Special Program Policies

Transitional Program

Freshman students are placed in this program on the basis of entrance examination or placement test scores and/or high school grades. Students will be required to take one or more of the following remedial courses: UNIV 011, ENGL 021, MATH 011, MATH 012. Credit received from these courses does not apply to the requirements for a degree. However, the credit will apply toward the minimum course load for full or part-time status.

The academic support services advisor supports the work of the faculty academic advisors to closely advise these students. Students in this program may have reduced course loads, restrictions on extra-curricular activities, and required dormitory residency. The academic support services advisor schedules regular academic counseling sessions for each student in the program to make sure that she/he is benefiting from mathematics tutoring, the Write Spot writing center, career counseling, and other programs provided by the University to help students succeed.

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all required remedial classes and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, calculated on all courses taken, before completing the program.

Adventist Colleges Abroad

Through Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA), qualifying students may elect to take a year out of their curriculum to become immersed in a foreign culture and learn a foreign language. Applicants for this program need not be language majors. The colleges affiliated with ACA are Colegio Adventista de Sagunto, Sagunto, Spain; Centre Universitaire et Pedagogique du Saleve, Collonges-sous-Saleve, France; Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen, St. Peter am Hart, Austria; Universidad Adventista del Plata, Entre Rios, Argentina; University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, Eldoret, Kenya; and Instituto Adventista Villa Aurora, Firenze, Italy. Following are the requirements for a year of study abroad:

Admission to Southwestern.
Complete and return the ACA application form, which is available at the Southwestern's Office of Admissions and Records. An application fee of $100 is also required. Financial application agreement forms need to be completed at the Student Finance Office before the ACA application is mailed. See Finances section for application procedures and types of aid available.
Be competent in the language. The minimum requirement is one year of foreign language study in college or two years in high school.
Have a grade point average of 3.00 in the foreign language and 2.50 overall.
Have a good citizenship record.
Meet the financial requirements. These costs, including transportation, are comparable to those at Adventist colleges in the United States.

A year of study is usually taken during the sophomore or junior year; however, freshmen who have competence in the language are not excluded.

Summer Abroad Language Program

Adventist Colleges Abroad operates summer language programs. These are primarily for students with no previous language instruction. This program is designed to provide students with elementary or intermediate language proficiency, therefore allowing them to enroll in the Year Abroad Program, should they be interested. Contact the Office of Admissions and Records for more information.

Student Missionary Program

Following the call of Matthew 28 to go into all the world, the Student Missions Program is a chance for students to experience being a missionary for 9-12 months.

Student missionaries teach English and Bible in Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe, Central and South America. There are positions to teach in elementary and secondary classrooms in Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Pre-med and nursing students can receive experience in their fields working in many different countries as medical assistants or nurses. Religion majors can get experience in Australia and New Zealand as youth pastors and Bible workers. Assistant dean positions are available in Europe, Australia, and Africa. Students who prefer to stay in the United States may choose to serve as a Taskforce worker for 9-12 months. Taskforce workers are assistant deans at academies, student chaplains, church youth pastors, kindergarten teachers, cooks, Bible and literature evangelists who serve in the United States and Canada.

These are just a few of the hundreds of calls available to students each year for places far and near. The benefits of going as a student missionary include improving your Christian walk, travel, learning about a new culture and language, new friends, scholarships, and strengthening personal resumes. Check out chaplain.swau.edu for more information.