Diploma

The primary purpose of the seminary program is to assist parents in their responsibility to teach the gospel to their children. The teaching in seminary classes is designed to help students come to know their Savior, draw closer to Him, and become more fully converted to His gospel. Seminary classes can complement the study of the "Come, Follow Me" curriculum. The seminary diploma is therefore not an end in itself but a visible tool for measuring progress.

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To be successful, this program has requirements in terms of:

• attendance at classes,

• personal Scriptures reading,

• and understanding of doctrine.

We believe that by intentionally complying with these requirements, a student will be on the path to conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ. We encourage you, as parents, to help your children strive for excellence in this learning process.

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For this requirement, each student is expected to attend at least 75% of the seminary classes, regardless of the format of the class.

If a student has not been able to attend at least 75% of the classes, it is possible to arrange with the teacher to complete compensatory work.

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The seminary teacher will ask each student to set a personal goal for daily scripture reading (in terms of time or quantity) and will encourage them to achieve it throughout the year. This reading can be done individually or as a family. However, students will not be asked to report on their daily reading to the teacher.

The goal is for your child to develop a daily habit of studying the Scriptures, which will then become a practice and a blessing for their entire life. As parents, we hope that you will encourage your child in this direction.

The “Scripture reading” criterion for validating the semester includes a minimum number of selected Scripture passages to be read for each semester. To validate each semester, students must therefore have read at least these selected Scripture passages.

The student (or his or her parents) will check off the passages of scripture read during the semester. This can be done by visiting MySeminary.churchofjesuschrist.org or by reporting to the teacher.

Here are the selected Scriptures passages to read in order to validate each semester of seminary:

Each semester, students will be invited to participate in learning experiences called “assess your learning.” These activities help students evaluate their understanding of the doctrine studied during the semester.

These learning experiences take place collectively in class and allow the Teacher to gauge their students' level of understanding and thus explain again what has not been understood. Participating in at least one of these exercises in class validates this criterion. If the student is absent from all of these exercises during the semester, they will be asked to do a make-up exercise individually or in a group, either with their family or with their teacher.

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When a student meets these requirements (attendance, scripture reading, and doctrine comprehension) for a semester, they are said to have “validated the semester.”

When a student has completed the eight semesters of the four-year seminary program and is deemed worthy by his bishop (or branch president), the stake president may award him a seminary diploma. This document is signed by the President of the Church. It is a powerful symbol of recognition for the personal efforts made throughout the four years of seminary. 

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