OBU Graduate and Online Programs in Summary
The Graduate and Online programs at Oklahoma Baptist University enhance the mission of the university by providing opportunities for advanced studies that equip graduates to follow Christ’s example in vocational pursuits.
The University currently offers seven graduate degrees: the Master of Arts in Christian Studies, the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, the Master of Arts in Teaching, the Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy. The University offers several online undergraduate programs including Bachelors degrees in Christian Studies, Business Administration, Exercise Science, Graphic and Digital Design, Strategic Communication and Public Relations, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Global Marketplace Engagement. Associates and Certificate programs are also available. OBU’s curriculum features strong, real-world, biblically-based studies designed to prepare professionals to step into leadership positions in their career field.
Graduate and Professional Studies Admission Requirements
Online Bachelor Degrees
OBU offers the following undergraduate degrees in a fully online format.
- Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies
- Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
- Bachelor of Arts in Global Marketplace Engagement
- Bachelor of Arts in Graphic and Digital Design
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
- Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication and Publish Relations
- Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science - Emphasis in Health Studies
- Bachelor of Sciences in Education - General Studies in Education (Non-licensure track)
Official Admissions Requirements (For student with less than 24 earned college credit hours)
- Application- Online Undergrad Degree
- Transcripts:
- High School Transcript:
- Both freshman and transfer applicants with less than 24 earned college credit hours must submit an official transcript sent from the high school to the OBU Graduate Admissions Office, bearing the school official’s signature. Freshman applicants may be admitted on the basis of an incomplete transcript which shows grades through at least six semesters. Upon graduation, the student should request that a final, official transcript be sent to OBU, bearing signature of the school official, graduation date and eighth semester grades. In addition, it is preferable for transcripts to include class rank, standardized test scores and the school seal when possible.
- College Transcript:
- Transfer students must submit an official transcript from each college attended, sent directly from the institution to the OBU Graduate Admissions Office. New freshmen who have taken concurrent college work must also submit an official transcript from each institution attended. Transfers will not receive an acceptance decision until all previous college work is submitted. Transcripts issued to the student are not acceptable for admission purposes. Any student who fails to report work taken at another institution is subject to immediate expulsion from OBU.
- Test Scores
- New freshmen may submit satisfactory scores on either the American College Test (ACT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), or the Classic Learning Test (CLT). If a student has a documented disability which affects his/ her ability to fairly complete the ACT or SAT, the student should contact his/her guidance counselor or the testing agency to inquire about special accommodations for taking the test. Transfer students with fewer than 24 semester hours are also required to submit test scores. This requirement may be waived for students over 25 years of age. Scores recorded on an official high school transcript or those reported directly from the testing agency are acceptable.
Official Admissions Requirements (For student with more than 24 earned college credit hours)
- Application for Admission
- Official Academic Transcripts
- A student transferring from another regionally accredited institution should submit official transcripts from all institutions previously attended when applying to OBU. The student is eligible for admission:
- If he/she is eligible to continue studies in the college from which he/she is transferring.
- If he/she has maintained a 2.0 grade point average in his/her college studies; and
- If his/her transcript does not include extensive remedial academic coursework. Students whose overall college grade average is below 2.0 or whose transcript includes extensive remedial academic coursework may be admitted on probation at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.
- All transfer grades become a part of the student’s permanent record at OBU. Incomplete grades transferred to OBU will be calculated as F grades unless the student furnishes an amended transcript showing a changed grade. Transfer grade point averages will be calculated according to OBU grading policies.
- The University cannot accept course work credits from institutions not regionally accredited. Nonaccredited institutions include vocational or trade schools and other institutions whose purposes and curricula indicate their restrictive nature. However, after earning 24 credit hours in residence at OBU with a GPA of 2.00 or higher, credits earned at a college or university not regionally accredited may be applied to the student’s OBU transcript as applicable credit for a degree.
Business Certificate Admissions Requirements
Official Admissions Requirements
- Application
- Official Academic transcript
- An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or a foreign equivalent as approved by specific program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The undergraduate degree does not need to be in a business field.
- Students with a GPA within the range of 2.0-3.0 may be conditionally accepted into the MBA Program at Oklahoma Baptist University. Conditional acceptance is contingent upon the submission of additional admissions materials, as determined by the program director. These materials may include letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, a resume, or additional academic transcripts.
Non-Degree Seeking Students
OBU courses are available for non-degree seeking students. Such courses can be taken to meet graduate program prerequisites, fulfill program requirements at another institution, or for general adult education. Courses can be taken online or in-person, pending class availability.
Official Admissions Requirements
Tuition
- Courses are charged at the tuition rate for the modality in which the course is taken.
International Students
- For international students with degrees from an accredited United States institution subsequent to their international transcript; the transcript verification process will be waived by OBU.
- If English is not the official language of instruction in the country in which you reside, please submit results of either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) directly from the corporation to the OBU Graduate and Professional Studies office or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) directly from the corporation to the OBU College of Graduate and Professional Studies office. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 (or 213 on the computer-based test, 80 on the internet-based test) is required. A minimum IELTS score of 6.5 is required. TOEFL-Visit: www.ets.org/portal/site/ets and www.toefl.org
Students with less than a 3.0 cumulative GPA may be considered for admission by the Admissions Committee. To be considered, candidates may be asked to submit: a purpose statement, a resume showing significant work experience, letters of reference, and/or GMAT/GRE scores.
Registration & Enrollment
Registration
Once notified of admission to the program, registration for the first term is completed through the Online, Nontraditional, and Graduate Education Office. Courses vary in length within each program. Online courses are typically eight weeks in length.
Enrollment
Faculty advisors will develop a degree plan for students upon admittance to follow during their time at the University. Students will automatically be enrolled in courses each semester unless they have given notification of their desire to withdraw or change course sequence. Notification should be made to the student’s Program Director before the first day of class.
Textbooks
Textbook information and acquisitions are available online through the OBU bookstore.
Withdrawal from Classes
Students who must withdraw from a class must formally withdraw from the Online, Nontraditional, and Graduate Education office no later than the first week in any term less than eight weeks, the fifth week of an eight-week course, or tenth week of a sixteen-week course in order to receive the neutral grade of “W.” The potential refund is dependent upon the date of withdrawal.
See Financial Policies for more information on withdrawal refunds.
General Policies
Governance of Online, Nontraditional, and Graduate Education at OBU
The Council of Online, Nontraditional, and Graduate Education (CONGE) is charged with oversight of all online, nontraditional and graduate programs at the University. The Council is composed of the Dean of ONGE, ONGE Program Directors, and appointed faculty and staff members.
Special Services
OBU’s Online, Nontraditional, and Graduate programs provide support services to students with disabilities. OBU is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity and full participation for students with disabilities. If you have a need for services due to disabilities, please contact the Disability Services Office at 405-585-5285.
Non-discrimination Policy
Oklahoma Baptist University strives to maintain high standards of professional ethics in an atmosphere in which individuals do not abuse their personal authority or power in interpersonal relationships. OBU is committed to maintaining a humane atmosphere in which the race, color, gender, age, national origin, marital status, and cognitive or physical disability are not disparaged. The University will not tolerate language or behavior directed against particular persons or groups the intent of which is to degrade, humiliate, embarrass, frighten, or otherwise dehumanize.
Graduate Student Services
OBU staff members are available to help students with application to the program, advising, registration, applications for financial aid, career counseling, and more, throughout their education at OBU. Library and reference materials are accessible online, as well as at the main OBU library.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
OBU students are expected to support and promote the values of ethics, academic integrity, individual freedom, dignity, respect, and concern for others. Students need to consult the OBU ONGE Student Handbook for policies and procedures for appeals and complaints.
Academic Policies
Class Attendance
Regular attendance and participation in class is considered a necessary factor in the learning process no matter the type of instruction (in-person lecture, laboratory, hybrid, online, etc.). University policy allows faculty members to determine reasonable attendance standards to meet the needs of each course. Attendance standards will vary from class to class and can include ramifications for absences, expectations for student communication, and required documentation for certain types of absences. Attendance standards must 1) be published in the course syllabus at the beginning of the semester/term, and 2) provide students an opportunity to complete work missed because of absences for University-sanctioned events. Faculty may decide when and how the work will be completed or will otherwise adjust the grading to ensure that the student is not penalized for the University-sanctioned absence.
- Per the NCAA athletic attendance policies, student-athletes may not miss class for athletic regular season practice.
- Persistent failure to attend class will be reported by instructors to academic.center@okbu.edu, and the student may be requested to withdraw from the University.
- Students experiencing medical circumstances that require prolonged absences are encouraged to communicate with faculty and determine if successful continuation of the course is possible. Faculty may, but are not required to, accommodate delivery method of instruction and timeline of completion (see Incomplete Grade section of this attachment). In some cases, withdrawing from the course for medical reasons may be deemed most appropriate.
Academic Integrity Policy
The University maintains a desire for all students to have academic integrity. The expectations are that students will not engage in academic dishonesty, which includes cheating, plagiarism, giving assistance on an examination or paper when expressly forbidden by the instructor, or any other practices which demonstrate a lack of academic integrity. Cheating occurs any time a student uses deception in order to avoid fulfilling the specific requirements of an assignment or course and/or in order to receive a higher grade than he/she might otherwise receive. Plagiarism occurs when a student appropriates passages or ideas from someone else’s writing into his/her own without providing proper documentation and/or without using quotation marks to indicate when he/she is directly quoting from a source. It is the responsibility of the student to know and to adhere to principles of academic honesty and faculty expectations as outlined in course syllabi. Burden of proof in cases of cheating and/or plagiarism rests with the instructor.
Discipline sanctions regarding Academic Dishonesty range from receiving a zero on the assignment and/or failure of the course to, for repeat or egregious offenses, suspension or expulsion from the University. Students accused of academic dishonesty may follow the academic grievance procedure outlined in the student handbook. Records of academic dishonesty cases will be kept in a confidential file in the office of the chief academic officer.
In the case of a grade appeal, the student shall be considered to have an authentic grievance when he/ she can demonstrate his/her grade for a course has been adversely affected because a faculty member has:
- made an error in the calculation of the grade or has made an error in reporting the grade to the registrar;
- made an arbitrary, prejudiced or capricious evaluation of the student;
- created and enforced course policy that is arbitrary, prejudiced and capricious;
- failed to notify (or make a reasonable attempt to notify) the student of course requirements, policies, and/or penalties;
- failed to notify (or make a reasonable attempt to notify) the student in a timely manner of failure to achieve educational objectives;
- infringed upon the contractual rights of the student as delineated in the course syllabus, the Catalog, or other University policy documents;
- violated the civil or human rights of the student as defined by law.
The process for filing a grade appeal can be found in the student handbook.
Advising
Upon admission to a degree program, students are assigned an Academic Advisor to assist them with creating a plan of study. Students and advisors should meet at appropriate intervals throughout each semester in which the student is enrolled to review the plan of study and program requirements. Student progress with meeting program requirements should be discussed and documented. While the academic advisor provides oversight and guidance with the plan of study, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to schedule advising appointments and ensure all degree requirements are complete. Students enrolled in online courses may not be able to meet with their advisor in person. Therefore, these students should make other arrangements to ensure advising occurs regularly. This could include meeting virtually via OBU approved platforms (to ensure privacy) such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams or a telephone call. In between scheduled meetings, all students have access to their advisor via OBU email.
Academic Progress
The student must earn grades in each semester that represent progress toward the GPA standard for their program of study. Students on Academic Probation are required to conference with their Program Director regarding a path to restoration and solutions to academic challenges, prior to the subsequent semester on probation.
Once the student completes academic course work such that his/her overall program GPA meets program minimums or greater, the student will no longer be on Academic Probation.
Failure to make academic progress as described after being placed on academic probation will result in the suspension of the student from the University. Notification will come from the Academic Dean. Students under academic suspension normally may apply to the Academic Dean for reinstatement. Reinstatement of the student is not automatic but depends on the quality of evidence submitted to the Academic Dean, in consultation with the Program Director, to justify belief that normal progress may be made toward satisfaction of degree requirements. Reinstated students must successfully meet the terms laid out in their reinstatement agreement.
For programs requiring a 3.0 for graduation: A student will be officially warned after the first grade of “C”. A second grade of “C” results in Academic Probation for the student, rendering the student subject to the Academic Probation conditions discussed above. If a student earns two grades of “C” or lower in the same term, the student will be subject to immediate Academic Probation without a term of warning. Further, at least one of the courses in which a grade of “C” was earned must be repeated successfully. To graduate from the Online, Nontraditional, and Graduate Education programs, a student must have at least a 3.00 GPA with no more than one “C”, and no “D’s” or “F’s”. A student will be expelled from their program after a third grade of “C”, or any grade of a “D” or “F”. Any repeated course(s) must be taken through OBU.
The undergraduate policy regarding scholastic standards can be found under the University’s Academic Probation and Suspension policy.
Course Policies
Repetition of Courses
Repetition of courses is determined by individual program policies. If a repeated course is permitted, the second grade will count toward the calculation of the GPA. Full tuition must be paid.
Completion of Course Work
Specific course policies are at the discretion of the assigned course faculty member. All assignments should be completed before or by the last class meeting date.
Online Course Submissions
Central Standard Time in the United States is the accepted time zone for all course submissions. Assignments must be posted by the due date and time identified by each course. See syllabi for program specific requirements.
Leave of Absence Policy
Should a student find it necessary to temporarily leave the program, he/she can request a leave of absence from the program. Students returning to the program must consult with their Program Director to determine if they must reapply for readmission to the program.
Five Year Limitation
Degree requirements must be completed within five years of the initiation of course work or the student risks losing all credits.
Auditing Courses
Students wishing to audit a course must adhere to the University Auditing Policy.
|
