Advising

Faculty Advising

Before enrollment, students at Harvard Divinity School are assigned an academic advisor by the Registrar. The relationship between student and advisor is meant to enhance a student’s academic program and is considered central to the educational experience at HDS. In addition to offering advice concerning the selection of courses, advisors may also help students by directing them to the various resources of HDS and the University at large, and advising them concerning career options and how to prepare for them. Students are required to obtain their advisors’ electronic approval of their Crimson Cart at the beginning of each semester before the Crimson Cart submission deadline. The advisor’s signature is also required on all petitions submitted to curriculum committees to request exceptions to the normal course of study.

Students are assigned to advisors according to their academic interests, and every effort is made to make the best possible match between student and advisor. This process is limited by the necessity to distribute advisees equally among faculty members as well as scheduled faculty leaves. For this reason, ideal matches are not always possible. If students wish to change their advisors after the first two months of their first semester, they may do so by first obtaining the approval of the faculty member they wish to be their advisor and then notifying the Registrar’s Office in writing of the change. Once the Registrar’s Office has been notified, the change becomes official and access to the student’s degree audit is provided to the new advisor.

Only HDS voting faculty members are eligible to serve as advisors, and all faculty have the right to refuse additional advisees.

Soon after check-in, it is important for students to arrange a meeting with their advisor to discuss their choice of courses for the semester. Meetings with advisors are scheduled on the initiative of the student. Students should expect to meet with their advisor at this point for at least a quarter of an hour. After courses have been decided upon and before the Crimson Cart submission is due, students should arrange to meet with their advisors briefly a second time to have their Crimson Cart approved. Students are asked not to wait until the last moment for this approval.

Program Requirement Advising

Although advisors are available to guide and assist students in their academic pursuits, students should seek advice concerning specific degree requirements directly from a representative of the Registrar’s Office. Questions about course, program, and graduation requirements may always be addressed to the Registrar’s Office. Ultimately, however, it is the individual student’s responsibility to know and satisfy all requirements.

MDiv students should also consult with the Office of Ministry Studies regarding the Field Education and Arts of Ministry requirements.

Curriculum Committees and Petitions

Academic programs and the students who progress through those programs are overseen by curriculum committees: the MTS Curriculum Committee, the MDiv Curriculum Committee, the MRPL Faculty Director, and a committee to oversee the ThM program as convened by the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs. Students who wish to have exceptions to the normal course of study may make a request to the appropriate curriculum committee. Such petitions may include requests for advanced standing, part- time study, course distribution requirement substitution, etc. The petition process begins in the Registrar’s Office where students may request the appropriate form and consult on precedent. The petitions may be reviewed by a committee as delegated by the curriculum committees.

Students are required to discuss their petitions with their academic advisors and to obtain their advisor’s signature and comments on the petition form. Petitions will not be reviewed until the successful completion of the first semester at HDS, or during a student’s final semester, except in extraordinary circumstances.

After their first semester, students are encouraged to make their petitions as early in their programs as possible so that alternate plans can be made should their petition be denied. There are a few cases in which there are additional time requirements for filing petitions:

  • Students petitioning for alterations to the language requirement, for any reason, must petition as soon as they are eligible to do so in their first year of study in the program.
  • Any petition that will determine a student’s eligibility for graduation must be submitted prior to or during their penultimate semester.
  • A petition to extend the length of time available to complete an incomplete course must be filed no more than three weeks after the incomplete was originally due.