THEME: SVS @ 75: Celebrating Glories, Making Amends And Charting New Paths With Faith and Hope
SOME RELEVANT ACADEMIC / FORMATIONAL INFORMATION
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Admission into the Seminary
The minimum entry requirement is the Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSSCE) or the West African Senior School Certificate (WASSCE). To qualify for admission, one must have aggregate 20 or better in the best 5 subjects he presented for the SSS Certificate Examination. These should include core Mathematics, Core Science, English Language and Social Studies with at least a D7 in these courses and not more than two (2) sittings.
Entrance Examination
All candidates with the SSSCE or WASSCE certificates must sit an English Entrance conducted by the Seminary. A good pass in this entrance examination is paramount to the admission of the candidate. A student who has passed in his SSSCE or WASSCE examinations but fails in the entrance examination in English could be refused admission. those seeking admission with higher certificates from any of the Universities or Colleges of Education (including Nursing) would not be required to take the English Entrance Examination. After the examination, each candidate will be further interviewed by a formator to whom he will be assigned.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE
The general requirement for entry to Level 100 of the Bachelor’s Degree programs are as follows: i) Senior Secondary School Certificate/West African Senior Certificate Examination: Credits in the Four core subjects, namely, English, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies and three elective subjects in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) or West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). This is however subject to review by the Academic Board/Committee.
MINIMUM AGGREGATE
In determining eligibility for admission to level 100 program, candidate’s aggregate score in the four (4) Core and three (3) elective subjects as indicated above shall not exceed 24/SSSCE or 36/WASSCE in not more than two (2) sittings.
A pass in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) or West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is understood to mean a candidate’s performance at grades interpreted as follows:
WASSCE SSSCE
A1 – A – 1 (Excellent)
B2 – B – 2 (Very Good)
B3 – C – 3 (Good)
C4 – D – 4 (Credit)
C5 – – 5 (Credit)
C6 – – 6 (Credit)
D7 – – 7 (Pass)
E8 – “ – 8 (Pass)
F9 – “ – 9 (Fail)
WASSCE/SSSCE candidates shall be admitted into Level 100 (First Year) of the Four-year Bachelor’s
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
As an additional internal requirement, an SVS candidate must have an internal average of not less than 55% computed from the exam results of the Semesters he has completed in Philosophy. In other words, a student may possess the above results from his SSSCE/WASSCE but if his internal performance is below standard, such a candidate may not be admitted to the B.A Degree Program. We will also consider other external qualifications which have equivalences to the SSSCE or the WASSCE.
- INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS
- A candidate for Examination must have followed the approved course over the required period.
- Examination candidates must follow all regulations related to the examination. Importantly, it is a mark of being a gentleman to conduct oneself properly during the examination sessions. To this effect, a prayerful atmosphere enhanced by silence must prevail in the examination hall before, during and shortly after the examinations.
- All candidates are to be present in the examination hall fifteen (15) minutes to the start of exam. Students are to be seated in the Exams Hall at 7.45 a.m. and exams start at 8.a.m. prompt. A candidate who reports for an examination more than half an hour after its commencement shall be refused entry to the examination.
- It is the duty of the candidate to consult the daily time-table at least 24 hours ahead of time.
- An examination candidate shall not bring to the Examination Centre or to the wash-room of the Examination Centre or to the immediate vicinity of the Examination Centre any book, paper, written information or cellular/mobile phones, tablets or any other material, device or instrument not expressly authorized for the purpose of the examination. Any such material shall not be deposited at the entrance to the Examination Room or in the washroom or within a 50-metre radius of the Examination Centre. All such materials shall be placed in front of the examination hall under the watch of the invigilator.
- Each candidate must fill in accurately the required information as stipulated on the examination booklets, and other instructions as the invigilator may indicate.
- Candidates start to write only when the order to start is given. There should be no writing on the question paper, or making of outlines on the examination booklets before the start of examinations.
- No candidate may leave the examination hall within one hour of the start of examinations. A candidate leaving the examination hall must notify the invigilator before doing so.
- Every necessary thing or action relating to a Candidate’s answers and answer booklet must be done at his examination desk before the time allotted to the examinations runs out there should be no writing whatsoever on the answer booklet and no binding of loose sheets when the invigilator gives the order, ‘Stop Work, Time is Over.’
- No communication between candidates is permitted
in the Examination Room.
- A candidate shall not pass, attempt to pass or receive any information, material, device or instrument from another candidate during an examination.
- A candidate shall not copy or attempt to copy from another candidate or engage in any similar activity.
- A candidate shall not in any way disturb or distract any other candidate during an examination.
- A candidate shall not have any writing on any part of his/her body or clothing
- A candidate shall not plagiarize by presenting another person’s work as though it were his/her work
- A candidate may attract the attention of the Invigilator by raising his hand.
- A candidate who finishes an examination ahead of time may leave the Examination Room but not earlier than 30 minutes from the commencement of the examination and not later than 15 minutes to the end of the examination, and only after surrendering his answer book(s) and signing the attendance register. The candidate shall not be allowed to return to the Examination Room.
- ELIGIBILITY FOR EXAMINATIONS
A student shall attend all such lectures, seminars and practicals and undertake all other activities and assignments as are approved by the Seminary in addition to those prescribed for the courses for which he has been registered for either the Bachelor of Arts or the Diploma. A student who does not fulfill the requirements for any course shall not be allowed to take the examination for that course.
A student who is absent for a cumulative period of 25% from all lectures, practicals and other activities prescribed for any course in any semester shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the course. Such a student shall not be permitted to sit the semester examination and would actually be withdrawn from the Seminary.
- SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS
Each course, with the exception of the Memoir, shall normally be completed in one semester. A final (end-of-semester) examination shall normally be required as a part of every course. An examination schedule showing time and place of examination for each course shall be published each semester. The marks obtained in the end-of-semester examination shall constitute 70% of the grade for the course while Continuous Assessment constitutes the remaining 30%, except for practicals or other courses which are assessed entirely by continuous assessment. d. Time allotted to examination papers shall be as follows:
Credit Course → 1 hour
Credit Course → 2 hours
or 4- Credit Course → 2 to 3 hours
- RESIT EXAMINATIONS
If a student trails in an examination, he does the resit in that examination for that semester. If he fails the resit or resits of the first semester, the failure(s) is (are) added on to his results of the second semester of the same academic year. If he passes the resit he has met the requirements of the course. But if the failure(s) of the second semester added to those of the first semester constitute five (5), he is withdrawn. For the said candidate(s) there is/are no resit exam(s) in the second semester.
If he has four failures at the end of the academic year, he must repeat the year, whether these failures are of the second semester, or are resit failures of the first semester. By repeat of the year is meant that the student stays for the second year in the same class in which he failed, and follows the full academic program thereof. The office of the Dean of studies must make sure that the said student (s) repeats every course in which he/they trailed.
Students are given the chance to repeat once in a program in Philosophy or Theology.
Students who fail two or more examinations in 3 successive semesters, even if they pass the resits will be withdrawn. This rule does not apply to the first semester of philosophy and the first semester of theology.
Supplementary exams are examinations that a student takes for good reasons such as ill health, bereavement, etc., instead of the semester examinations. Any action in this regard is subject to the decision of the office of the Dean of Studies.
- DEFERMENT OF EXAMINATION
On Grounds of ill-Health, a student who has satisfied all the requirements as prescribed in n. 2 but is unable to take the main (end-of-semester) examination on grounds of ill-health, shall, on application to the Dean of Studies, and on provision of a Medical Certificate issued by the Director of a medical facility, be allowed to defer the semester examination and take the examination at the next offering or upon special arrangement with the Dean of Studies and the Course Lecturer.
- EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE OR OFFENCE
An Examination malpractice or offence shall include any attempt on the part of a candidate, conspiring with another candidate, or aiding or abetting or facilitating any candidate to gain an unfair advantage in the examination, and any breach of the Examination Regulations and Instructions to candidates.
An examination offence shall include but not be limited to the following:
- Cheating, by any means, attempting to cheat or assisting another candidate to cheat.
- Impersonating an examination candidate, or allowing one-self to be impersonated.
- Opening the examination paper before the examination has commenced person.
- Having any writing on any part of a Candidate’s body or on his or her clothing.
- Carrying unauthorized material to the examination hall and/or having unauthorized material on his person.
- Communicating or attempting to communicate with other candidates or any other person without permission of the Invigilator or other authorized person while inside the Examination Room.
- Plagiarism that is presenting another person’s work as though it were the Candidate’s work.
- Continuing to write after the examination has officially ended.
A breach of any of the Regulations or Instructions to Candidates herein may attract one or more of the following sanctions and/or any other sanction prescribed by the Statutes of the Seminary unless a specific sanction has been prescribed for the said breach:
- INATIONS
The assessment of examinations scripts and the grading system are adopted from the practice of the University Ghana, Legon, which is subject to periodic review. As at now the lowest past mark is 50% and the grading of individual examinations ranges from (Fail) to A (Outstanding). In marking, the examiner does not look out for points as such, but rather makes up his mind whether a paper is an A or B+ etc. He or she also judges it on the basis of thorough knowledge or grasp of the subject matter, originality of ideas and perceptive insight, coherent organization and logical presentation of material, clear expression with minimal English (grammatical and typographical errors).
| Letter Grade | Marks | Grade Point | Interpretation |
| A | 80-100 | 4.0 | Outstanding |
| B+ | 75-79 | 3.5 | Very Good |
| B | 70-74 | 3.0 | Good |
| C+ | 65-69 | 2.5 | Fairly Good |
| C | 60-64 | 2.0 | Average |
| D+ | 55-59 | 1.5 | Below Average |
| D | 50-54 | 1.0 | Marginal Pass |
| *E | 45-49 | 0.5 | Unsatisfactory |
| F | 0-44 | 0 | Fail |
- Grade Point (GP): Each Grade is assigned an equivalent grade point as indicated above. The number of (grade) points earned by a student, for each course completed, is computed as the product of the number of credits for the course and the grade point equivalent letter of the grade obtained in that course.
- Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA): The student’s cumulative grade point average is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points obtained, up to any specified time, by the total number for credits of all courses for which the student has registered up to that time.
- Final Grade Point Average (FGPA): The FGPA is the CGPA for all courses under consideration calculated up to the end of a student’s academic program.
- Definition of Grades: Pass Grades: Grades A to D constitute Pass grades while E and F constitute failure grades.
- COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS IN THEOLOGY THREE (3)
Students’ knowledge in Theology would be tested in Theology Three (3) to ascertain the soundness of their Theology after the first three years of Theological studies. This would mainly be an oral examination with a panel of lecturers. A student who fails in this comprehensive examination may incur one or two or all of the following;
- May not be recommended for Pastoral year
- May be asked to repeat the third year of Theology to enable him assimilate the Theological courses properly.
- May not be admitted to the Urbaniana University program in Theology Four (4).
- SEMINARS
Students participate in the determined seminars of the cycle of their study, namely Philosophy or Theology. The seminar consists of research work on a given topic, a write-up (typed, double-spaced, of at least 10 pages), and a verbal presentation in a seminar group. No student shall do a seminar more than once in the same subject.
Seminar areas: In the Philosophy cycle, besides the languages, the theological courses, Logic (symbolic include), Study Methods and Music, all Philosophy courses are subject matter for seminars. Seminar allocations are the prerogative of the lecturers in Philosophy, under the direction of the Head of Department.
In the Theology Cycle, besides Ascetics, Homiletics and Biblical Apostolate, all other courses are subject matter for seminars. Seminar allocations are the prerogative of the lecturers in the Theology Cycle under the direction of the Head of Department.
NOTE: Theology IV students are exempted from the seminars.
- MEMOIRS (DISSERTATION OR LONG ESSAY)
All students are expected to write a memoir (dissertation) of not less than 30 pages at the end of Philosophy and Theology.
The choice of the subject of the Memoir is the prerogative of the student: this he does in consultation with a moderator of his choice, chosen from among the teaching staff. The topic for the Memoir is to be submitted to the Dean of Studies on, or before the deadline indicated on the Academic calendar. The final text of the Memoir is to be typed, double spaced, on the paper provided by the Seminary (70 size “A4”sheets). The Memoir is to be submitted to the Dean of Studies on or before the date stated on the current Seminary Calendar. Two copies are to be submitted, one for the moderator, and the other copy shall be put in the library after five years. The Memoir is subject to its own rules of evaluation. The given mark appears on the student’s academic transcript.
The scientific method adopted by SVS for all research work and papers (seminars, memoirs or dissertations, etc.) is contained in the writing manual of TURABIAN, Kate L, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Thesis, and Dissertations revised by Wayne C. booth, Gregory G. Colombo, Joseph M. William and the University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff, 7th Edition, Chicago/London: University of Chicago, 2007.