| ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS |
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| Is there a fee for institute? |
| No. Beginning fall semester of 2004, the Church changed the funding for institutes. There is no longer a fee for Institute classes, with one exception. If you are a non-student older than age 30, the Continuing Education Fee must be paid. That fee is $20.00 per class. |
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| How do I transfer my institute credits already received to BYU? |
| To transfer institute credits to BYU, contact one of the institute secretaries and ask them. They will verify that you have earned transferable credit (only letter grades are transferable: A, B, C, or D, NOT a P). They will then send your transcript to BYU. |
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| What does a person need to do to be an institute graduate? |
| Three certificates are awarded each spring. Come to the office and sign a graduation application!
Eight credit hours are necessary to earn the Certificate of Achievement, 4 credits of which have to be scripture-based. Four other credits of your choice are added to make a total of 8.
Fourteen credit hours are required to earn the Graduation Diploma, 8 credits of which have to be scripture-based. Of those 8, both semesters of the Book of Mormon (4 credits) have to be taken. Six other credits of your choice are added to make a total of 14.
Twenty-two credit hours are required to earn the Certification of Advanced Achievement, which includes 4 more scripture-based classes (8 credits) after receiving the Graduation Diploma, for a total of 22 credits. A maximum of 3 credit hours of courses numbered under 100 are accepted toward this certificate.
Scripture-based classes: OT, NT, B of M, D & C, Pearl of Great Price, Teachings of the Living Prophets, and Doctrines of the Gospel. |
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| I want to register but do I have to be single to have institute classes? I am LDS, 23 years old, and never had a chance to attend institute. I m attending MCC, and love to learn more about the Gospel. |
| If you are a student at MCC, married or single, you may register for institute classes. |
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| Is it too late to register for institute? |
| It is NEVER too late to attend institute.
If you would like to receive credit for other Church colleges (BYU) or receive credit for institute graduation, you do need to register during the first 3 weeks of the new semester. |
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| I homeschool my children and my 14-year-old is also taking classes at MCC. Can he/she attend an institute class? |
| Institute classes are targeted for those individuals 18-30 years old, and we encourage homeschooled students to enroll in and attend their local seminary classes. For any exceptions, you and your student will need to visit with the Institute Director. Please call 480-964-2652 for an appointment. |
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| I am single and moving to the Mesa/Chandler area. How do I determine which singles ward I can attend? |
| Single adults ages 18-30, living at home should attend their family ward, or a stake-sponsored Young Single Adult (YSA) Ward sponsored by their family stake.
Single adults living away from home may attend a singles/college ward if they live within the boundaries of that singles/college ward.
Most stakes in the East Valley are sponsors of YSA wards. In addition, the boundaries of the Tempe University Stake blanket the entire Valley of the Sun.
Membership in the Mesa College Ward requires that you live away from home (or in the Mesa West Stake), be a registered college student and enroll in, and regularly attend, an Institute class.
Membership in the Fiesta Ward is for those single individuals, ages 18-30, who live within the boundaries of the Mesa West Stake, and who are not students, but are working.
For specific information please call the Mesa Institute of Religion at 480-964-2652. We can fax, e-mail, or mail to you this information. |
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| My friend and I are single and moving down to the Mesa area for the summer, and possibly will be staying longer. Is there any type of bulletin board available that has summer apartment rentals? |
| There is a bulletin board in the Mesa Institute for housing, items for sale, and employment.
We keep the housing info on Excel spreadsheets and they are available to email to you at any time. All you need to do is email us at mesaaz@ldsces.org and request it.
We update the info almost daily. We will be happy to mail, email, or fax you a copy of what's available.
We do not keep the employment information or "For Sale" items on the computer. |
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| If I am enrolled in one institute class, can I change to another class and still receive credit for the class? |
| Yes, as long as it is the same subject and you maintain 75% attendance overall, you may receive credit. Please speak to both teachers to make sure that your attendance record gets transferred to the new class. |
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| I'm not single, and over 30 but would like to take a class. Is there somewhere I can go? |
| Many stakes in the East Valley offer Adult Religion Classes. As a service to the community, the Mesa Institute maintains a list of these classes. You may call us at 480-964-2652 to request a copy and we will mail, email, or fax you a copy. |
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| I am married and over 65 years old. I am a recent convert to the Church (2+ years) and I am interested in taking institute classes. My wife is a longtime member and we would like to take classes together. Is this a possibility for us or should we look elsewhere? |
| Our target audience for institute classes are those young adults 18 to 30 years old.
Students of any age 18 and above are welcome to take institute classes.
For those not in these categories, some stakes offer Adult Religion Classes, and, as a service to the LDS Community, we keep a list of those classes.
We'd be happy to email this information. Contact us at mesaaz@ldsces.org. Please call the teachers before you go, to verify that the class is still ongoing. |
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| If I am married and I attend institute classes do I still get to go to institute activites like the dances and other things? |
| You and your spouse are invited to come to all the activities together. Attendance at any social get-together without your spouse would not be appropriate. |
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| Do you have to be a student at the university or at the community college in order to attend the institute classes? |
| No. Institute is for all young adults 18 years to 30 years old! It's never too late to attend an institute class during the semester. Every young person is encouraged to attend institute. |
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| Are there classes offered over the internet that will transfer to BYU? |
| The institute program does not offer any classes over the internet at this time. BYU Independent Study might be a place to look for internet classes. |
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| Do you have a list of available LDS female housing for rent? |
| Yes. We compile housing spreadsheets from the cards posted on our housing board. We have three categories of housing lists: Male, Female, and For Sale or Rent, which are empty units looking for families, couples or a group of friends. You can request a housing list by calling us at 480-964-2652, or by emailing us at mesaaz@ldsces.org. The lists are updated almost daily. |
