hi, i'm trying to find a good christian distance learning school that i can get a degree in. i want to become a certified teacher with history as my subject but also i want to be flexible and major in theology as well so i could also teach theological classes. i had attended a non-accredited bible school and received a diploma for general christian studies. will any distance school recognize the classes? any help would be greatly appreciated.
well, i searched the Bakers Guide as well as some other places i found three distance learning colleges that are likely to recognize my four years of unaccredited Bible schooling and ministry experience. the three are: Trinity College and Seminary in Newburgh, IN; Christian Bible College in Rockymount, NC; and Freedom Bible College and Seminary in Rogers, ARK. what can anyone tell me about these colleges? My main initial goal is to take what classes they require so as to get my Bachelors. from there i am willing, if prudent, to go elsewhere for my masters and certification for Christian ed. they all claim to be accredited, and grant degrees upon successful completion of the courses of study. Any help or feedback is appreciated
Ofergodsake don't get Bill G. started on Trinity (or me, for that matter). Search this site and you will find piles and piles (metaphor chosen advisedly) on Trinity Newburgh. Rogers, Arkansas rings a vague bell as the home of some dubious accreditor; anybody know if there's a connection to this school? Talk to American Christian College & Seminary in OKC; or else Tennessee Temple if you are a strict-separation Fundamentalist. Both are TRACS accredited.
=== Kevin your God is one of miracles..and you need one now for you have two big problems. I mean problems besides not knowing apparently accreditation from jello. This is understandable, many do not, but dangerous. The problems are (1) finding a genuinely accredited school that will accept unaccredited work , and (2) finding a distance ed program approved to provide teacher education. In regard to (2) my assumption is by "certified" you mean for public school. If not, if private or Christian, is meant then your second problem might be manageable and not the equivalent in difficulty of parting of the Red Sea. In fact, your first problem also may be lessened if you mean private school. If you mean teach in a Christian private school then give ACCS a call and ask your questions. ACCS offers some ed courses. In my look just now none of the DL Christian schools on Jason B's site offers educational programs leading to public school certification. I'm not sure it could all be done by DL at any US school as it requires, I would assume, practicum and student teaching (but I may be wrong). Good "luck", and please, learn about accreditation!
Well, i guess Trinity is out i got a lot out of my college experience, and i got to do a lot of outreaches to troubled teens and did my internship in NYC as a staff/counselor at a Christian men's rehab. it was very life changing. nevertheless, i don't have a degree to show for it. even if i stay at my current job, and never went anywhere else, i would still like to get my bachelors without having to start from scratch. i guess it gives me a sense of accomplishment, as well as looking good on a resume. employers like the fact that you earned a degree. that said, i understand your point concerning teaching in a public school. while that was an option, my first desire was to teach in a private/Christian school. even if God just has for me to be a sunday school teacher if that's His will that's fine with me. as for certification, Freedom college offers bachelors and masters in Christian ed and certification for the same. as long as their degree is good in the private/Christian sector then that's acceptable. anyway, and more info on Freedom or Christian Bible would be helpful. Thanks!
UNISA Kevin, I don't know if a South African degree would suit your needs, but it might be worth your time to consider UNISA. I am not real familiar with UNISA'S recognition of prior learning program, but it appears to be fairly liberal. Specifically: "ELIGIBILITY The following people can apply for RPL: adults (23 years +) who have at least five years post secondary school experience that is current; and who have acquired skills and knowledge through one or some of the following: formal study at non accredited institutions work experience informal study for recreational or personal interest company-based training industry-based training working with experts in the field life experience community or volunteer work who comply with the admission criteria for the programme for which they wish to apply for RPL credit (for example: if you want to study Computer Science you need to have Mathematics or enroll for an access module)" http://www.unisa.ac.za/dept/rpl/index.html
You may want to check into Liberty. www.liberty.edu. My sister is going there, however not for a teaching degree.
I checked Liberty out. It seems they require some residency in order to get any of their degrees. Decent school, but far away. Also I didn't find any degree programs for Christian ed. I'm married and a home owner with a full time job. Thanks for your suggestion though So far Christian Bible and Freedom are the only two who will take my college classes into consideration and don't require residency. Funny, though, Trinity just e-mailed me I'll continue to check out UNISA. Do they have a Seminary or just secular degrees? Most of my classes were theological classes and would mean little in a secular university anyway. Would they give me credit for them?
my first desire was to teach in a private/Christian school. ======= Kevin have you been on the webpage and/or contacted: ' The Association of Christian Teachers and Schools' ?
UNISA Kevin, The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies offers BTh, Honours BTh, MTh, and DTh degrees. The Faculty of Arts has a sort of parallel program that offers the BA, Honors BA, MA, and DLitt et Phil degrees in Biblical or Religious Studies. See: http://www.unisa.ac.za/faculty/theol/index.html
I just got a letter from Christian Bible College. Any opinions on that school? They have Dr. Jack Van Impe as a graduate & honorary member. The President is a Dr. Cecil Johnson. They list Eastern Christian Accrediting Association of Colleges, Universities and Seminaries; American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions; and Southern Accrediting Association of Christian Schools as their Accreditation. I realize these aren't recognized by the Dept of ED, but since I plan on teaching or ministering in a Church/ Christian school that's not as important. Let me know what you think!
=== Ah, Kevin, Kevin. Follow this reasoning: God does not lie nor misrepresent and Christians, and Christian schools, are to be godly. But any accreditation claimed, which is not RA, NA, or GAAP equivalent , eg by that school, is misrepresenting and lying. And the conclusion is.............. Are all non accredited schools bad? Patently, no! But are schools which misrepresent accreditation suspicious, OOOHHHH YESSSS!!!
Liberty U. Kevin: "I checked Liberty out. It seems they require some residency in order to get any of their degrees." Actually, Kevin, Liberty University does not require any residency for the BA. They have undergraduate programs in religion and in general studies which may fit your needs. Unfortunately for you, I doubt that they would accept any units in transfer from an unaccredited school. Their catalog states that they only accept work from schools accredited by a Dept. of Education recognized accreditor. This would be one of the 6 regional accreditors (RA), national accreditation (TRACS, ATS, AABC, etc.).
Dear Kevin, If the Bible courses you took towards your certificate were ACE approved such as these http://www.seminaryextension.org/ you may be able to apply such study to a specialized degree program. Have you looked into the undergraduate programs at The Union Institute and University http://www.tui.edu? They have a limited traditional residency and are very flexible. TUI offers several customizable programs. They will accept alternative learning sources such as ACE approved theology courses and CLEP/DANTES (in limited percentages) with faculty approval. Their Fla campus also offers an Education degree. Another excellent source might be Charter Oak State College. They have an Individualized Studies major which can be tailored to your needs, with a dual Concentration option. They also accept ACE Evaluated and Approved coursework, and an unlimited examination credit. http://www.cosc.edu. These are both regionally accredited institutions. Bakz
