Students must be registered for each course taken, whether for credit or audit. Procedures for registration for courses are listed online on Cardinal Station and in a booklet available from the Registrar's Office. Most School of Theology and Religious Studies (STRS) graduate courses are only offered in the Fall and Spring semesters; however, some STRS language courses for graduate students are offered in the summer. D.Min. courses are now offered exclusively in the summer.
New Student Registration for Courses
New students should discuss their course schedule with their academic advisor, if necessary via email prior to arriving for their first semester, and register for their courses online through Cardinal Station. A student's letter of acceptance lists any prerequisite courses or other terms of a conditional admission that the student needs. These courses must be taken for credit as soon as possible unless the student receives approval from his/her advisor to substitute a previously taken course. If a student has a scholarship, the funding cannot be posted against their account until they have registered for courses and generated a tuition bill.
Registration for Courses Outside of STRS
Ordinarily all course requirements for a STRS degree are to be fulfilled in STRS or, with appropriate approval, through interdisciplinary courses in another CUA school. For a listing of all courses please see the Graduate Announcements. The M.A. and S.T.B. degree programs allow students six credit hours outside of STRS; to take additional courses outside of STRS, a student needs written permission from the STRS Dean. In any given semester, all other STRS degree students are usually allowed one course per semester outside of the STRS, or in another CUA school with the permission of the student's advisor and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. Any course taken outside of CUA should be a course not offered in the STRS during that academic year, and only one course outside of STRS or the University should be taken in each Academic Area.
Deadlines for Registration
Deadlines for registration are listed in the Registrar's Class Schedule. The online Cardinal Student System denies access at midnight of the deadline date. Anyone wanting to add or drop a class after the deadline must complete a Registration Change Form and secure the necessary signatures and deliver copies of the forms to the appropriate offices.
Course Transfer
Students may be eligible to transfer prior courses taken for credits into their current academic plan provided that the credits being transferred are at the grade level of B or higher. Students are required to fill out the transfer for course form with the help and guidance of their academic advisor. Official transcripts are to be attached.
Transfer Credits
In general, students entering a master's level program in the School of Theology and Religious Studies may transfer up to six credit hours from courses taken at other institutions toward completion of their degree requirements. Students entering into doctoral studies may transfer up to 24 credit hours from courses taken at other institutions toward completion of their degree programs. The university requires that such courses be relevant to the degree program requirements, and that the courses be taken at institutions with accreditation from regional associations.
Individual degree programs within the School of Theology and Religious Studies may have different policies, and all transfer courses must be approved by the director of the student's academic area, so prospective students are encouraged to consult with the area director to find out whether or not their proposed transfer courses will be approved.
Add/Drop
The last day to add or drop a course is within the first 12 days of the semester. Any courses dropped after that time will have the designation of "W" on the student's record.
Audit
The last day to request to change a course from graded to audit is the midterm date. Use the Registration Change Form
Withdrawal
The last day to withdraw from a course is generally around 8 weeks into the semester.
When registering online, a student will occasionally be informed that a course is closed and registration will be blocked. However, the instructor for the course may be willing to accept students into the class. The student should contact the Assistant Director for Graduate Admissions who will have more information regarding the availability of additional space in "closed" courses.
Students are strongly encouraged to register for classes as early as possible. This ensures that courses show adequate enrollment, averting the possibility that a course will be dropped from the schedule for lack of students. It also gives the student maximum time to address any problems that may arise in the course of registration, such as holds on their accounts. Such problems are harder to correct if the student waits until the deadline to register.
IMPORTANT LINKSGraduate Announcements
Cardinal Station
Assistant Director for Graduate Admissions Email