Non-Degree Programs
Ministers in active service, missionaries on furlough, persons in training for mission service, persons preparing for United Methodist certification or ordination as a deacon in The United Methodist Church (UMC) through completion of Basic Graduate Theological Studies (BGTS), those desiring to take a course or two while contemplating enrollment in a degree program, and other qualified persons who desire to enroll in a non-degree program may be admitted as special students.
Students may be admitted to Candler as special students rather than as degree candidates for various reasons, including the opportunity to strengthen the academic background necessary for admission to a degree program. Students who later begin a degree program at Candler are required to complete degree requirements effective the semester they enter as degree-seeking.
Classification as a special student applies only to the academic year for which admission is approved. Once admitted, the initial admission may be deferred one academic year. For continuation beyond one academic year, special students are required to submit an application for readmission form and a written statement. Special students are required to be readmitted at the start of each academic year, regardless of when they were admitted originally.
Institutional and federal scholarships and loans are not available to special students. External scholarships or private loans may be available; it is the responsibility of the student to secure funding for enrollment.
Admission
Admission as a special student requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a grade point average of 2.50 or better out of 4.0. All applications, regardless of the GPA of the applicant, will be fully reviewed by the admissions committee.
Application Deadline
Offers of admission are made on a rolling admissions basis. When an application is complete, it will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Typically, a decision will be reached within two weeks. Applications for admission must be submitted by May 1 for the summer term, July 1 for the fall semester, and November 1 for the spring semester.
Application Procedures
The application for admission as a Special Non-Degree student may be downloaded here.
For further information, contact:
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Candler School of Theology
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
Telephone 404.727.6326, fax 404.727.2915, email: candleradmissions@emory.edu.
To be considered for admission as a special student, an applicant must supply the admissions office the following:
2. $50 nonrefundable application fee paid online or by mail (check or money order made payable to Emory University).
3. Official transcript (conferring at least a bachelor’s degree). Official transcripts should be sent directly from the institutions delivered in a sealed and signed envelope. If currently enrolled at an institution, the applicant should send an official transcript of your work to date and ask that a transcript be sent promptly following the completion of the term and/or conferral of a degree.
4. A well-organized resume that provides a brief summary of your educational background, job experience, vocational aspirations, leadership goals and accomplishments, professional affiliations, honors and awards, extracurricular activities, skills, personal qualities, interests and hobbies.
5. A one to two-page typed, double-spaced autobiographical statement that addresses the following aspects of your background that inform the unique perspective you would add to the diverse and vibrant community that exists at Candler School of Theology, your reasons for applying to Candler School of Theology, and your plans following completion of study at Candler School of Theology.
6. Persons whose first language is not English must furnish, with the application, recent evidence of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of at least 95 (Internet-based total) with a minimum score of 21 or higher in each of the four sub-areas, 250 (computer-based total), or 600 (paper-based total).
The TOEFL results should be submitted directly from TOEFL to Candler (Institutional Code: 5455, department 01). Applicants whose first language is not English are strongly encouraged to complete an intensive English course, at an institution in your home country, for at least six months prior to enrollment.
In addition to supplying the above documents, international students (persons who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents) must comply with the following: Upon admission, and before the visa process can begin, international students must complete the Emory University Financial Certificate, which indicates adequate financial resources to cover tuition, fees, travel, and living expenses for the first year of study in the United States. (An I-20 will not be prepared until this certificate has been approved; it must be approved by the University before July 1 for the fall semester, before November 1 for the spring semester, and before May 1 for the summer term.)
International students will be billed automatically for health insurance through Emory University unless insurance compliance information indicating proof of comparable United States–based coverage, is submitted by July 1 for the fall semester. Information regarding insurance for international students can be found online at www.emory.edu/ISSP/students/index.htm.
Admission Deposit
A nonrefundable admission deposit of $100 is required of all students enrolling at Candler School of Theology. This deposit is required within three weeks of notification of admission to the degree program, in order to secure the student’s place in the program. The deposit will be posted as a credit to the student’s Emory University account; students who pay the deposit but fail to enroll will forfeit the deposit.
English for Speakers of Other Languages
Students whose first language is not English, regardless of their TOEFL scores, will be required to participate in a written assessment before Candler’s fall orientation. Those whose assessments indicate a need for additional work in written communication will be required to take TESL300, English as a Second Language–Written Skills, in the fall semester. An oral assessment also will be required. Those whose assessments indicate a need for additional work in oral communication will be required to take TESL301, English as a Second Language–Oral Skills, in the spring semester. Although offered for credit, TESL courses are graded on an S/U basis and will not be counted toward curriculum requirements for graduation. ESOL tutors are available to meet with students on a weekly basis throughout the academic year.