Loyola Institute for Ministry

Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) programs equip you for jobs in chaplaincy, teaching, or church and non-profit work. On their own or as part of dual degrees with Business, Counseling, or Criminal Justice, they can help you see work in any field as a ministry and so help you live out your baptismal call to Christian action that offers hope and healing to a world in such need today.

The Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) offers graduate academic programs and graduate certificate programs in three formats: on campus, online, and at extension sites in cooperation with a local sponsoring agency. Students may also study in the online and on-campus programs on a non-degree basis for individual courses.

Overview

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Academic Programs

LIM offers the following graduate academic programs and graduate level certificates. 

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Academic Regulations for LIM

LIM adheres to all University regulations as set forth in the Regulations section of this University Bulletin, with the following department-specific modifications. 

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Academic Advising

Upon admission, all LIM students are assigned an academic advisor. The name of the academic advisor can be found in a student's records on LORA. Advisors are available for consultation throughout the student's academic career. Students in the extension program may also contact the instructor of record for each course in which they are enrolled or clarification of course content. 

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Academic Expectations

Graduate students must complete readings, papers, examinations, or other work assigned for evaluation. Continuing education students complete all assigned reading and fully participate in class activities and generally do not complete papers, examinations, or other work assigned for evaluation of graduate students. In some courses, CEU students must submit special CEU written assignments.

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Academic Probation

LIM students must adhere to the Graduate Grading Scale. In order to remain in good standing, a graduate student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher in Loyola University graduate coursework. A course in which the student has earned a grade of less than a C cannot be counted toward the completion of the course but will be used in determining the student’s grade point average. A student who earns below a C in a graduate course, or whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0, will be placed on academic probation in accordance with University academic actions rules for graduate students.

Students admitted under the conditional status are admitted on academic probation and will be notified of their probationary status in their letter of admission.

A student on probation has six hours or two semesters (whichever comes first) to remove the academic deficiency. If the deficiency is not removed in the allotted time, the student will be excluded from the program as a graduate student.

  • Upon receipt of grade reports from the Office of Student Records, the institute will notify students who have been placed on academic probation.
  • Conditionally admitted students who do not remove their academic deficiency in the allotted time will be excluded from the university as a graduate student.
  • A probationary student who fails to make up his or her academic deficiency in the six hours or two semesters will be excluded from the university as a graduate student.

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Attendance & Participation

Students are subject to the university policy regarding attendance. For students in online courses, each course’s instructor will set requirements for how many times students must post on Blackboard, an online  learning management system designed to support fully online courses, in order to read fellow students’ comments and the instructor’s feedback and to share one’s own comments in a dialogue with course members.

For students in the extension program, attendance is compulsory. Courses generally require at least 10 meetings to carry out a three-hour learning design provided by the institute. In the event of illness or emergency, a student who misses up to three sessions may make these sessions up and remain in the course. Any request for a waiver of this policy must be put in writing. A student who engages in behavior which is disruptive to the learning group environment is in violation of the Learning Group Agreement and Loyola Policy. Such conduct may cause removal from that learning group and can result in removal from the course with a grade of W. A second such disruption may result in suspension or dismissal from the university. The student has the right to appeal the decision in accord with Loyola policy

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Change of Academic Status

Students may change from graduate status in the program to continuing education status by written request. Continuing education students may apply to the LIM admissions office for graduate status, subject to the standard graduate admissions requirements for subsequent coursework. Either change of status must occur only between courses or semesters. Students have the option of changing their status only once during their course of study.

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Refund Policy

On-campus and online students are subject to the university policy regarding attendance. The university will comply with all state refund policies governing our online students studying in other states. 

Students in the extension program also follow university policy regarding withdrawal. However, those who cancel or withdraw must complete an official LIM cancellation/withdrawal form.

For extension students, tuition refunds are made on the following schedule:

  1. If a student was not in attendance at the first session, a 100 percent refund is issued.
  2. If a student was not in attendance after the fifth session, a 50 percent refund is issued.
  3. If a student has a medical need to withdraw, they will work with our Office of Student Health to obtain a medical withdrawal. 

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Transfer Credit

The institute will consider an admitted student's written request for transfer of credit for graduate course work done in theology, religious education, pastoral ministry, or other relevant fields from an accredited institution, according to university graduate transfer credit policy. 

A student must submit a transcript as part of the application and may be asked to submit relevant materials (such as a syllabus and course description) in order for LIM to make a determination if the course is transferable. A student will be informed of the amount of credit which will transfer prior to his or her enrollment, if possible, but at the latest, prior to the end of the first academic term in which he or she makes the request. If the transfer is accepted, the student must integrate the learning from the transferred courses into Pastoral and Educational Praxis, the program's capstone course. 

If you wish to transfer credit earned at Loyola to another educational institution, you should contact that institution to determine if the institution will accept credits earned at Loyola University New Orleans prior to executing an enrollment contract or agreement.

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Withdrawal from Courses

Students are subject to the university policy regarding medical withdrawal from courses as explained in the Bulletin. For students in the extension program, the administrative withdrawal period ends with the fifth session of the course. Through this time, students may withdraw from a course and receive a W in the course. Failure to obtain a withdrawal will result in the grade of F.

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Admissions Policies for LIM

LIM adheres to all university regulations as set forth in the Regulations section of this University Bulletin, with the following department-specific modifications.

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Applications

Based upon the credential sought and the applicant's desired status as a graduate or continuing education student, the admission requirements include:

  • A completed application form.
  • For graduate-level applicants, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum 2.5 GPA.
  • For graduate-level applicants, submission of official transcripts sent to the institute directly from the college or university that awarded the bachelor’s degree, plus any coursework taken for academic credit beyond the bachelor’s degree. 
  • A three-page statement of educational purpose tailored to the individual mode of delivery — online, on-campus, or extension.
  • Two recommendations forms attesting to the student’s capability for graduate study. 

All materials should be submitted online or sent directly to the LIM office two months prior to the start of the student’s first course or semester. This allows time for transcripts and other supporting documents to reach the LIM admissions office and subsequently for the admissions committee to come to an admission decision. (International extension students not applying online have their materials sent directly to their administrative liaison at their sponsoring agency.) Transient admission may be granted for a student for his or her first term of studies if the admissions requirements are not fulfilled when his or her first course begins. A student must be fully admitted to be enrolled in his or her second semester of coursework.  

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Continuing Education Units (CEU)

Students who participate under the continuing education status should have extensive ministry experience, often in diocesan, school, or parish leadership positions, and have the ability to do the graduate-level reading and discussion. Some CEU students lack the required bachelor’s degree to enroll for the graduate degree, while others already have graduate credentials and do not wish to earn another graduate degree. CEU students will receive continuing education units as defined by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. One credit hour equals one CEU. CEUs are recorded on an official Loyola transcript and kept in the permanent records of the university.

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Student Services

LIM students have access to Loyola University's variety of student services, including the following areas: 

Accessible Education

Students with learning, physical, or other disabilities may contact the Office for Accessible Education at Loyola for information on the services and accommodations that are available. All contacts and information provided are confidential. In order to receive any reasonable special services or accommodations, students will be asked to provide documentation of the learning or physical disability.

Library Services

Loyola’s Monroe Library provides a full range of services including borrowing privileges, electronic article and book access, and one-on-one research assistance. Borrowing privileges are the same for online, extension, and on-campus students, and the circulation desk will issue bar codes for any students wishing to borrow materials from Loyola’s libraries. Distance Learning Services are explained on the library’s website and in the LIM Guide to Written Theological Reflection, a resource that is available to LIM students. Students may contact Distance Library Services by emailing libref@loyno.edu or by dialing direct to 504-864-7152 or 504-864-7138 during business hours. When contacting Distance Library services, students should indicate whether they are LIM students in the online or extension program.  

Additionally, extension students should have access to a professional local library established by its sponsoring agency. The institute recommends that this local library include the books on the theological core course bibliographies.

Writing Assistance

Writing and Learning Services provides LIM on-campus and online students with free assistance with writing assignments. The service gives students the chance to confer with a trained writing consultant on all phases of the writing process. See the Office of Writing and Learning Services site for further information regarding on-campus and online services; scroll down the page until you see "Writing Support for Graduate and Distance Learners." Detailed information on the writing service is also found in the LIM Guide to Written Theological Reflection, a resource that is available to LIM students.

In conjunction with Writing and Learning Services, the extension program’s writing consultant provides LIM extension students with free assistance with writing assignments. The service gives students the chance to confer with a trained writing consultant on all phases of the writing process. Students in the extension program may contact a writing consultant by calling the LIM office or e-mailing the consultant at limwrite@loyno.edu.

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