• Home
    • Faculty Page
      • Board of Directors
      • About TBC
        • A Word from our President
          • Our Faculty
            • The Deans' Blog
              • What makes TBC Unique?
                • TBC Doctrinal Statement
                  • Mission, Purpose & Core Values
                    • Educational Philosophy & Guiding Principles
                      • Institutional Objectives
                        • 5-Year Strategic Plan
                          • TBC Calendar
                          • Academics
                            • 2010-2012 Catalog
                              • Course Descriptions
                                • Registration Form
                                • Admissions
                                  • Admissions Packet
                                  • Finance
                                  • Partners
                                  • Student Life
                                    • Christian Ministry Program
                                    • Contact
                                    • Giving
                                    • TBC Inclement Weather Policy
                                    • Prayer Forums

                                    Academic Information

                                    Picture
                                    Academic Year
                                    Tacoma Bible College operates according to an academic year with 2 semesters of 15 weeks (Fall, Spring) and a shortened intensified Summer Semester of 7 weeks. One-semester hour represents one classroom hour per week for 15 weeks.

                                    Registration
                                    To receive credit for a course, students must register with the Admissions Office, complete all course requirements, and receive a passing grade from the course faculty member.


                                                                                                Course Descriptions         
                                    Registration Form         Financial Information

                                    Adding Courses
                                    Generally, no course may be added for credit after the second week of the quarter. To add a course, students must request an add/drop form from the office. This form is to be approved and initialed by the Dean of Academics, the course instructor and the student, then immediately submitted to the Admissions Office for filing. A student who fails to follow this process will be eligible for course registration and will not receive credit for the desired course(s). There is an additional $25.00 fee for each course added after registration.

                                    Dropping Courses
                                    To drop a course, students must request an add/drop form from the office. This form must be approved and initialed by the Dean of Academics, the course instructor and the student, then submitted to the Admissions Office before the third week of the quarter. Students may not drop any course after the third week of the quarter. A student who fails to follow this process will receive an “F” for the course and remain liable for the full cost of the class. There is a $25.00 drop fee for each course dropped after registration.

                                    Course Changes
                                    The school reserves the right to shift, add or cancel courses depending on student demand or other circumstances as the need arises. Such adjustments are made only after careful consideration by the Dean of Academics, and with the best interest of the students in mind. Students shall not be liable for add/drop fees as a result of such action.

                                    Class Withdrawal Procedure
                                    Generally, TBC does not allow students to withdraw from a course unless circumstances outside of their control arise that prohibit them from completing the required course work. A student may not withdraw from a course without the written permission of the student's instructor and the Dean of Academics. The determination to allow a student to withdraw from any class will be made by the Dean of Students and Dean of Academics, after a thorough interview with the student. The decision to allow a student to withdraw from any course will be determined unilaterally by TBC. Students who wish to apply to withdraw from any course should request a Course Withdrawal Form from the Admissions Office and also schedule an appointment with the Dean of Students and Dean of Academics.

                                    Attendance 
                                    Policy Students are required to regularly attend courses at TBC.  The amount which student attendance contributes to the student’s final course grade is at the discretion of each course faculty member.  Students with more than three (3) absences will not be eligible to complete the course and will be assigned a Withdrawal for the course, unless written permission is provided to the Registrar’s office by the faculty member for that particular course.

                                    Definition of a Credit Hour
                                    Tacoma Bible College defines an academic credit hour as one hour of in-class lecture time plus one hour of out-of-class independent study for each credit hour.

                                    Student Classifications
                                            Full time:  12 credit hours per quarter        Part time: 12 credit hours per quarter
                                            Audit: Classes taken on a non-credit basis

                                    The following classifications apply to enrolled students who have completed the appropriate number of semester hours of study and have maintained a grade point average of 2.00 or above: 

                                            Freshman: under 30 credit hours completed          Sophomore: 30 - 60 credit hours completed
                                            Junior: 60 - 90 credit hours completed                    Senior: over 90 credit hours completed

                                    Grading
                                    Evaluation by instructors is based on the following letter grades:

                                    Letter Grade                    Description                                                                                                                                    Grade Percentage Achieved

                                        A                                    Excellent: Outstanding accomplishment in mastering objectives of the subject.                                93 - 100%

                                        B                                    Very Good: Better than average accomplishment in mastering objectives of the subject                 85 - 92%

                                        C                                    Satisfactory: Fulfills essential requirements and has made progress toward mastering the             78 - 84%
                                                                                    objectives of the subject.
                                        D                                    Passing: Meets minimal standards for obtaining credit toward mastering the objectives                 70 - 77%
                                                                                    of the subject.
                                        F                                    Failure: Falls below the minimal standards of accomplishment toward mastering the                         < 70%
                                                                                    objectives of the subject.
                                        W                                    Withdrawal from the course with permission from the Dean of Students and Dean of                          NA
                                                                                    Academics for unusual and extenuating circumstances.
                                         I                                    Student is working by permission from course instructor to complete course material,                        NA
                                                                                    or student is has an outstanding balance for fees with TBC. Student is eligible to receive 
                                                                                    a course grade, and course credit when deficits corrected.

                                    Application to Finish Incomplete Course Work
                                    A grade of Incomplete (I) is given when circumstances make it impossible for the student to complete course requirements before the end of a semester. In such cases, a written request must be submitted by the student to the course instructor documenting satisfactory reasons for the delay. If the instructor has agreed to the request, the instructor will identify an Incomplete (I) when filing the course grades. The student has a maximum of six weeks to complete work for courses that are incomplete. If the course work is not completed during this time, the Incomplete (I) grade will automatically be converted to an Failure (F) grade. The Admissions Office may also, independent of the course instructor; assign an Incomplete (I) grade if the student has an outstanding financial balance at the end of the academic semester.

                                    Once the student has corrected any outstanding financial balances, the course grade will be changed to the instructor's original assigned grade.

                                    Grade Point Average
                                    To provide a basis for determining grade point averages, each letter grade is assigned a numerical grade equivalent as follows:

                                    Letter Grade                     Numerical Equivalent

                                            A                                                4.0
                                            B                                               3.0
                                            C                                               2.0
                                            D                                               1.0
                                            F                                               0.0
                                            W                                              NA
                                             I                                               NA

                                    The Numerical Equivalent from the Letter Grade is multiplied times the credit value for each class, resulting in the Credit Points achieved for the class. The Available Credit Points for each class is calculated by multiplying the credit value for each class time the maximum Numerical Value of 4.0. The grade point average is determined by dividing accumulated Credit Points by the number total Available Credit Points attempted. All courses in which a student is enrolled on a credit basis are included in the grade point average of the student.

                                    Scholastic Standards
                                    Academic Probation
                                    Any student not maintaining a 2.0 grade point average will be placed on academic probation for the following semester. If the student continues after that period to maintain less than a 2.0 grade point average, he may be temporarily suspended or permanently dismissed from the college.

                                    Academic Dismissal
                                    Temporary suspension or permanent dismissal for academic reasons will be determined by the Dean of Academics and will be based on the continued failure of the student to maintain the minimal academic standards. The Dean of Academics may, at his discretion, elect to dismiss a student at any time for poor academic performance.

                                    Course Repeats
                                    Repeating a course is permitted, but credit is granted only once. In the case of a course having been failed and then repeated and passed, the higher grade will replace the F and be used in re-computing the grade point average. Students may not repeat a course for credit that they have previously passed.

                                    Honors
                                    Honor Roll
                                    At the end of each semester, the Dean of Academics publishes an Honor Roll of students taking 9 or more credits who have earned a grade point average of 3.50.

                                    Dean's List
                                    At the end of each semester, the Dean of Academics publishes a Dean's List of students taking 9 or more credits who have earned a grade point average of 3.75 or higher.

                                    Graduation Honors
                                    • Summa cumlaude designation is awarded to graduating students with a cumulative grade point average of greater than 3.90.
                                    • Magna cumlaude designation is awarded to graduating students with a cumulative grade point average between 3.75 and 3.89.
                                    • Cumlaude designation is awarded to graduating students with a cumulative grade point average between 3.60 and 3.74.

                                    Graduation Requirements
                                    Associate Degree is awarded to students who successfully complete all of the required courses for the Associate Degree and a minimum of 60 credit hours. At a minimum, the students last 15 credit hours achieved must have been completed at Tacoma Bible College.

                                    Bachelor Degrees are awarded to students who successfully complete all of the required courses and a minimum or 120 credit hours. At a minimum, the last 30 credit hours achieved must have been completed at Tacoma Bible College.

                                    Graduation Applications
                                    Students who desire to graduate from Tacoma Bible College, and have successfully completed the required courses for a particular Associate or Bachelor Degree program, and have a maximum of 15 credit hours remaining to complete may apply for application by completing the Graduation Application Form available in the Administrative Office. The student will be contacted by the office of the Dean of Academics to schedule an appointment to review the student's transcripts, and current course load. The Dean of Academics may then recommend the student to begin the graduation process. The Dean of Academics may make a final recommendation for graduation after the student has successfully passed the oral graduation examination, and successfully completed the remaining courses and credits required of the degree program.



                                    (c) 2011 Tacoma Bible College