Resources for Admitted Students

Thursday, August 21 through Sunday, August 24

The orientation program at St. Vladimir's Seminary includes not only informational sessions to introduce new students to seminary life but also a series of structured activities for students to explore the nature of Christian vocation and begin building community. For this reason, orientation is required for all incoming degree candidates, part-time as well as full-time, and encouraged for non-degree students.

Fall 2025 Orientation Schedule

Newly admitted students are preregistered for the default curriculum of their degree program as soon as the seminary receives confirmation of intent to enroll. Selection of electives and other changes in registration are made during new student orientation and may continue until the end of drop-add, the second Friday of the semester, after which changes in registration are no longer permitted. Important note: Students who would like to add a course during the drop-add period must attend the first class session, unless absence is unavoidable. Normally, full-time students in the Master of Divinty (M.Div.) or Master of Arts (M.A.) program register for 12 credits; full-time students in the Master of Theology (Th.M.) program also register for 12 credits.

Registration for M.Div. or M.A. Students:

• Church History 110 (3 credits)
• Old Testament 100 (3 credits)
• Liturgical Theology 102 (3 credits)
• Biblical Languages 100 (3 credits)
• Liturgical Music 100 (1 credit) and Liturgics 100 (1 credit), depending on program and jurisdictional requirements

For more information about registration, including elective course desciptions and the fall semester book list, see Registration. For the schedule of classes, see Class Schedules.

Three Hierarchs Chapel stands as the place where the seminary community comes together to celebrate the liturgical services. The members of the seminary faculty and staff, students and their families, and many people from the local area attend services in the chapel, preparing the chapel for worship, singing the responses, reading, serving in the altar, and offering homilies. When students enroll in the seminary, and so become members of the community, they are expected to participate fully in the seminary’s rich liturgical life and to take responsibility for their part in the life and worship of the chapel as follows:

1. Residential Eastern Orthodox students in the Master of Divinity or Master of Arts program are required to enroll in Liturgical Music 100 or Liturgical Music 100A (chant and Arabic of the Antiochian archdiocese), placement dependent on skill level as determined by voice-testing, attend rehearsals, and sing in one of the chapel choirs, as assigned.
2. All other residential students, including Eastern Orthodox students in the Master of Theology program, are voice-tested and strongly encouraged to enroll in Liturgical Music 100, attend rehearsals, and sing in one of the chapel choirs, unless they are expected to attend Malankara or Coptic chapel services.
3. Non-residential students are encouraged to be voice-tested, enroll in Liturgical Music 100, attend rehearsals, and sing in one of the chapel choirs, schedule permitting.

Voice-Testing. The music placement examination is held during new student orientation each year. The examination determines a student’s placement in a chapel choir and Liturgical Skills course. Students must complete the examination before registering for liturgical music classes. If a student misses this exam, he or she is responsible for scheduling a make-up exam during the first week of classes.

The placement examination consists of a brief written component and an individual appointment with a member of the music faculty. Students are examined in the following areas: pitch matching, written note identification, written rhythm identification, liturgical reading, aural pitch differentiation, and rote singing. Results of the examination are emailed to each student.
» Study Resources

Disability Services at St. Vladimir’s Seminary helps to ensure equal educational access and opportunity for all members of our community. The Office of the President oversees Disability Services and works individually with students to create an effective and comprehensive accommodation plan in accordance with Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act states:

No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 7(20), shall solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

In its mission to train priests, theologians, and educated laity, St. Vladimir’s Seminary strives to embrace and support all those who answer the Lord’s call to serve in His vineyard. Disability Services works with administrators, faculty, and staff to ensure that students with disabilities have reasonable and appropriate accommodations. The seminary will offer reasonable aids and services to assist otherwise qualified persons in achieving success in its programs, services, and facilities.
» Frequently Asked Questions

REQUEST FOR ACCOMMODATION

1. Registration of Disability. Applicants who have been accepted for admission, or current students who seek accommodation for a disability, are encouraged to contact Abby Legaspi, Disability Services Access Coordinator (alegaspi@svots.edu, Rangos 116, x348), as soon as possible to begin the process of developing an accommodation plan. Students are not eligible to receive academic and/or campus accommodations until they have registered their disability with the Disability Services Access Coordinator, nor does Disability Services grant accommodations retroactively. If new accommodations are needed, students must meet with Disability Services to discuss adjusting the accommodation plan and provide updated documentation, if needed.

2. Procedure. Students who seek academic and/or campus accommodation for disability must provide the Disability Services Access Coordinator with the following information:

• Identification of disability and supporting documentation;
• Detailed explanation of how the disability currently affects and substantially limits the student’s ability in the academic and/or campus setting;
• List of accommodations the student may have received in the past; and
• List of accommodations the student is requesting at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

3. Examples of Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations vary for each student depending upon type of disability, needs, and supporting documentation. Examples of accommodations the seminary has provided to students include, but are not limited to, early registration, academic coaching and academic support services, including part-time study, extended test-taking time, assistance with books in alternative formats, and assistance in accessing campus buildings. Students are responsible, however, for arranging certain personal services, such as attendant care, mobility training, and transportation.

4. Requirement to Submit Requests Each Semester. Current students are responsible for submitting accommodation requests—to the Disability Services Access Coordinator—each semester, indicating the specific courses and/or activities involved and the accommodations sought in each case. We encourage all students to have a conversation with their professor about how they learn best.

New York State Public Health Law requires that all students enrolled in a post-secondary school for at least six (6) semester hours or the equivalent per semester must:

1. Provide proof of their immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella

2. Be informed that those residing in dormitory-like residences are at heightened risk to contract meningococcal meningitis and make a decision regarding immunization against it

Proof of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella and either proof of vaccination against meningococcal meningitis or a meningococcal vaccination response form must be on file with St Vladimir’s Seminary by the first day of classes. 

The following are examples of documents that may be used to prove immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella:

• Documents that require a health practitioner’s signature:

  • Immunization Form from St Vladimir’s Seminary

  • Other health certificate, exam form, or written statement of disease history

    • Must specify the vaccines administered and the dates of administration

  • Unofficial immunization record from another country

    • Must be reviewed and signed by a U.S.-licensed practitioner

• Documents that do not require a health practitioner’s signature:

  • Electronic health record from a healthcare provider

  • Electronic immunization record from a state registry

  • Electronic laboratory results for a positive serological (titer) test 

    • Report must include the student's name and the date of the test

  • Military immunization record

  • Official record from a foreign nation

If your immunization record does not include a meningococcal meningitis vaccine received within the past five years, completion of the Meningococcal Vaccination Response Form or Box E of the Immunization Form from St Vladimir’s Seminary is required. Please review the Vaccine Information Statement before signing one of these forms.

To be in compliance with New York State Public Health Law, the seminary must exclude from classes any students who do not comply with these immunization requirements within thirty days of the beginning of the semester.