MA Operations Guide

Information about the collaboration between ETS and Lee University

Oversight

The institution has identified the individuals responsible for providing oversight for various aspects of the relationship between Lee University and ETS. These individuals may change at any time with appropriate notification from the partnership coordinators.

Role
Lee University
ETS
Partnership Coordination Dr. Jayson VanHook
 Manuel Martin-Arroyo
Program Coordination MAMFS
 Dr. Jeff Sargent
 Dr. Carl Simpson
Program Coordination MAPCT Dr. Daniela Augustine Dr. Carl Simpson
Library Services Dr. Louis Morgan
 Naomi Basulescu
Records Dr. Jayson VanHook
 Lisette Schumacher


Institutional Responsibilities

After an evaluation of the previously signed memorandum of understanding dated July 31, 2014, the institutions signed a new memorandum of understanding in March 2021 which detailed the following institutional responsibilities.

Partnership and Program Coordinators

  1. Both parties shall appoint a partnership coordinator whose function is to monitor and evaluate this Agreement between the two institutions. When a new partnership coordinator is appointed, all involved personnel must be informed as soon as possible. The validity of the contract is untouched by the change.
  2. Both parties will appoint a program coordinator for each program approved at this location. The program coordinator at Lee will assist in overseeing the program with respect to the availability and use of Lee University faculty as well as the evaluation of the program. Lee’s program coordinator will have ultimate responsibility over the curriculum and content of the program, utilizing the appropriate Lee University curriculum approval processes as required. The program coordinator at ETS, who might also be the partnership coordinator, will serve as the point of contact with Lee on all aspects of the educational program.

Responsibility of Lee University

  1. Lee University will be responsible for ensuring all on-site programs are approved for this location by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
  2. Lee will maintain responsibility for the development, approval, instruction, and evaluation of all on-site educational programs at this location.
  3. Lee will ensure that there is a sufficient number of faculty qualified to develop, design, and teach the courses for all on-site programs.
  4. Lee program coordinators will review the credentials of ETS faculty according to the guidelines of SACSCOC and approve those with the appropriate credentials.
  5. When available, Lee faculty will travel to ETS to teach courses in this program to ensure quality and consistency with similar on-campus programs. Lee program coordinators will determine which Lee faculty are best prepared to teach classes. 
  6. Lee will pay the salary and airfare from the United States for Lee faculty who participate in the program.
  7. While the recruitment and admission processes are managed through ETS, the respective program coordinators will have final approval of students' acceptance into the programs.
  8. The program coordinators at Lee will be responsible for reviewing all transfer work for prospective students to determine academic transfer credit according to university policy. They will work with ETS's appropriate administrator(s) to gather the necessary documents and communicate decisions to students. 
  9. Lee University will give ETS students access to the electronic resources of the Squires Library.
  10. The program coordinators at Lee will certify all students for graduation upon notification from the appropriate administrator(s) at ETS.
  11. All students completing the requirements for graduation in a program offered at ETS will receive a Lee University diploma and transcript.
  12. Lee will maintain the official records of student enrollment, course completion, and graduation in the Office of Records in Cleveland, TN.
  13. Lee agrees to maintain each program once it has begun so that all enrolled students can complete their program in a reasonable timeframe.

Responsibilities of ETS

  1. ETS will be responsible for ensuring that each program is properly documented and meets the legal requirements for the operation of a foreign university in Germany.
  2. The appropriate administrator(s)/faculty at ETS will assist the respective Lee program coordinator in the adaptation of educational programs and courses to suit contextual needs.
  3. The appropriate administrator(s) at ETS will identify and recommend on-site faculty who have the appropriate credentials to teach each of the courses in the approved educational programs and will send the credentials of recommended faculty to the respective program coordinator for review.
  4. Students enrolled in on-site programs will pay tuition directly to ETS.
  5. With the exception of Lee faculty salary and airfare, ETS is responsible for all other expenses of on-site programs, including in-country travel, and room and board for Lee faculty teaching courses in this program. 
  6. ETS will be responsible for advertising, recruiting, and admitting students into on-site programs. Recruitment materials will adequately and accurately represent the programs, requirements, and services available to students.
  7. ETS will make available to students and prospective students the following: admissions requirements, policies for awarding transfer credit, academic calendars, grading practices, refund policies, and procedures for addressing student complaints.
  8. ETS will provide appropriate academic support services to students enrolled in on-site programs. This includes access to the library, technology, and other student support services.
  9. ETS will maintain records of student enrollment, course completion, and graduation in a safe and secure location. At the beginning of each semester, the appropriate administrator(s) at ETS will send rosters of students and course enrollments to the Lee Office of Records. At the end of each semester, final grades will be submitted to the Lee Office of Records.
  10. ETS will have adequate procedures in place for resolving student complaints and will be able to demonstrate it follows these procedures.
  11. ETS will make available physical facilities that appropriately serve the needs of the on-site educational programs.
  12. ETS agrees to maintain each program once it has begun so that all enrolled students can complete their program in a reasonable timeframe.

Evidence of Authorization

Lee University is authorized to operate in Germany as a Hochschule. The German government provides a website called Anabin where all universities authorized to operate are listed. Lee University is included on this website as a Hochschule with an “H+” classification. This operation of Lee University (Niederlassung) will be registered with the Ministry of Education in Baden-Württemberg according to Paragraph 72a Absatz 3 LHG before 2017 (Art. 19 Paragraph 12 Absatz 4 Satz 1 3. HRÄG). The German Government requires all foreign universities offering degree programs in Germany to be accredited by a German accreditation agency. This was successfully accomplished with the Evalag accreditation agency and registered with the State Government of Baden-Württemberg in 2020.

Facilities

The campus of the European Theological Seminary (ETS) is located in the town of Kniebis, Germany in the Black Forest. Formerly a health spa and resort, the campus has buildings ranging in age from 105 years old to those built-in 2003. All buildings have been updated and remodeled since 2003, making the facility very suitable for the education process. All classrooms are equipped with Digital White Boards, three mobile Zoom stations, and network connections for current teaching techniques. The classrooms are furnished with lumbar supporting chairs and tables that have a large area for laptop computers. The institution has three classrooms: a large classroom with about 40 students, a smaller classroom with 30, and a seminar room with 20 students. There is a conference room with a built-in dual-screen zoom station available in the office suite with 16 chairs. An audio-video recording & editing studio has been created. The chapel is also available for large classes with over 50 students and also has a projector as needed. A reading room is available for students with two tables holding a maximum of 16 students. The campus has many other spaces available for out-of-class conversations and small group work. The institution has ten office spaces that house the staff, and dorm spaces are available for undergraduate students. There are local hotels nearby that serve the graduate students during their intensive sessions.

A wireless network is available throughout the campus providing students with access to the Internet. Two computers are available for open use in the library, and students can access these computers between 8 am and midnight. Most students bring their own computers. A copier/printer is available to students in the library. Students are provided a number that gives them access to copiers and printers. Students are charged for prints/copies, and this is managed through the assigned number. Students in the Marriage and Family Studies program use R software for the research methods class.

ETS Exterior
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 ETS Campus
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 Lobby
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Classroom
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 Conference Room
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 Chapel/Auditorium
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Library Collections
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 Library Collections
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 Library Common Area
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Reading Room
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 Recording Studio
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 Student Lounge
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Fitness Center
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 Dining Hall
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 Dining Hall
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Programs

The following programs are offered by Lee University at the ETS campus. These programs were approved by SACSCOC for this site through the substantive change process. Approval and start dates are provided below, along with the current status of each program.

Program
Approval
Start Date
Current Status
MA, Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology
 The prospectus for Biblical Studies received approval from SACSCOC on June 12, 2007. The name change was accepted in 2021.
 The first class for this program was offered in the fall of 2007.
 The program is currently active with students enrolled. The program was evaluated in 2014 and 2021. The next evaluation is scheduled for 2026.
MA, Marriage and Family Studies
 This program reflected the non-licensure version of an already approved program in Marriage and Family Therapy.
 The first classes were offered in the fall of 2014.
 The program is currently active with students enrolled. The program was evaluated in 2014 and 2021. The next SACSCOC evaluation is scheduled for 2026.


Library Services

Students registered at ETS have open access to a collection of over 20,000 theological textbooks, reference works, treatises, and magazines in both German and English cataloged according to the Dewey Decimal System, with holdings registered on a computerized database. Reference works may only be consulted in the library; other works under certain circumstances may be loaned out for a limited time. The library is also accessible for persons who are not enrolled at the school but registered as users. Acquisitions each year average around 400 books mainly in the areas of Theology, Judaism, Anthropology, Counseling, Psychology, and Music. Students have access to the library from 8 am till midnight. Staff members are available to assist students from 8 am to 4 pm.

ETS students may also access the University of Tübingen Library, which has more than 3 million volumes and subscribes currently to a little less than 9,000 periodicals. It includes in particular special collections in theology and religious studies with over 500,000 volumes. The holdings can be checked directly through online services or through the information of the Southwestern Library System. There is also a local library in town, and students have access to the library in Heidelberg.

ETS students have full access to the Lee online library resources, which include access to eBooks, Academic Search Complete, and other general full-text journals. In areas relevant to study, students have broad access to journals. For instance, resources for psychology include PsycInfo, PsycArticles, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and Mental Measurement Yearbook. Resources for religion include ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, Religion and Theology E-Book Collection (Deo Publishing), Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts, Open Access Digital Theological Library, Religion and Philosophy Collection, and Theological Journal Library. Altogether, students have access to thousands of full-text journals online. Access to the Lee online resources is available 24/7, and students can access these resources through ETS’s wireless network.

A library coordinator is available at ETS to assist students during the hours of operation. The library coordinator is responsible for helping students find resources in the library. The faculty teaching courses on-site may provide more direct support as needed, and a distance librarian on the main campus supports the library coordinator and students at ETS with video tutorials and access to online resources. 

Lee University requires each new cohort of ETS students to complete library instruction during their first semester. Students watch videos and read the instructional text provided by Squires Library, both of which are located on the library LibGuide for ETS. The LibGuide includes the following information and/or videos: 1) general contact information for Squires Library as well as specific contact information for both the onsite library coordinator at ETS and distance librarian at the main campus, 2) instructions on how to utilize the “Submit a Question” form, 3) the ability to request journal articles via Inter-Library Loan, 4) instructions on how to search the library’s resources through the EBSCO Discovery Service, and 5) instructions for how to choose reliable resources and avoid plagiarism. A representative of the ETS library is present during the presentation of the information to assist students and/or answer any questions the students may have about the videos or about the services provided. Each semester thereafter, students will be exposed to condensed library instruction consisting of a 5-minute reminder of the services available to them through the ETS library and Lee online electronic resources.

The Distance Learning Librarian on the main campus provides training and guidance to the library coordinator at ETS. They correspond regularly through email and/or video conferencing in order to establish stronger communication between Squires Library and ETS.

Student Support Services

The master’s programs at ETS are offered in an intensive format. Due to the intensive nature of the programs, students are primarily on campus for academic purposes. ETS has a fitness room, a basketball court, a small student center, a prayer room, a TV room, music practice rooms, etc. Snow skiing and sledding are available in the winter months. The students attend Chapel services together and other organized activities during their intensives. A campus dining hall provides students with all meals, and students eat together during scheduled breaks. The campus has a trained first aider available for first aid, and there is a hospital within 8 miles of the campus.

The residential nature of the campus, with both faculty and administrators being on campus, means students have wide access to faculty and staff for support during their intensives. Academic advising is available for all students and an open office policy enables students to have access to their faculty, mentors and tutors. Students have access to the library, technology, and other learning resources while on campus.

Policies and Procedures

Recruitment and Promotional Materials

ETS is responsible for the recruitment of students for the programs offered. ETS primarily uses its website and social media to communicate information to prospective students. The European Church of God is primarily the population from which students are recruited, and ETS has access to this population through events and general word-of-mouth advertisements. ETS also has a simple promotional brochure. The brochure and website are periodically reviewed by program coordinators to ensure it reflects the programs offered.

Admissions Procedures and Requirements

Admissions policies and procedures are made available in the application for admissions and on the ETS website. Requirements are also sent to students via email upon request. An admissions committee reviews all new student applications. The admissions committee includes the President, academic dean, and faculty members. The appropriate administrators accept students meeting all criteria for acceptance into the program. If a potential graduate student does not meet the minimum qualifications for the program, these students are referred to the appropriate program coordinator at Lee University. Students may be accepted on probation at the discretion of the committee and the Lee University program coordinator.

At ETS, applicants must submit a completed application form, certified copies of their undergraduate diplomas demonstrating a 2.0 minimum GPA, two academic references, a character reference, an application fee (50 euros), and a writing sample. In addition, each applicant must also conduct a personal interview with an ETS staff member. If students do not have the necessary prerequisites for the program, students may be expected to complete some leveling courses.

Program Length and Awarding of Credit

The master's programs offered at ETS can be completed in three years, which is the typical length of a part-time master's degree program in Europe. All programs match program length requirements for similar programs on the main campus. According to Lee University policy, at least one-third of all credits earned toward a graduate degree must be earned through instruction offered by Lee University. The transfer policy, which limits students’ transfer credits to a maximum of 6 hours, ensures all students who graduate from these programs meet this requirement. Lee University does not award academic credit for coursework taken on a noncredit basis for any of its programs.

The university maintains standards to ensure sound and acceptable practices for the awarding of credit regardless of delivery format. Practices for awarding credit are consistent with the Federal definition of the credit hour. In a traditional Lee University class, a semester credit hour is defined by Lee University as 50 minutes of class work or faculty instruction per week for fifteen weeks of the semester. The average minimum expectation for out-of-class work per credit hour is the equivalent of two hours a week for the fifteen-week term. Therefore, the total required activity for a 3-credit-hour course is 112. 

All programs at ETS are offered in an intensive format. For a typical intensive course, students are expected to engage in coursework prior to and following the intensive classroom experience. For a typical 3-credit-hour intensive course at ETS, approximately 40 hours of classroom seat time is required over a 5-day intensive session; this is preceded and followed by a number of clock hours of reflective work as specified in the course syllabus. In total, the amount of instructional activity meets the minimum 112 hours as required by Lee University policy, but reflects normal practice in Europe.

Awarding of Transfer Credit

The Lee University transfer credit policy allows for the transfer of up to six credit hours (30 ECTS) of relevant graduate study from an accredited institution, as approved by the respective director of the graduate program in which the student is seeking admission. This applies to students in all Lee programs offered at ETS. The transfer policy is made available in the ETS Graduate Student Handbook and on the ETS website.

The ETS Academic Dean works with the appropriate program coordinators at Lee to consider possible transfer credits. A method of scrutiny has been developed as follows: (1) involves the leadership of both institutions in a decision about transfer credit; (2) requires transfer credits from accredited or approved institutions at the graduate level (seminary or university); and (3) requires courses transferred to be germane to the content of the courses in the program as well as be at a level equivalent to the academic rigor of the courses being offered in the program. Students should receive a response in writing from the ETS Academic Dean regarding the acceptance or denial of transfer credits as well as which course/s the transfer credits will replace in the program. To date, only one student has applied for six transfer credits, supported by a transcript, to be accepted from another institution to be accepted in the ETS program.

Academic Calendars, Grading Practices, and Refund Policies

The academic calendar, grading policies, and refund policies for the programs offered at ETS follow the host institution's guidelines. The fall and spring calendars are published on the ETS website, and grading and refund policies are available in the MA Student Handbook.

Student Rights and Complaints

Student rights and complaint procedures are made available to students in the ETS Graduate Student Handbook and on the ETS website. Adequate procedures are in place to ensure students are treated fairly and their concerns are heard and addressed. The institution has a process where the students elect two class speakers, and these speakers meet with the faculty/administration during each intensive. These students bring to the faculty problems and/or complaints about the institution, and the faculty and administration work to resolve issues. More specific individual complaints may be addressed by the student directly to the ETS Academic Dean. The program coordinators at Lee University are informed of all written complaints. Action is taken to investigate and resolve such complaints, at the earliest opportunity.

Maintaining Student Records

Lee University maintains all official academic records for the ETS programs. When students are first admitted into a program, a record of the student is submitted to Lee by the ETS registrar. At the beginning of each term, the ETS registrar sends student course rosters to Lee University. At the end of each term, the ETS registrar submits final grades to Lee University. Since both Lee University and ETS have up-to-date student records, either institution can generate transcripts; however, the official record is maintained by Lee University. Upon completion of a degree, the ETS program coordinator notifies the graduation coordinator at Lee University that a student has completed all work required for a degree. The graduation coordinator works with the respective program coordinator at Lee University to complete a degree audit and certify the student does in fact meet the requirements for graduation. If approved, an official diploma is printed and sent to ETS prior to the graduation ceremony, if possible.
Electronic and hard copy records are kept in the respective Registrar offices at Lee University and ETS. The offices at both institutions are locked and the computers are secured through usernames and passwords. Hard-copy files are kept in locked filing cabinets.
The ETS registrar provides students with an electronic record of their transcript each semester. Grades are communicated to students through secure electronic communication. No student records are communicated publicly. ETS has a formal policy for the confidentiality and security of student records. This policy is made available to students in the ETS Graduate Student Handbook and on the ETS website.

Curriculum Development

The curricula for all Lee University programs offered at ETS are designed and overseen by full-time Lee University faculty. The program coordinators at Lee University are ultimately responsible for the curriculum development process. The Director of the Graduate Counseling program at Lee University is the program coordinator for the Marriage and Family Studies program, and the Director of the Graduate Theology program is the program coordinator for the Biblical Studies program. These coordinators work with the respective chairs and deans at Lee University, as well as the relevant departmental committees and the Graduate Council, to gain the appropriate institutional approvals.

The programs and syllabi for all ETS programs were developed by full-time faculty at Lee University. All syllabi have been approved by the respective graduate departmental committees and the Graduate Council at Lee University, and each program has been approved by these committees and the entire graduate faculty. With only slight modifications from traditional master programs to accommodate cultural differences, the programs at ETS provide almost identical courses and requirements to the programs on the main campus. Any differences are presented to the appropriate committees on the Lee University campus and are approved by them before implementation.

Instruction

Programs offered at ETS make use of both full-time faculty from the main campus and adjunct faculty from the countries and cultures where the programs are located. Students receive the advantage of having teachers that are full-time academics from Lee while also experiencing vetted adjunct professors that are familiar with the local culture and can appropriately contextualize the curriculum.

Full-time faculty travel to ETS to teach classes multiple times per year. These faculty are drawn from the Lee University full-time faculty within the disciplines of the programs being offered. Qualified adjunct faculty are secured by ETS and approved by the respective program coordinator at Lee University. The university uses the same procedures for hiring and credentialing as used on the main campus, and the basic requirements are the same. Part-time and adjunct faculty are required to have a doctorate degree in an area relevant to the course that they are teaching. For USA professors, transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work are normally required; however, certified diplomas and letters are the standards of documentation for most European schools. Once a part-time faculty member is approved, official documentation of their educational credentials is sent to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lee University.

During the COVID-19 pandemic it became necessary to offer courses online via Zoom. Lee University teachers and European based teachers were used to run the courses this way, as was the case in many European Universities that remained open during the pandemic. Since the relaxation of the strict covid policies the courses have continued to be offered online or in a hybrid form with some students attending on-campus and others joining via Zoom. Currently Lee University teachers are still offering the courses online.

Advising

The ETS Academic Dean is responsible for general student advising. The class selection aspect of advising is straightforward in that students are admitted in cohorts. Students receive a plan of study when they enroll, and they simply follow it to graduation. The ETS Academic Dean monitors students’ progress through the program and addresses any questions about scheduling and/or progress. The ETS Academic Dean works on the ETS campus and serves as the primary on-campus liaison for students. The larger concerns of advising such as vocational choices, possibilities of doctoral studies, etc. can be addressed to Lee and ETS program coordinators, as well as faculty who teach in the programs. Since most of the students and faculty travel from a distance to the campus for their studies, communication between students, faculty and staff often takes place electronically. Students have full access via email and video conferencing to the program coordinators and faculty.

Program Assessment

Student learning outcomes are identified for each program. These student learning outcomes align with the outcomes established for similar programs on the main campus. Lee University maintains the responsibility for assessing the student learning outcomes and has created a process whereby select outcomes will be assessed annually. Each program is assessed using the same process and protocols that are used on the main campus. The program coordinators at Lee University are responsible for coordinating these assessments. Results of the assessment are filed with the appropriate academic administrators and the Director of Institutional Research and Assessment. Changes to the length of the program, part-time and the number of courses offered came about due to the program having to be accredited by the German Government. All foreign university study programs have come under this scrutiny, but this is beneficial to our students that the degrees are accredited both in the USA and Germany.

Evaluation

Lee University has an established contractual agreement for the provision of services with ETS. The contractual agreement clearly states the responsibilities of both parties. The presidents of Lee University and ETS signed the most recent agreement in March 2021. The program at ETS was evaluated in 2014 and again in 2021 prior to the renewal of this agreement. The next evaluation is scheduled for 2026.

MA in Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyze biblical and theological writings at a level commensurate with other graduate students in religion programs. 
  2. Produce written work that portrays a knowledge of primary and secondary literature in the discipline. 
  3. Provide evidence of analytical and critical skills which are prerequisites to further graduate studies in the bible or theology. 
  4. Exegete biblical texts, utilizing sound hermeneutical principles. 
  5. Demonstrate the ability to do valid research which contributes to the knowledge base in the discipline of biblical studies and theology. 
  6. Differentiate between the three waves of spiritual renewal of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement and identify their unique characteristics.
  7. Measure the contribution that Pentecostals-Charismatics have made to the debate on ecumenism with older denominations.
  8. Recognize the vast differences that exist in Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity as a global movement.
  9. Identify and critically assess the development of Pentecostal-Charismatic spirituality and theology.

Program Curriculum

Core (9 credits or 15 ECTS)

Biblical Studies (6 credits or 10 ECTS)

Pentecostal/Charismatic Studies Emphasis Required (12 credits or 20 ECTS)

Pentecostal/Charismatic Studies Emphasis Electives (15 credits or 25 ECTS)

Thesis (12 credits or 20 ECTS)

Total Credit Hours Required: 54 credits or 90 ECTS
The German accreditation agency ‘evalag’ has accredited a slightly extended version with 14 courses plus a thesis. The total number of ECTS credits is 90 ECTS and extends over three years of part-time studies since the legal maximum of ECTS a part-time student may take in Germany is 15 per semester. 

MA in Marriage and Family Studies

Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate the ability to supervise various programs in family counseling centers. 
  2. Achieve competence in data collection concerning individuals, couples, and families through interviews, psychometric instruments, and other methods. 
  3. Effectively operate in developmental psychological assessments.
  4. Show efficiency in cross-cultural communication.
  5. Understanding of the concerns of vulnerable groups (poverty milieu, victims of abuse, substance abusers, juvenile delinquency milieu).
  6. Analyze and evaluate research data relevant to families.
  7. To develop and show sensitivity to the spiritual needs of individuals, couples, and families. 

Program Curriculum

Core courses (required 30 credits or 50 ECTS)

Elective Courses (choose four courses from the following – 12 credits or 20 ECTS)

Thesis (12 credits or 20 ECTS)

Total Credit Hours Required: 54 credits or 90 ECTS
The German accreditation agency ‘evalag’ has accredited a slightly extended version with 14 courses plus a thesis. The total number of ECTS credits is 90 ECTS and extends over three years of part-time studies since the legal maximum of ECTS a part-time student may take in Germany is 15 per semester.