DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES

** Distance Education Registration Form**
Distance Education Development
WATCH A BRIEF TUTORIAL ON THE DISTANCE EDUCATION MATERIAL

*BTS students are encouraged to take courses in the classroom whenever possible. However, BTS offers tape and CD-ROM courses for the many students living away from Birmingham and other students with scheduling problems.

TO REGISTER: Contact Jackie Hamamatsu, at (205) 776-5356, jhamamatsu@briarwood.org, to ensure the course is available. Submit a completed registration form and tuition. The tuition for a tape course is $80 per credit hour and is due at the time of check out. A $10 fee is charged for shipping and handling for DVDs, and $5 for CD-ROM courses. There is a material fee of $12 for printed syllabi. Textbooks may be purchased through the Briarwood Church Bookstore (205-776-5210) or through the bookstore of your choice. Students are responsible for purchasing their own textbooks. There is a four-month time period for course completion; however the four months do not have to correspond with the seminary semester. After four months, a student may request a one month extension for a fee of $50. The request must be in writing and is available one time only per course. Taped courses are not offered to audit students however, CD-ROMs are available to anyone.

*Courses available on Interactive CD-ROM will require a $40 material fee. The CD-ROM becomes the property of the student and is then available as a resource to him after the course is completed. The interactive CD-ROM contains the syllabus, all course lectures, tests and any other materials necessary for the course.
*Courses available on audio CD will require a $5/CD material fee (there will be approximately 12 CDs per course). Any other material fee for a syllabus will be additional. These CDs will also become the property of the student.
*The student is not limited as to the number of courses he may take via interactive CD or audio CD.
*Courses available on DVD will incur an $80 material fee. The DVDs will become the property of the student, and the student will also receive a CD-ROM version of the course (with all course materials as well as audio MP3 lectures).

*Send all tapes, exams and correspondence to Jackie Hamamatsu. Many courses are divided into sections with several tests. Audio tapes must be returned before the test will be given. Please rewind the tapes and do not leave tapes in a hot car. When you return tapes, please indicate which test you need. The tests are take- home, closed book and closed notes unless otherwise noted in the syllabus material. If additional book reports and papers are required, these will also be returned to the seminary office for grading. Your final grade will be added to your permanent record and a copy of an up-to-date transcript sent to you.

*An extension fee of $50 will be assessed if an extension is requested past the 4-month deadline.

A note about accreditation for non-Alabama residents:

BTS maintains accreditation through the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries (ARTS). Because ARTS has not yet obtained recognition from the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), BTS is in the process of obtaining accreditation through the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). In response to the proliferation of “diploma mills,” some states have tightened their laws regarding which out-of-state institutions can offer classes and degrees to their residents. The tendency in those states is to exclude all institutions which do not have an accreditation recognized by CHEA or the U.S. Department of Education. While BTS believes that the classes and degree programs it offers are of a very high quality, prospective student should be aware of this issue. If you live in a state which has adopted restrictions on out-of-state institutions of higher education like the ones described above, BTS is not able to offer you the distance education classes described on this website for academic credit.

Distance Education Development