Welcome to the 2019-2020 Graduate Catalog 

Older Graduate and Undergraduate Catalogs may be accessed by changing the catalog year/type in the upper right corner of this window. 

Older versions of the Graduate or Undergraduate Catalog may be accessed on the archived catalog page.

Academic Calendar

The 2019-20 Academic Calendar    is available as a downloadable pdf file.

Mission Statement

Berry College is a comprehensive liberal-arts college with Christian values. The college furthers our students’ intellectual, moral and spiritual growth; proffers lessons that are gained from worthwhile work done well; and challenges them to devote their learning to community and civic betterment. Berry emphasizes an educational program committed to high academic standards, values based on Christian principles, practical work experience and community service in a distinctive environment of natural beauty. It is Berry’s goal to make an excellent private liberal-arts education accessible to talented students from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds.

President’s Message

Welcome to the Berry College Graduate Catalog. In this era of digital technology, web-based catalogs have largely supplanted printed versions. Digital catalogs are more readily accessible and easier to search. Given the vast amount of information available on the web, the principle purpose of a digital catalog is to provide reliable information about the institution’s purposes, policies, procedures, programs, and people. It is meant to serve as a trustworthy reference source.

At the same time, catalogs are snapshots of a college at a moment in time. They are normally updated annually even though policies, procedures, programs and people may change throughout the year. Thus, the information about Berry College presented here is accurate as of the beginning of the academic year, but subject to change at any time to encourage educational activities that are flexible and continually improving.

Berry was founded in 1902 by Martha Berry, a visionary woman who believed that a nation’s most valuable natural resources are its young people. A review of Berry’s catalogs over the last eleven decades shows that the institution has changed in dramatic ways, but that it has nevertheless remained true to its central vision and educational approach.

Berry has always advocated an integrated education of the head, heart and hands in the context of a residential learning community. Put another way, Berry fuses a challenging academic program and practical work experience with opportunities for spiritual growth, including significant service to others. Today, Berry College is a comprehensive liberal arts college that emphasizes a residential educational experience. The Berry Catalog describes how we bring this approach to life.

The purpose of a Berry education, today just as in its formative years, is to prepare graduates with the knowledge, experience, character and motivation to improve the places where they live and work. The Berry Catalog serves as a reference point and means to that end.

Stephen R. Briggs, President

Accreditation

Berry College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, and education-specialist degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or by calling 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Berry College

Berry College is also accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Berry’s music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and Berry’s programs in business are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Accreditation information is given in order for interested constituents to (1) learn about the accreditation status of Berry College; (2) file a third-party comment at the time of the institution’s decennial review; or (3) file a complaint against the institution for alleged non-compliance with a standard or requirement. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 or visit www.sacscoc.org for questions about the accreditation of Berry College.  Complaints may be submitted using the SACSCOC complaint form.  Normal inquiries about the institution, such as those concerning admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc. should be addressed directly to Berry College and not to the SACSCOC Office.

Berry College is authorized to operate educational programs beyond secondary education in the state of Georgia.  That authorization designates the Georgia Non- Public Post-Secondary Education Commission (GNPEC) as the state agency responsible for receiving complaints made by students enrolled at Berry College.  Students may contact GNPEC to file a complaint.  Contact Information: GNPEC, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive, S.W., 1102 West Tower, Atlanta, Georgia 30334, Email: inspector.general@oig.ga.gov, Telephone: 404-656-7924.

Memberships

The college is a member of the American Council on Education, Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the Georgia Independent Colleges Association.

For information on graduate-program accreditation, see the introduction to the Berry College Graduate Catalog.

The online version of the Berry College catalog serves as the official version of the college catalog.  While printed versions may be distributed for informational purposes, or excerpts of the catalog may be provided on web pages, in the case of any discrepancies, the online version of the college catalog shall supersede any portion of a printed copy or web page containing excerpted policies.