5 hours per week)
121, 221, 321, 421, 523*
June 10-11 and June 24-25 (5 hours per weekend)
June 13-17 and June 20-24 (5 hours per week)
122, 222, 322, 422, 522
July 15-16 and July 29-30 (5 hours per weekend)
July 18-22 and July 25-29 (5 hours per week)
123, 223, 323, 423, 521
October 7-8 (10 hours per weekend)
October 10-14 and October 17-21 (5 hours per week)
124, 224, 324, 424, 524
523* Evangelism: This course will be integrated with Garrett’s Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry semester long Evangelism course. Course of Study students will learn along with Master’s and DMin students through a series of live webinars, discussions, readings and reflection, with adjustments made to course expectations for COS students. Course of Study students are encouraged to invite up to 5 lay people to join them in the Webinar portion of the course. Lay people can join free with COS student registration. This course is enriched by the participation of those from your congregation. Live Webinar portion of course is weekly Feb. 8, 15, 22, March 1, 8 and 15 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. online. Additional synchronous and asynchronous discussions and work TBD. Register for 523 below through the COS registration process.
We recommend that you use a PC running Windows 10 or MAC running OS 10.14 (Mojave) or newer. If you do not have a computer, it is possible (but less than ideal) to use a tablet or phone (Android or iOS). You must be able to wirelessly connect to secure networks (using WPA2-Enterprise). Note: Chromebooks cannot connect to our network.
You will need to install the following software on your device:
In order to be able to stream video portions of your class, you need access to a high-speed internet connection with a minimum bandwidth of 8 Mbps or the ability to stream video on your tablet/phone. We recommend using Google Chrome to connect to the internet.
You will be participating in video meetings for portions of your classes. We recommend that you use headphones with a built-in microphone during these meetings. If you have a laptop computer or tablet, you could use the built-in speakers and microphone, but the sound quality is poor and other people in the meeting may not be able to hear you well. If you have a desktop computer, you probably do not have a microphone or speakers.
You will need a webcam to participate in the video portions of your courses. Most laptops have a built-in camera, but desktops often do not.
At a minimum, students should be able to perform these basic computer literacy skills:
Garrett COS courses use Moodle for posting assignments, turning in homework, and other course-related activities. You can access Moodle from courses.garrett.edu. You can also install the Moodle app on your Android or iOS device.
Zoom is the video conferencing software currently supported by Garrett. You will use Zoom when your class meets, when you need to get together virtually with classmates, and for other COS-related gatherings.