Grand Canyon University Master of Divinity (M.Div)

Hello everyone. New member here, long time lurker (since Dr. John Bear's days)

Because of scheduling issues, I am an online student in Grand Canyon University's Master of Divinity program.

(I spent 3 semesters at Biola University in the M.Div program and studied for one semester online in the M.Div program at Northeastern Seminary - Rochester, New York).

If I am not mistaken, GCU is the only Christian for-profit university in the United States.

My question is this - Are for-profit schools that have a physical campus seen as being somewhat "better" than for-profit colleges that do not have a physical campus?

(For the purposes of my discussion, I am ignoring the University of Phoenix and its physical campuses)

 

All else equal, I would say "yes" but the key is "all else equal". I once tried to get my company to sponsor a degree at a for-profit B&M school... the answer was "no". Hence I got the degree sponsored at a state school.

 

I believe GCU went non profit. There was a big fuss when they entered the NCAA (at least one school threatened to pull their team out as I recall). I thought that was a little hypocritical.

You ask a complex question. The answer probably depends on people's perceptions. Many people think of GCU somewhat like the University of Phoenix (possibly less tainted). GCU has slick marketing and I believe some of their staff came from the University of Phoenix. I would hazard a guess some people don't even know that GCU has a campus (which they took over from the original school and developed).

Seminaries are probably in categories and your older denominational/established seminaries like Biola, Southern Baptist, and Gordon Conwell are likely to be seen as superior. But that often depends on what denomination you are and where you are trying to use it.

It is accredited and if it is meeting your needs then the rest is not as important.