Dark Side Degrees

Dark Side Degrees are a method of rewarding those who put forth extended time and effort at the Shadow Academy. Originally created by Headmaster Kaiann, the system of degrees was expanded upon under the reigns of Headmasters following.

Degree Levels and Types

There were four levels of Dark Side Degrees when originally created by Headmaster Kaiann, and an additional fifth level was adopted to fit the Journeyman Hall system. The levels of degrees, with college level equivalents where applicable, are as follows:

• Dark Pundit (Certificate)
  • The entry level, these degrees typically require only passing Journeyman Hall courses.
  • A minimum of 3-4 courses will be required for a Dark Pundit Degree to be created.
• Dark Maven (Bachelors)
  • The basic level, these degrees typically require only passing certain exams with certain scores. Some practical portions may be included.
  • A minimum of 3-4 courses will be required for a Dark Maven Degree to be created. If only 3 courses are used, then some type of practical portion to the exam will be implemented.
• Dark Savant (Masters)
  • Somewhat harder, these degrees require two Dark Maven degrees (specific to each subject area), plus a certain number of electives, and they may also include a practical portion.
• Dark Sage (PhD)
  • The highest level most members can obtain, Dark Sage degrees denote great skill and hard work that goes above and beyond typical Shadow Academy work.
• Master of Dark Lore
  • Awarded only to current and former Headmasters at the order of the Grand Master.

With the exception of Master of Dark Lore, the degrees are open to the general membership and the only thing preventing a member from obtaining a degree will be the member.

General Rules

For all academic degrees, the following rules apply:

• An exam grade of 85% or higher is required for the course to count toward the degree.
  • If an exam grade is below 85%, the member will be given one chance to retake the exam and score a grade of 85% or higher.
    • If a member fails to achieve a grade of 85% or higher after retaking the exam, they will be ineligible for that degree for three months, after which they may retake the exam again, and so on and so forth.
• Once all the requirements for a degree have been completed, the member is to email the Headmaster and Praetor to the Headmaster requesting the degree. The member must include the relevant exam scores and their PIN.
  • The Headmaster and Praetor will verify all scores.
    • Under no circumstances will copies of previous course submissions be provided to members.
• Once the request for the degree has been sent, members should wait at least one week before emailing the Headmaster again to verify that the request was received.
• For Service degrees, you must be a member of the Shadow Academy staff.

Revocation

At any point deemed necessary by the Headmaster, a member's degree may be revoked and removed from his/her dossier. Cheating on any Shadow Academy exam is automatic grounds for revoking of degrees, as is any Chamber of Justice conviction. Revoking degrees is handled on a case-by-case basis by the Headmaster, however, and it is entirely up to the Headmaster rather or not to remove the degree. If a Dark Maven is removed, however, then the Dark Savant that follows, is obtained, will also be removed.

Adding/Removing Degrees

As more courses open in the Shadow Academy, more degrees may be added to the available options. However, extra “filler” courses will not be created simply to allow the creation of a degree, even if it means that a certain subject area must remain without a degree. All courses must meet certain quality standards.

As the Shadow Academy is constantly changing and adapting, there is a possibility that a course will be removed, thus negating a degree. In this event, the previously awarded degrees will still stand, and a list of no longer existing degrees will be maintained.

SA Degree Requirements

Dark Pundit

Dark Pundit degrees are an entry level degrees offered at the Shadow Academy and are essentially the Shadow Academy equivalent to a national certificate or diploma. They require Journeyman Hall courses to be passed.

Dark Pundit
Degree	Requirements
Essentials (DPE)	Essentials 1: History Essentials 2: Departments Essentials 3: Paths & Orders Essentials 4: Ranks Essentials 5: Organization Essentials 6: Medals
Vendetta (DPV)	Vendetta 1: Foundation Vendetta 2: Submission Vendetta 3: Fiction and Graphics Tips

Dark Maven

Dark Maven degrees are the most basic degrees offered at the Shadow Academy and are essentially the Shadow Academy equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. They require basic courses to be passed, although some also have practical requirements.

The Dark Maven Degree

Dark Maven
Degree	Requirements
Leadership (MVL)	Leadership Reports Leadership Rewards Leadership Competitions Serve in a leadership position. Leadership in multiple, non-consecutive positions may count, but only if you held the non-consecutive positions for at least 75% of the required time. Consul or Proconsul: 3 months, 75% = 2.25 months Quaestor or Aedile: 4 months, 75% = 3 months Battle Team Leader: 5 months, 75% = 3.75 months
Writing (MVW)	Grammar Studies Poetry Studies Run-On Studies Writing Studies
Philosophy (MVPH)	Any three Order CORE exams (not including Dark Brotherhood Basics) Force Philosophy I: Views Force Philosophy II: Cults
Galactic History (MVH)	Galactic History I: Formation of the Galaxy Galactic History II: Origins of the Jedi Order Galactic History III: The Ascension of the Sith Empire Galactic History IV: The Great Sith War Galactic History V: Saga of Revan and Malak
Lore (MVLO)	Alchemy Studies Galactic Languages Mandalorian Studies Races and Species
Flight (MVF)	Freighters/Transports Capital Starship Studies Starfighter Studies Astronomy
Combat (MVC)	Lightsaber Studies Combat Tactics I Combat Tactics II Advanced Lightsaber Studies Hand to Hand Combat
Service (MVS)	Serve as a member of the Shadow Academy Staff for at least five months
Web Design (MVWD)	Complete Make-a-Website and HTML & CSS at codecademy Email a link to your codecademy profile to the Headmaster and P:HM with your request for this degree. Be sure that your codecademy profile name matches your DJB name as closely as possible.
Web Scripting (MVWS)	Complete JavaScript and jQuery at codecademy Email a link to your codecademy profile to the Headmaster and P:HM with your request for this degree. Be sure that your codecademy profile name matches your DJB name as closely as possible.

Dark Savant

Dark Savant degrees are the third tier of degrees offered at the Shadow Academy. In general, they require one or more Dark Maven degrees (specific to each Dark Savant degree) and electives. Certain practical tests may be included.

The Dark Savant Degree

Dark Savant
Degree	Requirements
Service (SVS)	Serve the Shadow Academy for an extended period of time Approximately eight months or more Working on special SA projects will count towards overall time and may be “banked” for up to one year. Hold a position of Professor or higher. All positions require excellent service. The immediate superior shall determine the awarding.
Leadership and Communication (SVLC)	Dark Maven: Leadership Leadership Management IRC 301: Operator Studies Chamber of Justice I Serve in a leadership position. Leadership in multiple, non-consecutive positions may count, but only if you held the non-consecutive positions for at least 75% of the required time. Consul or Proconsul: 6 months, 75% = 4.5 months Quaestor or Aedile: 8 months, 75% = 6 months Battle Team Leader: 10 months, 75% = 7.5 months
Warfare (SVW)	Dark Maven: Flight Dark Maven: Combat General Warfare GMRG History Attain GMRG Rank V (400 Clusters of Fire, 1 Pendant of Blood)
Tactics (SVT)	Dark Maven: Writing Dark Maven: Combat ACC Fundamentals ACC Qualification Complete 5 ACC matches Earn 30 Clusters of Ice
Writing and Philosophy (SVWP)	Dark Maven: Writing Dark Maven: Philosophy All six Order CORE exams (not including Dark Brotherhood Basics) Test of Wisdom
History and Lore (SVHL)	Dark Maven - Galactic History Dark Maven - Lore Dark Brotherhood History I Dark Brotherhood History II Galactic History VI: Wars of the Force Galactic History VII: Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire Galactic History VIII: Trials of the New Republic
Programming (SVP)	Dark Maven: Web Design Dark Maven: Web Scripting Complete Ruby and Rails through codecademy. The Rails course includes some Ruby basics, but will be easier to complete if you make some progress on the Ruby course first. Email a link to your codecademy profile to the Headmaster and P:HM with your request for this degree. Be sure that your codecademy profile name matches your DJB name as closely as possible.

Dark Sage

Dark Sage degrees are the fourth tier of degrees offered at the Shadow Academy. Dark Sage degrees require great effort and are not offered very often.

The Dark Sage Degree

Dark Sage
Degree	Requirements
Writing (SGW)	This highly specialized course is offered once or twice a year through the Shadow Academy. One must sign up for the class and can only do so at certain times as announced by the Headmaster. You must successfully pass the course as outlined by the instructor to earn the degree.
Service (SGS)	Provide long term, superior service to the Academy while holding a position of no lower than Magistrate. This includes writing multiple exams, being involved in multiple projects, and maintaining constant activity at the Academy. This will be very rare, but specific members may be worthy of this. The minimum time to even begin being considered for this degree is one year, but many times it will be even longer.
Law (SGL)	Dark Savant: Leadership and Communication Chamber of Justice II Debate I: Argumentation Debate II: Refutation Practical: Serve as Justicar or at least 140 days as a Hand of Justice or an Appeals Panelist
Programming (SGP)	Provide long term, superior service to the Office of the Seneschal while holding a position of no lower than Magistrate. This degree is awarded at the discretion of the sitting Seneschal. Generally, the minimum time to even begin being considered for this degree is six months, but substantial applied efforts may warrant a shorter time frame.
Warfare (SGW)	Dark Savant: Warfare TOR Basics Attain GMRG Rank X (2220 Clusters of Fire, 10 Pendants of Blood) Practical: Serve as M:FIST or higher for 6+ Months, or Have the Following: A total of 3500 Clusters of Fire One Novae, Crescent with Diamond Star, or Crescent with Ruby Star in a Gaming Competition (a comp requiring Fist approval)
Tactics (SGT)	Dark Savant: Tactics Complete 25 ACC matches Earn 150 Clusters of Ice Practical: Serve as M:Voice, ACC Judge, or higher for 6+ Months, or Have the Following: A total of 250 Clusters of Ice One Novae, Crescent with Diamond Star, or Crescent with Ruby Star in a Fiction Competition (a comp requiring Voice approval)

Disclaimer, Conclusion, and Credits

The Headmaster reserves the right to alter degree requirements at any time, so long as they are applied equally across the Brotherhood.

The system described above resulted largely from the ideas of Dacien "BubbaX" Victae, though they were inspired by the original degree system created by Kaiann, which was further refined by Spears, Anshar Kahn Tarentae, and Aabsdu.