TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT (.PDF COPY)
To complete their courses at WCBCS, students will need internet access, a computer, tablet, and/or smartphone to complete the various assignments.
DESKTOP BROWSER
Microsoft Windows 10
Google Chrome (latest stable version)
Firefox (latest stable version)
Microsoft Edge (latest stable version; Chromium-based only)
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
MacOS 10.12 and newer
Google Chrome (latest stable version)Safari (latest stable version)
For best results, use the latest version of Google Chrome.
MOBILE WEB BROWSER
Android 5 and newer
Google Chrome (latest stable version)
iOS 10 and newer
Google Chrome (latest stable version)
Safari (latest stable version)
BROWSER CONFIGURATION
Any supported browser that you choose to use must meet the following requirements:
JavaScript is enabled
Cookies are enabled
WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS AS A STUDENT?
Please see the WCBCS Student Handbook for a listing of your rights as a student.
LENGTH OF PROGRAM COMPLETION QUESTIONS
HOW LONG DOES A STUDENT HAVE TO COMPLETE A SPECIFIC PROGRAM?
Bachelor of Ministry - 6 years to complete from the time of enrollment and submission of first assignment
Master of Ministry- 4.5 years to complete from the time of enrollment and submission of first assignment
Doctor of Ministry - 4.5 years to complete from the time of enrollment and submission of first assignment
If you fail to complete your program in the allotted amount of time, you may apply for a one year extension to your program before the expiration date. This extension will incur a $100.00 fee. At the end of that time, you will need to re-enroll and take up to 1/2 of your classes over as classes will be updated periodically during your time as a student at West Coast Bible College & Seminary.
HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE A CLASS?
Students are given a maximum of 2 months to complete any course they have started. After 2 months, you may be required to start the course over and to pay the course (However, an extension may be granted for special circumstances, if requested promptly by the student via email to info@westcoastbible.org.)
Many people have asked the question, "Do I have to finish the classes in the amount of time as outline in daily schedule of the syllabus?" The answer is no. The time frame given in the syllabus is merely a suggested guideline and may be adjusted to fit your particular time schedule. Some of our students have finished the classes in less time and some have taken longer. The online, on-demand classes @ WCBCS are made to fit your life.
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TIME FRAME TO COMPLETE A CLASS?
With discipline, you can finish each class at Bachelor level in 30 days by simply following the syllabus. You can do the math to figure out how quickly or how slowly you would like to complete a program. Since our courses are asynchronous, you can work as much as you want and when you want. Most students complete their degrees in approximately the same time frame that it would take in an on-campus program.
TRANSFER STUDENTS
WCBCS Transfer of Credits Policy
We often get the question, "Do you accept transfer students?" The answer is definitely, "YES"!!!! Students transferring in hours will receive an assessment completed to determine which classes must be taken for graduation and therefore must have an official copy of a transcript from your previous school(s). Student transcript must be on file BEFORE a student is allowed to begin their first course..
NO TRANSCRIPT WILL BE ASSESSED BEFORE A STUDENT ENROLLS AT WCBCS
WHAT IS AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT? THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT SENT DIRECTLY FROM YOUR PREVIOUS SCHOOLS TO OUR OFFICES AND IT MUST BE STAMPED WITH THE OFFICIAL SCHOOL SEAL.
CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT
High school students may, with the permission of the appropriate high school official, concurrently enroll in high school and college courses. A maximum of thirty (30) semester hours will be accepted. College students may concurrently enroll in courses at WCBCS.
CHANGING MAJORS
Students may change their major at WCBCS by going to the Payments section of the website, pay the $50 fee and complete the Change of Major Request form. Upon completion and submission of the form, a member of the WCBCS team will assess your current classes and develop a new degree plan for the student.
ASSESSING FOREIGN TRANSCRIPTS
If a student is submitting a transcript from foreign country, they are asked to please have the school translate the official transcript into English before sending it. If this does not happen, WCBCS will evaluate it by doing the following:
*Contacting a local high school or college language teacher/professor to ask for their assistance
*Acceptable third-party firms are:
Educational Credential Evaluators
101 W. Pleasant St., Suite 200
Milwaukee, WI 53212-3963
Tel: 414-289-3400
WES - World Education Service, Inc.
P.O. Box 5087
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5087
Tel: 212-966-6311
Fax: 212-739-6100
*Contacting the school that sent the transcript directly to see if there is someone that can translate it into English
In the event a fee is charged for translation services, the student will be responsible to pay the fee. Fees will be on a case-by-case basis and the student will be notified of the cost IN ADVANCE, if a fee is charged.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIRED
As of now, WCBCS is only offered in English. Therefore, students whose native language is not English could possibly encounter some challenges throughout the program. To ensure you possess the needed language skills you will need verification forms or alternative forms of certification.
Verification Forms for Enrolling Include:
*A degree from another US-based institution
* TOEFL - minimum score of 500 on paper-based test, or 61 on the Internet Based Test (iBT)
*Pearson Test of English Academic Score Report - Minimum of 44
*Provisional acceptance and successful completion of two courses at WCBCS (Alternative)
The responsibility for discerning whether or not a student can be successful fall on the student and/or parent. If you wish to enroll, but struggle with the English language, please contact the WCBCS offices to determine if WCBCS is the best fit for you. You may also go to http://www.transparent.com/learn-english/proficiency-test.html to determine if you may be successful in this program.
STUDENT IDENTITY VERIFICATION POLICY (.pdf copy)
WCBCS affirms that the student who takes an assessment is the same person who enrolled in the program and that the examination results will reflect the student’s own knowledge and competence in accordance with stated learning outcomes. As such, we have developed the following policies.
ENROLLMENT: When enrolling, students must submit a copy of a government-issued ID to verify their identity. Students must give one email address at enrollment and use that email address for official communications.
EXAMS: To protect the security of our assignments and the integrity of the testing process, students will be required to submit their Student Portal Username, Student Portal Password, IP Address, name and email in order to take an assessment.
PROCTORED EXAMINATIONS: All students will be required to take a proctored comprehensive exams (CE) throughout their programs. Proctors must be approved BEFORE taking the exam, as they will provide the student the link to the exam. A link to the Proctor Request Form can be found at the top of the page with all course links or on the WCBCS Resources page.
IP ADDRESSES: The Learning Management System used by WCBCS records the IP addresses of each quiz taker and those will be utilized to verify the identity of the student.
The proctored examination schedule is as follows upon the completion of the listed courses:
Bachelor CE #1: BIBL 101, COUN 101, and MIN 101
Bachelor CE #2: BIBL 201, BIBL 202, and MIN 201
Bachelor CE #3: BIBL 302, HIST 301, and THEO 301
Bachelor CE #4: BIBL 401, COUN 401, and PHIL 401
MASTER AND DOCTORAL PROGRAMS: Students are required to take a proctored final exam as follows:
Master/Doctoral CE #1: For the final exam of the first course
Master/Doctoral CE #2: For the final exam of the fifth course
Master/Doctoral CE #3: For the final exam of the last course
Doctoral students are required to take two comprehensive exams before proceeding to their doctoral project.
Students may not take the examination until they have completed the courses at each level. The required minimum passing score for undergraduate students is 70 and 80 for graduate students.
Students may retake the exams a total of three times.
PHONE CALLS: When calling WCBCS, students are required to give their username and password if discussing their student record. Students must also email the college from the email address listed on their student record.
Failure to adhere to these standard of integrity may result in immediate expulsion from West Coast Bible College & Seminary. Never forget: Your integrity is more important than a grade!