A request for a “Leave of Absence” is a temporary suspension of the student’s academic time clock due to an emergency or crisis situation in the student’s life which prevents him or her from continuing with his or her studies.  A leave of absence applies only to the student’s academic clock before his or her time of study has expired.  Time expiration is determined by the number of years a student has been enrolled in the various programs of ABGTS.  According to the By-Laws of the Seminary, Article VIII-7, the period of study shall not ordinarily exceed three (3) years for the Th.M. and Ph.D. courses or four (4) years for the D.Min., D.Miss., D.R.E., and Th.D. degrees.

  • A leave of absence is granted by the Faculty of the Area Learning Center for six (6) month periods at a time and may be renewed for one additional six (6) month period not to exceed a twelve (12) month periods in total.  No student shall be granted more than twelve (12) months of a leave of absence in his or her study program.

  • A leave of absence is not granted during an extension period.  This means that for the Th.M. and Ph.D. degrees, a leave of absence may be granted between the first and third year of study.  For the D.Min., D.Miss., D.R.E., and Th.D. degrees, a leave of absence may be granted between the first and fourth year of study.

  • During the leave of absence period the student is expected to continue to pay his or her annual registration.

  • The student’s academic time clock will not continue to run while the student is under a leave of absence.  The academic time clock with resume once the period granted for a leave of absence has elapsed.
  • Extenuating circumstances which lead to a leave of absence may be considered by the Area Learning Center in granting an extension to a student once his or her normal time of study has expired (Th.M. and Ph.D. beyond three years or for D.Min., D.Miss., D.R.E. , and Th.D. beyond four years of study).

  • A leave of absence granted by the Faculty of the Area Learning Center should be reported to the Dean’s office by the Associate Dean.  This will be recorded in the student’s permanent record.

 

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