Academic Governance
Graduate Academics at Missouri Baptist University is designed to ensure that graduate students receive a high quality academic educational program while maintaining a traditional Christian perspective. The University, through its graduate program, is committed to enriching its students’ lives intellectually, professionally, and spiritually, and providing educational services to the community. The graduate programs emphasize the development of an instructional environment that enables scholarly research, reflective thinking, performance-based experiences, performance-based competency assessment, creative expression, and involvement in the community at-large. These qualities are an extension of those accentuated in the undergraduate programs in which the University seeks to produce highly motivated, liberally educated individuals, and resourceful problem solvers who will become independent and responsible citizens in a global society. The faculty in the graduate academic programs attempt to expand on these qualities by being fully committed to teaching, research, service to students, mentoring graduate students in their major fields of study, and maximally utilizing the resources of the University and community.
In order to maintain a high quality educational program for students, the University has organized Graduate Academics in the following manner:
Graduate Affairs Committee
The Graduate Affairs Committee is the primary governing body that recommends policies, procedures, new programs, and curriculum for graduate academic programs. The Committee is also the final arbiter for graduate student appeals. The Graduate Affairs Committee has its own authority separate from the undergraduate program to make decisions regarding policies, procedures, curriculum, and student issues that relate to the Graduate Studies Program. The Vice President for Graduate Affairs & Professional Studies serves as the Chair of the Graduate Affairs Committee. The Graduate Affairs Committee meets at the mid-point of each 8-week term.
Graduate Faculty
Graduate faculty members are appointed by the Board of Trustees of Missouri Baptist University to teach graduate courses, mentor graduate students, and serve on committees. Graduate faculty members are approved in the same manner as undergraduate faculty except that they must also be approved by the Vice President for Graduate Affairs & Professional Studies. Typically, graduate faculty members are individuals holding an earned terminal degree or its equivalent with experience in higher education and special knowledge in the field they are teaching. Individuals with less than a terminal degree, but who are recognized leaders in their field or have special experience in their field, may also teach in Graduate Academics. The graduate faculty meets in special called meetings as the need arises. Normally, the academic load for a full-time graduate faculty member is nine (9) hours each semester.
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