Academic Calendar
Shepherds Bible College is on a quarter system. The school year consists of Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters, with an additional Summer quarter for those who desire it.
Each quarter is 10 weeks in length, plus final examinations, with the exception of Summer quarter. A quarter credit is equivalent to 50 minutes of class time per week for a 10 week quarter, plus out of class preparation time. The average student should spend approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours of preparation for each class hour.
Class sessions may be various lengths. Some classes will meet fewer hours per week in exchange for additional outside work. Ministry Development classes will meet less to allow time for students to meet with their pastoral mentors. Spiritual Formation credits will be earned mostly through time with spiritual formation mentors.
Academic Load
To complete a program in the normal amount of time (i.e. – Bachelors: 4 years), a student will need to take an average of 16 credits per quarter during the school year. If summer classes are taken, that will reduce the amount needed to be taken each quarter. Because of the time investment required for each course, it is recommended that students not take more than 18 credits per quarter.
Classification of Students
Students registered for 12 or more credits are classified as full time; students registered for 11 or fewer credits are part time.
| Freshmen | 0-45 | credits earned |
| Sophomore | 46-90 | credits earned |
| Junior | 91-135 | credits earned |
| Senior | 136-192 | credits earned |
Course numbering
100-299 Lower division: Freshmen and Sophomore level courses
300-499 Upper division: Junior and Senior level courses
Transfer Students
Transfer students may receive credit for courses taken at other institutions. For Bible, theology, and ministry courses, credit will only be given if the courses are equivalent to courses in the Shepherds curriculum. In addition to transcripts, catalogs with course descriptions may be necessary to evaluate equivalency. General Education courses only need to meet typical General Education distribution requirements. A grade of “C” or above is required for all work transferred. Credits from unaccredited schools will need to be evaluated for acceptability.
A minimum of 60 credits needs to be earned at Shepherds for the bachelor’s degree, 45 for the associate’s degree, and 30 for the certificate.
Registration Changes
When a student has completed registration, any changes must be made through the Registrar. There is a $5 fee for all changes. Students can add a course, transfer from one course to another, or change from audit to credit prior to the second week of school. Students may change from credit to audit or withdraw from a course through the seventh week of the quarter. For refund information regarding withdrawals, see Financial Information.
Grading System
Evaluation for student achievement is determined on the following scale, with a system of grade points used to determine a student’s general grade-point average or standing.
| GRADE | EXPLANATION | GRADE POINTS |
| A | Excellent | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 | |
| B+ | 3.3 | |
| B | Superior | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 | |
| C+ | 2.3 | |
| C | Satisfactory | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.7 | |
| D+ | 1.3 | |
| D | Poor | 1.0 |
| D- | 0.7 | |
| F | Failure | 0.0 |
| I | Incomplete | 0.0 |
| W | Withdrawal |
Auditing
Persons not desiring academic credit may register to audit a course. Audit students are not required to complete assignments or take exams, nor does the instructor have any obligation for evaluation. No records are kept and no grades are issued.
Graduation Requirements
- Completion of all course requirements with a grade point average of 2.0 or above.
- Demonstration of a commendable spiritual life and Christian character.
- Approval of the faculty.
- Evaluation / Recommendation forms received from Spiritual Formation and Ministry Development mentors.
- Agreement with the school’s Doctrinal Statement.
- Payment of all fees.
