APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION

APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) requires a completed registration form signed by the student’s District Superintendent (DS) each time a student takes a course. The Advisory Board of the Course of Study School of Ohio requires that the registration form also be signed by the student’s Annual Conference Local Pastor Registrar (LPR). A student is registered when the office receives a completed registration form (complete with signatures of student, DS and Local Pastor Registrar) along with the appropriate registration fee by the deadline date. If the office receives an incomplete form, or if the fee is not included, the application will be returned to the student. There will be a late fee of $10.00 applied to any account if the complete registration form is received after registration deadline. Course Syllabi will be sent following the registration deadline, approximately six weeks prior to the beginning of a course. (Syllabi are often available earlier on the web site.)

PREREQUISTES
A student attending classes through the Course of Study School of Ohio:

• Shall be a certified candidate

• Shall have completed the licensing school

Exceptions to the above requirements may only be granted through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville, TN.

DECIDING ON COURSES
Students should take all 100 level courses prior to taking courses in the rest of the curriculum. You are required by the Discipline to complete two courses per Annual Conference year if you are a part-time local pastor, four courses per Annual Conference year if you are a full-time local pastor.  All 100/200/300/400 level courses should be completed before registering for 500 level courses.

REGISTRATION FEE
The registration fee is $30.00 per course. (The registration fee is nonrefundable, nondeductible and nontransferable. The appropriate fee in the form of a check or money order made payable to MTSO must be included with your application.)

SCHOLARSHIPS AND TUITION
Boards of Ordained Ministry support their students with a scholarship given directly to the Course of Study School and applied toward tuition. To receive this scholarship, each registration form shall contain the signature of the District Superintendent and Local Pastor Registrar. The COS Office will secure scholarship funds from each Annual Conference upon approval by the Annual Conference Registrars. If a student is not approved for scholarship, he/she will be responsible for 100% of the tuition. Some districts and local congregations may also provide financial assistance.

• Tuition at MTSO is $260.00 per course. For the weekend sessions, this includes meals. Students are responsible for making hotel reservations and for paying the associated fees directly to the hotel.  See HOUSING section for information regarding on-campus housing.  For summer intensive sessions, there is an additional charge for on-campus housing and meals.
• Tuition at Spring Heights is $260.00 per course which includes tuition, housing, and meals. If a student’s spouse attends, additional charges for housing and meals will be assessed.
• Students will receive an invoice for the Course of Study term indicating the balance due after applicable conference scholarships have been applied.  These invoices will be sent out prior to the beginning of the term.

PRE-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS (ADVANCE PREPARATION)
Advance preparation is required of all students. Completed pre-work assignments are due on the first day of class unless otherwise noted on your syllabus.

BOOKS
The Course of Study School in Ohio works closely with the MTSO Cokesbury Bookstore, contact information below.

• Whenever possible the MTSO Cokesbury Bookstore will have books in stock prior to the last session of the previous term.
• 20% Clergy Discount applies to most (but not all) books purchased by the pastor.  Except for on Bibles, discounts are not given on purchases charged to the church.
• All sales, except on church accounts, are subject to sales tax at the 6.75% rate.  Textbooks are not exempt in Ohio. By Ohio Law shipping charges are also taxable.
• We accept orders by phone, fax, e-mail or "snail" mail.  The safest way to pay for these orders is on a Cokesbury account (church or personal).
• Orders can be shipped via FedEx Ground or Home Delivery using the current Cokesbury Shipping Rate Table
  • Orders under $25.00  shipping is $5.75
  • $25.00 - $49.99                          $6.75
  • $50.00 - $74.99                          $8.75
  • $75.00 - $99.99                          $9.95
  • $100.00 - $149.99                     $12.95
  • $150.00 - $199.99                     $15.95
  • $200.00 and up 8.25% of total purchase
  • Maximum shipping per order is $200.00

    Please address questions to:
        Cokesbury Bookstore
        Methodist Theological School in Ohio
        3081 Columbus Pike
        Delaware, OH  43015
             Phone: (740) 362-3385
             Fax: (740) 362-3132
             E-mail: cokesbury@mtso.edu    

Students attending courses at Spring Heights may contact the Cokesbury Bookstore in Charleston, WV at (304) 345-9377.

COURSE LOAD
The maximum number of courses a student may take in the Course of Study program is four courses per year, except by special permission of the District Superintendent and the Director of the Course of Study School of Ohio.