DEGREES

The student is required to fulfill the degree requirements as listed in the UofN Catalogue, either in the year they filed their “Degree Programme Planning Form” or in a newer version of the catalogue. If the student chooses to graduate under a new version of the catalogue, they must change entirely to the degree requirements of that new catalogue and file a new “Degree Programme Planning Form” with the College/Faculty Academic Advisor.

The Discipleship Training School (DTS) is an entry-level prerequisite for all other courses and all degree programmes. All UofN applicants must first satisfactorily complete a fully qualified DTS, including the field assignment, before being permitted to attend any other course or being accepted into a degree programme. The DTS is the gateway into the seven Colleges/Faculties and various Centres of the UofN.

The DTS is an intensive Christian training course beginning with a 12-week lecture/teaching phase followed by an 8-to-12-week practical field assignment. The DTS is designed to encourage students in personal character development, to deepen a living relationship with God and to identify their unique individual gifts and callings in God. Further details are found in the Centre for Discipleship Training Schools’ description under Centres and Institutes. Cross-cultural exposure and global awareness are special emphases throughout the course, which prepares the students to reach current and future generations and to answer the call to “Go into all the world and disciple all nations” (Matt 28:19).

2. Cross Cultural Requirement

The purpose of the cross-cultural requirement is to give graduates practical experience and understanding of cross-cultural living and ministry. A Bachelor’s degree student is required to complete a minimum of two UofN schools, i.e. two lecture phases (with their corresponding field assignments/practicums/internships if applicable) in a zone (see College/Faculty Student Advisor of the degree programme) other than the one from which the student holds their nationality, and in an environment which will provide an approved cross-cultural experience. A Master’s degree student is required to meet the cross-cultural requirement; however, there are a variety of means by which that may be done.

3. Core Curriculum Requirement

The Core Curriculum is recommended for all students, but is required for all Bachelor’s degrees, and one of the three Core Curriculum Courses is required for some Associate’s degrees. For the Master’s degrees, previous study of the Bible at the university level, equivalent to the undergraduate Bible Core Curriculum, is required. The Core Curriculum has three requirements as described below.

The Applied Christian Thinking (ACT) requirement (12 credits) enables a student to develop a biblical understanding of worldviews, history, human institutions, culture, science, and the arts. Critical thinking skills are applied to current issues with a view to action.

The Bible requirement (12 credits) enables a student to understand the message of the Bible and develop skills for a lifetime of Bible reading, memorization, meditation and study, and to apply the Scriptures through further study, worship, prayer and obedience.

The Communication requirement (12 credits) enables a student to gain a biblical basis for communication, together with the basic skills of reading, researching, writing, and public speaking. It brings direct experience in interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cross-cultural communication, including the use of various media to communicate the message to a variety of audiences.

These Core Curriculum Courses reflect the foundations of the UofN, preparing students to engage with culture and society with the message of God’s Word and its application to all of life. Students are also prepared with tools for lifelong learning and development.

Approved Courses that meet the Core Curriculum Requirements

Applied Christian Thinking

HMT /SCI 211 Humanities and Science – A Christian Perspective (HAS)
HMT /SCI 213 School of Biblical Christian Worldview (SBCW)
HMT /SCI 215 Transformation School (TS)
HMT /SCI 217 Engaging with God’s World (EGW)

Bible

CHR/ATS 211 Biblical Foundations for the Arts (BFA )
CHR 211 Bible Core Course (BCC)
CHR 213 School of Biblical Studies 1 (SBS 1)
CHR 221/322/323 School of the Bible (SotB, Full 3 quarter sequence)
CHR 225 Bible School for the Nations (BSN)
CHR 227 Introductory Bible Course

Communication

CMC 211 School of Communication Foundations (SCF)
CMC 215 Introduction to Communication
CHR/CMC 287 School of Frontier Media (SOFM)
CHR/CMC 371 Biblical Teaching and Preaching School

4. Secondary (High) School Graduation or Equivalent

All students applying for a UofN Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree programme must satisfy the general requirements of graduation from a secondary (high) school or equivalent as approved by the International Provost. This guarantees that the student will have the skills necessary to obtain the maximum benefit from the University of the Nations courses.

5. Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent

All students applying for a UofN Master’s degree must have satisfactorily earned a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. Approval by the College/Faculty Dean of the degree program and Provost is required.

6. Language Proficiency

A degree candidate must provide proof of the ability to handle university-level course work in the languages in which the courses of the degree programme are offered.

7. Field Assignment/Practicum/Internship Credits

An approved degree programme must include:

• 16-36 credits of field assignment/practicum/internship for the Associate’s degree,
• 24-36 credits of field assignment/practicum/internship credits for the Bachelor’s degree, and
• 12 credits of field assignment/practicum/internship credits for the Master’s degree.

A field assignment is designed to enable students to exercise newly learned knowledge and skills in a supervised setting, usually within a team context, and with a concentrated missions or ministry focus. A student’s learning is significantly accelerated and deepened by the integration of “learning” and “doing” in the field assignment.

An internship places a student in a working environment with another organization (or sometimes in another part of the same organization) to gain on-the-job training and experience under the direct individual supervision of an on site person coordinating with a UofN Academic Advisor, Dean or School Leader.

Ideally, at the Master’s level there would be an opportunity for the student to teach or coach or contribute from his or her own learning experience during the internship.

A practicum is a hands-on experience applying previously gained knowledge or skills, often connected to the lecture phase of a course. It is carried out as a team with a supervisor, often the leader of the original school, and is assessed on the basis of the student’s performance and the success of the project.

8. Seminar Credits

Seminar credits should be directly related to the degree programme. These credits must be approved by the Academic Advisor of the College. Credit for a full learning week seminar and a course cannot be obtained simultaneously.

9. Directed Studies Courses

A Directed Studies course is crafted by a College Academic Advisor working with a UofN student in an area where a formal course is not available. There are clear goals and tasks, which may include readings, research, skills acquisition, assigned classes within the UofN or other learning institutions. The evaluation may include tests, papers, reports, and personal observation. For the BA/BS candidate, directed studies courses may be taken for a maximum of 24 credits. These credits must be preapproved by the College Academic Advisor of the degree programme.

10. Pass/Fail Courses

The DTS course and the DTS seminar are allowed to be graded as pass/fail in the UofN. All other UofN courses and seminars are given a letter grade. The AA/AS or BA/BS candidate may include the pass/fail credits from the DTS in their degree programme. No pass/fail credits are permitted in the Master’s Degree programmes.

11. General Transfer Credits

Maximum allowable transfer credits are: AA/AS – 24; BA/BS – 72. Approval of the College Dean and Provost is required.

For Master’s degrees, the number of allowable transfer credits is at the discretion of the College Dean and Provost.

12. Thesis

A thesis can be an original written research paper based on experimentation, field experience or the referenced work of others, or it may be a thesis project designed, implemented, evaluated and written up in report form by the student. The thesis must be applicable to the curriculum in which the degree will be awarded. The thesis advisor works closely with the student throughout the process.

Guidelines about length, format and style of writing are available through the International Dean or College Academic Advisor. A student who transfers more than 12 undergraduate credits is required to write a thesis for their Bachelor’s degree, but in general, a thesis is not required for undergraduate degrees. A graduate thesis is an option for a Master’s student with a maximum of 6 credits granted, and the student is expected to orally defend the thesis as described in the guidelines.

13. Satisfactory Completion of All Required and Elective Courses

Each College has developed several degree programmes. In addition to the general UofN requirements for an AA/AS, BA/BS or MA/MS, each degree programme will have several other courses that are required for that specific programme. See the specific College sections in this catalogue to understand the additional course requirements of any particular degree programme. Some programmes may allow for one or more elective courses. These courses should be selected by the student in consultation with an approved College Academic Advisor of the programme in which the student is enrolled.

14. Grade Point Averages to be Maintained:

To successfully complete a UofN degree, the student must maintain the following grade point average for their degree: for the AA/AS and BA/BS, a grade point average of “C” is required and for the MA/MS, a grade point average of “B” is required. (Only one “D” grade in a 12-credit course is allowed in an undergraduate UofN degree.)

15. Total Credits

A total of 84 credits is necessary for an AA/AS degree which includes the credits received from a DTS and its field assignment. A total of 144 credits is necessary for a BA/BS degree. This also includes the credits received from a DTS with its field assignment.

A total of 48 credits is necessary for an MA/MS. These credits reflect study beyond the completion of the DTS prerequisite with its field assignment and the previous study of the Bible, at the university level, equivalent to the undergraduate Bible Core Curriculum requirement in the UofN. Note: a degree student may actually accumulate more than the minimum number of credits required because of the student’s particular study objectives and due to extra elective courses taken.

The degree of Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) will be granted to any student who has registered for an Associate’s degree on an “AA/AS Degree Programme Planning Form” which has been fully approved and who has satisfied the following requirements:

• Discipleship Training School prerequisite
• Secondary (High) School graduation or equivalent requirement
• Language proficiency
• 16 – 36 Field Assignment/Practicum/Internship credits
• Satisfactory completion of all required courses for the particular degree programme, including pre-approved electives
• Total of 84 credits including DTS and field assignment, with a maximum of 24 transfer credits
• A “UofN Application for Graduation Form” filed six months before the anticipated conclusion of the degree programme
• Satisfactory clearance of financial accounts of all UofN schools and seminars

Contact an Academic Advisor to start your degree today!

The degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) will be granted to any student who has registered for a Bachelor’s degree on a “BA/BS Degree Programme Planning Form,” which has been fully approved, and who has satisfied the following requirements:

• Discipleship Training School prerequisite
• Cross-cultural requirement
• Core Curriculum requirement (36 credits met by successfully completing Bible, Communication, Applied Christian Thinking courses (see Core Curriculum section under Academic Requirements for Degrees)
• Secondary (High) School graduation or equivalent requirement
• Language Proficiency
• 24 – 36 Field Assignment/Practicum/Internship credits
• No more than 24 Directed Studies credits
• A maximum of 72 General Transfer credits
• Thesis: a thesis is generally not required for a BA/BS candidate unless the student is transferring more than 12 credits, or a specific degree requires it. Not more than 12 credits are granted for a BA/BS thesis
• Satisfactory completion of all required courses for the particular degree programme, including pre-approved electives
• Total of 144 credits including DTS and Field Assignment
• A “UofN Application for Graduation Form” filed six months before the anticipated conclusion of the degree programme
• Satisfactory clearance of financial accounts of all UofN schools and seminars.

Contact an Academic Advisor to start your degree today!

The degree of Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) will be granted to the student who has registered for a master’s degree on a “MA/MS Degree Programme Planning Form” which has been fully approved and who has satisfied the following requirements:

• Discipleship Training School prerequisite
• Cross-Cultural requirement
• Previous study of the Bible, at the university level, equivalent to the undergraduate Bible Core Curriculum requirement in the UofN
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent requirement
• Language proficiency
• 12 Field Assignment/Practicum/Internship credits
• No Pass/Fail Courses
• Optional thesis (maximum 6 credits); an oral defense of the thesis is expected
• Satisfactory completion of all required courses for the particular degree programme, including pre-approved electives.
• Total of 48 credits beyond the completion of the DTS prerequisite with its field assignment and the previous study of the Bible, at the university level, equivalent to the undergraduate Bible Core Curriculum requirement in the UofN. No undergraduate courses are allowed.
• A “UofN Application for Graduation Form” filed six months before the anticipated conclusion of the degree programme
• Satisfactory clearance of financial accounts of all UofN schools and seminars

See some of the variety of Masters degrees offered by the University of the Nations.