Registration

DMin modules are considered to be year-long (365-day) events, starting about sixty days prior to an intensive. During the four years of coursework, registration is necessary only once each year. However, because the University runs on the semester system, registrations for continuation after coursework is finished must be renewed for each of the three semesters in a calendar or academic year. Online registration can open about three months before the start of each new semester.

Year-long DMin modules are described as a "blended learning" format, with pre-intensive, intensive, and post-intensive portions. Deadlines vary according to the start dates of intensives. The official start date of a module is about sixty days prior to the first day of an intensive and online registration must be done before this official start date. Registration is placed in the semester containing the intensive portion. For example, an intensive taking place in January will be in the spring semester, but online registration for it can be done the preceding October; the opportunity to do online registration for it will close on a date in November sixty days before the first day of the January intensive.

Each course module has a 365-day lifetime, and registration is needed only once a year. Persons who have finished all four years of coursework register for the 0-credit DMin Project Continuation (GSEM788) each semester they remain in the program. Online registration for continuation closes by each semester's drop/add deadline, about two weeks into a semester. Exact drop/add deadlines are published in each year's academic calendar in the AU Bulletin.

The semester schedule is...

Spring semester: starts the first week of January
Summer semester: starts the first week of May
Fall semester: starts the last full week of August

You must apply and be accepted to the program before you may register for course modules. Manual registration can be done by University personnel for those who fail to register themselves, or for those in new cohort launches, but there will be gaps of time before this is accomplished--it's usually not done until after a semester's drop/add date. Access to University services such as Learning Hub may be denied until you are registered.

Make sure you have financial clearance to register. If you have no outstanding balance on your account, you will be financially cleared. Whether or not your employer is sponsoring some portion of your tuition, Andrews will always regard you as the responsible party for keeping your account up to date, so please monitor your account carefully and communicate with your sponsoring entity about financial clearance and registration deadlines. Payment may be made online (access with AU username and password, pay with a credit card) via the AU website. Financial clearance is issued by Mr. Fares Magesa, Assistant Director of Student Accounts: 269-471-3428, magesaf@andrews.edu.

Cohort participants may find their curriculum schedules on the DMin web page for their concentration. To find the detailed codes necessary for online registration, follow this path:

www.andrews.edu → Current Students (drop-down menu at top of screen) → Course Schedule → Select Term (from drop-down menu) → Select Campus (US Off-campus w/ AU Oversight or Int Off-campus w/AU Oversight, depending on your cohort's base of sponsorship) → College/School (Theological Seminary).

From that point, scroll down the page to find your course and its codes. DMin courses are always at the 700 level (example: CHMN 747). The first seven characters (four letters, three numbers) are the course catalog acronym and number, the next three digits are the section number, and the number in parentheses is the CRN (course reference number). This is the number that actually registers your course. It is especially important to enter the CRN correctly or you can find yourself registered for something quite unexpected!

Download instructions for Registration Central for a screen-by-screen guide to the process.

Online registration is open about three months preceding a school term. You will find a link to Registration Central on the Andrews main web page, www.andrews.edu, or through the "vault" link at the bottom of the page, where you can set up your username activation online. Then make sure that...

1) your academic information is correct,
2) your addresses are correct and
3) you have no academic, immigration, or financial holds.

Generally, there are no excused absences. Failure to register and attend will result in loss of your place in the cohort. Exceptions to the cohort schedule are seldom granted and must be arranged on an individual basis, usually for reasons of extreme duress such as serious illness or injury. To arrange for special situations that vary from a cohort's schedule, call or email the DMin office at 269-471-3544 or dmin@andrews.edu. If for any reason you must be late or cannot attend, DO NOT ASSUME THAT COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CONCENTRATION COORDINATOR OR PROFESSOR IS ENOUGH! You must make arrangements with the DMin office.

Timely registration will give you unobstructed access to university services including the library and Learning Hub. Another important benefit is that it keeps student loans in deferred status. Failure to register for two consecutive semesters results in having your student status deactivated by the Graduate Enrollment office. Maintaining a current registration is not optional—you are expected to secure financial clearance so you can be registered every term you are in the program.

As illustrated in the DMin Program Planner, program participants will be registered for eight credits each year for four years, for a total of 32 credits, including the professional dissertation.  Subsequent registrations, starting with the third semester following the fourth year's module registrations, will be for GSEM788 Project Continuation each semester until completion up to the six-year program limit. There is no additional fee for continuation registration within the program's time limits.

Persons who exceed the six-year time limit may be granted a one-year extension when a petition is submitted. A registration fee of approximately $1,400 is charged each semester during the extension period. Failure to register during an extension period can result in early termination of the extension privilege. An approved extension beyond the six-year limit must be documented before Academic Records will allow degree conferral, so it is important to go through the process.

This detailed description probably sounds more complicated than the process really is. Once you have successfully completed the process, you will find that it is not terribly difficult, as many students have reported to us. If you encounter some insurmountable technical difficulty, contact the Academic Records office for assistance: 1-269-471-3375 or email academicrecords@andrews.edu.

1/29/2020