Consumer Information
Assignment of Credit Hours
Concordia Seminary complies with federal regulations by assigning credit towards degrees or certificates on the basis of Carnegie Units (50 minute periods). One semester credit hour (SCH) is defined as a class that meets for 50 minutes each week during the 14 week semester, with the expectation that students will spend typically two hours in preparation for each hour of class.
Class Sessions, Residential
- 3 SCH are assigned to a course that meets 150 minutes weekly for 14 weeks (2,100 minutes), plus student preparation time of 6 hours weekly. Advanced Studies courses require between 2 and 4 hours of preparation per classroom hour.
- 1.5 SCH are assigned to a course that meets 150 minutes weekly for 7 weeks (1,050 minutes), plus student preparation time of 6 hours weekly. Advanced Studies courses require between 2 and 4 hours of preparation per classroom hour.
- 2 SCH are assigned to a course that meets 100 minutes weekly for 14 weeks (1,400 minutes), plus student preparation time of 4 hours weekly. Advanced Studies courses require between 2 and 4 hours of preparation per classroom hour.
Class Sessions, Distance
- Distance courses designed for 3 quarter hours are granted 2 SCH. The course is completed in 10/11 weeks with 120 minutes of live session weekly plus student‐instructor interactions and mentor guidance.
- For courses that do not have live sessions, the “meeting” time and “preparation” time are combined.
Intensive Classes
- Intensive classes provide the same contact and study expectations as residential classes, regardless of the meeting schedule.
- Intensives with preceding preparation assignments treat the preceding assignments as part or all of the student’s preparation time.
Labs
- Language Labs and MinForm Formation Labs are a non‐credit activity and fall outside this policy.
Experiences
Seminary credit for experiences and activities other than classroom‐based courses is based on correlating the length of the experience and the course meetings and assignments with the expectations for regular seminary courses.
- Established seminars such as PLI Conferences treat seminar meeting time as class contact time and attach appropriate reading, writing, and meeting requirements.
- Credit for enrichment experiences such as travel abroad treats the experience as fulfilling the class contact time and awards credit based on the associated reading, writing, and meeting requirements.
- Para‐professional programs such as CPE can receive credit as independent studies, established on a case‐by‐case basis.
Complaint Process
Academic complaint process
Please see the Academic Policies & Procedures section in the Academic Catalog.
Campus life and student life concerns
Please contact:
Dr. Timothy Saleska
Dean of Ministerial Formation
314-505-7130
[email protected]
Sexual harassment
Please see the Sexual Misconduct section of the Legal Information page.
You may also use our form to submit a complaint.
Educational Effectiveness
Retention Rates
Retention Rates measure the percentage of students seeking degrees who matriculated to a program one year ago (Fall 2023) and returned to the institution to continue their studies the following fall (Fall 2024).- Master of Divinity – 86.7%
- Master of Arts (with Deaconess Certification) – 100%
- Master of Arts – 100%
- Master of Sacred Theology – 60%
- Doctor of Ministry – 100%
- Doctor of Philosophy – 91.6%
Completion Rates
The following is the average time for completion of graduates of degree programs in the last five years (2019-24):- Master of Divinity – 88.81 percent of graduates completed the program in four years or less.
- Master of Arts – 100 percent of graduates completed the program in four years or less. Master of Arts (Spiritual Care) with Deaconess Certification graduates are included in this rate
- Master of Sacred Theology – 100 percent of graduates completed the program in three years or less.
- Doctor of Ministry – 50 percent of graduates completed the program in six years or less. (based on graduates for the last 10 years, 2014-2024)
- Doctor of Philosophy – 66.66 percent of graduates completed the program in six years or less. (based on graduates for the last 10 years, 2014-2024)
Placement Information
The following is the placement data for the prior academic year (2023-24):
| MDIV | MA | STM | DMIN | PHD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Placement | 30 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| Non-Vocational Placement | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Further Study | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seeking Placement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Categories
Non-Vocational Placement: Graduates received degrees in programs which they sought for non-vocational reason, such as personal enrichment.
Further Study: Graduates are pursuing additional education-at any level.
Seeking Placement: Graduates are actively seeking appropriate placement.
Other: Graduates have positions or placements that do not fall within any of the other categories.
Unknown: The placement status of graduates is not known.
Financial Aid and Costs
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis offers a variety of financial aid, grants, awards and scholarships for incoming students.
Student Loans
Post-baccalaureate students are eligible for unsubsidized loans only. The federal direct unsubsidized loan program is not need based and provides loans based on the student’s total cost of attendance and anticipated financial assistance.
The U.S. Department of Education publishes Cohort Default Rates based on the percentage of a school’s borrowers who enter repayment on Direct Loan Program loans during a federal fiscal year (October 1–September 30) and default before the end of the second following fiscal year. Concordia Seminary’s fiscal year 2021 Cohort Default Rate is 0%.
Transfer Policy
For information on our transfer policy, please see the Academic Catalog.