Students are able to register for online classes through the WebAdvisor on our Southwestern website. New students in their first semester, however, will register through the Southwestern Online office or directly with the Registrar.

We provide an e-mail account for students at Southwestern on one of our own e-mail servers. Your e-mail account is web-based (like Microsoft’s Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail), so all you need is a web browser and an Internet connection to access it. Typically, your instructor will send all course-related e-mail to your student e-mail address. Access your Student Email now!

Summer 2013 classes begin June 3 and end August 9. Fall 2013 classes begin August 22 and end December 4. Our Academic Calendar will have the dates for the semester.

In order to add a class for Summer 2013, please contact the Registrar's Office at 817.923.1921 x3040 for specific deadline dates. The deadline for adding a class (without a petition) for Fall 2013 is August 30. This date will also be on the Academic Calendar.

In order to drop a class for Summer 2013, please contact the Registar's Office at 817.923.1921 x3040 for specific deadline dates. The deadline for dropping a class with 100% refund for Fall 2013 is August 30. See the Academic Calendar for specific dates for your semester.

Once you are registered, your class will go onto your student bill. You can check your account in your student WebAdvisor account. STUDENTS WILL NOT RECIEVE A BILL IN THE MAIL! Then, you may send your payment in, pay in person at our Cashier’s office, or online via WebAdvisor. For detailed payment options and available payment plans, click here.

We encourage you to choose an alternative class or a campus class; however, we do also make waiting lists for online classes only. Contact the Southwestern Online assistant for more information.

Simply e-mail Southwestern Online with your name, student ID, the course name/number, your functioning e-mail, and request to be added to the waiting list for that course. Be sure to add your specific reasons for needing in the class.

No. Because of the different circumstances of online courses, you still have to go through the Southwestern Online assistant. Even if you try to get on a wait list on WebAdvisor, we will have no record of it.

You can take up to 100% of the new Master of Theological Studies degree online. You may also take courses for this degree on campus.

You can take up to 49% of all other degrees online. You can also take all but 1/3 of your degree at extension campuses. However, at least 1 year of your degree MUST be completed on either the Houston campus¹ or the Fort Worth campus. If you are pursuing a two year degree, such as the MACE, then half of your degree must be done at Ft. Worth or Houston. For more details of how that one year is defined for your degree, please see your academic advisor. 

¹Classes taken at the Havard campus in Houston only fulfill the residence requirement for MDiv and MACE degrees. Classes taken in Fort Worth fulfill the residence requirements for all degrees, including the MDiv and MACE.

We offer a set list of core courses every semester as well as some elective courses so that there are courses offered for most degree plans. See the Core Course List for more information.

2013-2014 online class tuition for Southern Baptist students will be $235 per hour plus a $270 fee for each online class. For non-Southern Baptist students, online class tuition is $470 per hour plus the $270 registration fee for each online class.  If you are an Internet only student, and not taking any class on campus, there should not be any additional fees unless your course has a special fee attached. However, if you are taking any courses on campus, you will still have the campus and technology fees that accompany them.

The Department of Distance Learning was split into two different sections in 2005. We now have Dr. Jim Wicker, as the Director of Southwestern Online, dealing with online courses only; Dr. Deron Biles is the Dean of Extension Education, which means the extension campuses. You can contact his office by e-mail, or by phone, 817.923.1921 x6700. For more information concerning Extension campuses, visit the Extension Education website.

Some professors do utilize live chats through Blackboard as part of their course instruction, but the Blackboard Discussion Board is a more popular means of communication. Professors will typically post questions or comments on the Discussion Board and students are expected to post answers and have further discussion with each other on the topic, usually within a week's time. Not all courses use the same format so specific questions about your course can be directed to your professor or the Southwestern Online assistant.

Our online classes are not time-sensitive in the sense that you would have to log on a specific day/days at a particular time. The assignments and tests are usually posted during a certain time. The students have a time-limit in which to finish it, usually a few days or a week. However, the students are responsible to check the announcements in their course to be sure nothing is due.

There is an abbreviated admissions process for online students and transfers, but anyone wanting to enroll in an online course must first be admitted to the seminary. You may apply online by clicking here. For more information contact the admissions office by e-mail, admissions@swbts.edu or by phone, 817.923.1921 x2700.

We provide a web link with a textbook list for online courses only. Approximately one month before classes begin textbooks are posted here. Please note that texts may change without notice.

Your syllabus can be found in your Blackboard account. Those seeking information before the class becomes available will need to contact the professor of the class.

First, you can ask your church for any financial assistance they could give you. Second, you can visit the Financial Aid website, to see if you qualify for any scholarships. If you do, contact the Financial Aid office to see if those scholarships will accept online only students. (Some do not.) Students who are members of a Southern Baptist church and provide a church recommendation form will receive a Cooperative Program scholarship equal to one half the base tuition rate.

You can view a list of courses and their descriptions by clicking here. This list will show which classes are closed by shading them gray. Make sure that you select "Online" for your Location instead of Fort Worth. 

The orientation information you need will be provided through the E-License tutorials in Blackboard. When you enroll in a campus or extension course, you will need to attend a new student orientation on that campus prior to the start of that semester.

Specific assignment grades will be posted in your Blackboard account. You may check your final grades on your WebAdvisor account.

No, you can apply with the Non-degree/Certificate application. However, you still have to go through the Office of Admissions to do this.