Course of Study (English)

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.

1. Registration Fee
2. District Superintendent Approval and Local Pastor Registrar Approval to Attend Course of Study School (Download 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)
5. Review COS Student Handbook

• $50 per course registration fee (non-refundable)
• $300 tuition per course ($350 for non-local pastors)
• $45 student technology fee one time per calendar year

Please note that the cost per course will total $350 plus $45 per calendar year for the student activity fee. Books are not included in these fees.

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.

The seminary expects that students will attend all classes. Each faculty member weighs class attendance and participation differently in determining a grade, depending on the needs and structures of the course. How attendance and participation is weighed will be specified in the syllabus for each course. Students should not miss more than 20% of the class sessions.

Attendance to live online synchronous sessions is mandatory.

Course of Study Schools will use letter grades A, B, C, D, or F. If, for personal or family reasons, a student has to drop out of a course before completing it, an “Administrative Withdrawal” may be given.

Incomplete grades that are not resolved within 60 days will be recorded as an F. An F or Administrative Withdrawal grade will remain on the transcript even if the course is retaken and passed.

Grade reports will be sent to the Division of Ordained Ministry, the annual conference, and (in the case of the extension schools) the Regional COS Director. The deadline for grades will be 60 days after the completion of class sessions.

Courses with fewer than six students will be cancelled. In the event that a course is cancelled, all students will be notified and directed to an alternative course.

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:

• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.) and Microsoft Outlook (email). This software is provided free of charge to students with a Garrett email address.
• Adobe Reader
• We strongly recommend that you use antivirus software and keep it up-to-date.

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:

• Use a keyboard and mouse
• Select, copy, and paste text
• Send and receive email (cc, Reply, Reply All, etc.)
• Use a web browser (Google Chrome is preferred)
• Save and retrieve files in different formats (.docx, .pdf, .pptx., etc.)
• Use a word processor (change fonts, paginate, spell check, footnote, cite sources, format paragraphs—including block quotes, margins, line spacing, etc.)
• Attach and upload files

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.