1. Exemptions can be granted, on the basis of prior work, from any Subject Units of the L.Th. and Th.Schol. program (including A.C.Th. subjects).
2. The maximum exemptions, in total, which will be granted to a Candidate are 50% of the total number of Units for the L.Th. or Th.Schol. respectively.
3. The basis for granting the exemption will be that the Candidate has satisfactorily completed equivalent work at an equivalent standard, with equivalent assessment, at a recognized institution.
4. Exemptions are granted for equivalence on a Unit-by-Unit basis, and not on an overall basis.
5. Where a Candidate has satisfactorily completed equivalent work covering part of the syllabus of a Unit, partial exemption can be granted for that Unit, with the Candidate being required to complete additional work. Examples:
(a) If a Candidate has studied the work required for a particular subject and has satisfactorily completed set exercises and/or assignments but has not sat for or not passed an examination in that subject, that Candidate can be set an examination for the Unit equivalent to the work the Candidate has studied.
(b) If a Candidate has covered the syllabus in a subject but at a lower or less rigorous level than that required by the equivalent Tyndale College Subject Unit, or has completed only part of the work required for a Tyndale College Subject Unit, that Candidate can be set additional reading and/or assessments and/or examination(s) to bring the work to the required standard.
(c) If a Candidate completed work in a subject some years prior, and that subject is a prerequisite for a Tyndale College Subject Unit or Units, the Candidate will be required to undertake an appropriate “refresher” program to ensure that knowledge of the prerequisite subject is still current.
(d) If a Candidate has demonstrated competence in study, and in exercises and assignments, but has not covered the material of How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth, that Candidate can be exempted from Part A of Unit 001, and will undertake written work and examination on the latter two-thirds only.
6. (a) The Equivalence and Exemptions Schedule (page 37) sets out the extent to which subjects in the different Courses of the Australian College of Theology can be the basis for granting exemption from Tyndale College Units, and the applicable fees. Those exemptions are subject to these Regulations.
(b) Exemptions for persons who have undertaken prior work with other institutions will be granted upon a similar basis. Fees for these persons for Application For Exemption and for additional or supplementary work in a Subject Unit will usually be similar to those shown, but these fees will be determined by the Faculty in the light of the amount of additional time and cost which is required of the College in order to ascertain eligibility for exemption, and to provide and mark any additional work required. Where special assignments or examinations have to be set and marked just for one particular Candidate, it is possible that the fees may be higher than if the Candidate were doing the Subject Unit with other Candidates in the usual way.
7. (a) The onus is upon the Candidate who has done prior work in theology to apply for appropriate exemption(s) on the basis of that work. A person whose prior work has been with the ACT will apply on the basis of the Equivalence and Exemptions Schedule. Other persons should carefully compare their prior work completed with the syllabus of the Subject Units set out in this Prospectus, and then apply for exemption in any specific Units which are warranted.
(b) A separate application is required for each Subject Unit in which exemption is being sought.
(c) All applications for exemption are to be made on the College’s Application For Exemption form. If applications for exemption are being made for more than one Unit, photocopy the blank form, and use the photocopies.
(d) An application for exemption in a Unit must contain sufficient details of the prior work done to enable an exemption determination to be made. In particular, an application should explain (i) what areas of a subject were studied, (ii) how the Candidate’s work was assessed, and (iii) what results the Candidate obtained in these assessments. Note: simply a transcript that a person gained a pass in a particular subject does not satisfy this requirement.
(e) Each application must be accompanied by adequate documentation: a copy of the syllabus of the subject from the institution with which the work was done, showing what was covered; and a transcript of the marks gained.
(f) Those applying on the basis of the Equivalence and Exemptions Schedule must attach to their application the payment of the appropriate fee shown in the Schedule. In all other cases, each application must be accompanied by the Exemption Application Fee (see page 32) for each subject in which exemption is being sought. Note: this is an Application Fee, not a fee for the granting of an exemption, and is applicable whether exemption is granted or not; and additional fees will apply for each Unit in which additional work is required.
8. The basic principles behind the College’s exemptions policy are:
(a) That as far as possible a person will not be required to do again with Tyndale College any work in a field that parallels a Tyndale Unit which has already been satisfactorily completed with another institution. The meaning of “satisfactorily completed” is “completed at a standard comparable with that of Tyndale College”, and this will be as determined by the Director in each particular instance, and in cases of doubt, as determined by the Faculty.
(b) That a person who obtains the Tyndale College L.Th. or Th.Schol. after the granting of exemptions will not have done less work than a person who has completed the entire L.Th. or Th.Schol. program with Tyndale College.
(c) That a person who obtains the Tyndale College L.Th. or Th.Schol. will have covered basic core material in biblical studies, church history, doctrine, and ethics, whether with Tyndale College or with another institution.
(d) That a person who obtains the Tyndale College L.Th. or Th.Schol. will have demonstrated appropriate skills in study, research, and communication.
(e) That not less than half a person’s work for a Tyndale College award must be completed directly with Tyndale College.
9. The exemptions policy is administered by the College Faculty. Straight-forward exemptions are granted by the Director in accordance with this policy, and those which are not straight-forward will be determined by the Faculty.
EXEMPTION POLICY STANDARDS
The Tyndale College policy on exemptions and advanced standing has been formulated in accordance with the standards of Australian accrediting bodies.
Exemptions for students who have gained a pass in subjects of the courses of the Australian College of Theology are set out below (pages 37-38).
There are a very large number of Theological and Bible Colleges in Australasia, following different syllabi, with different academic requirements of their students, using different methods and standards of assessing their students. Some of these Colleges only offer external awards (certificates, diplomas, or degrees from accrediting bodies) to their students; many of them however make their own internal awards to their graduands. This diversity makes it difficult to set out a general policy of equivalence between such internal awards and Tyndale College subject units. Australian accrediting institutions seek to establish a basis for the recognition which can be given to such courses from other bodies, and it is Tyndale College policy to conform to the pattern of recognition granted by these institutions.
Students will themselves be aware that the work required in and the standard of assessment for a two-year full-time Bible College diploma course is not as detailed nor as rigorous as the requirements of the first two years of a full-time B.Th. course. The general Tyndale policy is that an applicant who has completed such a two-year full-time Bible College diploma course with credit/merit (that is, at the level of 65% or above) can upon application be granted exemption from a third of the Tyndale Th.Schol. course. If the applicant satisfies the College that the work they have completed merits a greater extent of exemption than this, such exemption can be granted up to 50% of the Th.Schol. course. (See pages 39-40.)
REQUIREMENTS FOR EXEMPTION IN SPECIFIC TYNDALE UNITS
The exemption in Tyndale subject units which is granted is determined on a subject-by-subject basis. Such exemption is only granted in respect of a Tyndale unit where the applicant has satisfactorily covered equivalent work. It frequently happens that in a previous course of study an applicant has covered the equivalent of most of the work in a particular Tyndale unit; and in such a case can be granted credit for that unit upon the completion of some supplementary work.
The following Table gives examples of subjects in which exemption can be granted for prior work, and of the supplementary work which would be required where such work had not already been covered in previous study.
