Academic Governance
The Graduate Studies Program of 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 program emphasizes 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 of the Graduate Studies Program attempts 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 the Graduate Studies Program in the following manner:
Graduate Affairs Council
The Graduate Affairs Council is the primary governing body that recommends policies, procedures, new programs, and curriculum for the Graduate Studies Program. The Council is also the final arbiter for graduate student grievances. The Graduate Affairs Council 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 Graduate Affairs Council currently consists of ten members, including the Vice President for the Graduate Studies Program. The Vice President for the Graduate Studies Program serves as the Chair of the Graduate Affairs Council. The Graduate Affairs Council meets as need warrants.
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 of the Graduate Studies Program. 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 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 the Graduate Studies Program. The graduate faculty meets in plenary session at least once each semester and 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.
Vice President for Graduate Studies
The Vice President for Graduate Studies has oversight of the Graduate Studies Program including the admission, registration, advisement, and graduation of students in the program; the recruitment and appointment of graduate faculty in conjunction with Division Chairs/Deans; the design of the graduate curriculum and the development of new graduate programs; the development of the policies and procedures of the Graduate Studies Program; and the budgeting process. The Vice President for Graduate Studies serves as the Chair of the Graduate Affairs Council and Moderator of the graduate faculty when it is in plenary session.
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