Associate of Arts

Associate of Arts

This program offers students the ability to gain a breadth of knowledge in general education, biblical and theological studies, and ministry studies. It is ideal for students who want to prepare for ministry in a short amount of time and who need the basic competencies of a liberal arts education.

The degree consists of three components:

1. Foundational Requirement:  This is a course that prepares students for the degree programs by studying skills necessary for academic success and Christian stewardship.
2. General Education Core:  The G.E. Core consists of 43 units of study that provides students with a broad-based foundation in the Liberal Arts.  Students must complete coursework in seven subject areas. 
1. Written Communication:  Includes courses specifically designed to improve students’ writing skills.  Examples include English Grammar, Freshman Composition, English Composition, College Writing, Research Writing, and Creative Writing. 
2. Oral Communication:  Includes courses designed to improve students’ verbal communication skills.  Examples include Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, Speech, Debate, Logic, Rhetoric, Preaching, and Teaching. 
3. History & Social-Behavioral Science:  Must include three units of Ancient World History, World History, or Western Civilization.  Students must also complete courses in at least two other branches of learning, such as Psychology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, Political Science, Economics, Marketing, Criminal Justice, Education, Organizational Dynamics, Leadership, etc. 
4. Humanities & Fine Arts:  Must include six units of study related to the history and/or literature of the Bible, along with six units of study in at least two other content areas.  Examples include Comparative Religion, Philosophy, Ethics, Fine Arts (painting, sculpture, art history or appreciation, etc.), Performing Arts (theater, dramatic writing, music history or appreciation, etc.), Literature, Foreign Language, or General Humanities. 
5. Natural Science with a Lab:  Includes studies of the physical universe such as Physics, Astronomy, Geology, Physical Geography, Oceanography, Ecology, Chemistry, Biology, Zoology, Botany, Anatomy, Physiology, and Health Sciences.  Coursework must include a science laboratory.
6. Mathematics:  Develops quantitative skills, such as college-level Mathematics, Business Math, Liberal Arts Mathematics, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus. 
7. Critical Thinking:  Involves skills of analysis, conceptualization, evaluation, logical reasoning, and argumentation.
3. General Electives:  These courses may be taken from any field and can be upper division or lower division.