Degree Completion – Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will my degree be a real, accredited degree?
Central Bible College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (regional accreditation) and by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education. CBC is listed in the Education Directory, Part 3, Higher Education, published by the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education; the college is approved by the Department of Education of the State of Missouri to grant scholastic degrees.
2. Will my degree be the same as a student would earn in your traditional programs?
The degree you will earn in Central Bible College's Degree Completion Program is equivalent to the degree a student would earn in the traditional classroom programs.
3. What is a "cohort"?
A cohort is a group of students that start the degree completion program together, take the same course each term together, and graduate together. By moving through the program together, members of a cohort often develop study groups and friendships, and members support, challenge, and learn from each other.
4. How long will the program take?
The degree completion program is an accelerated program that is designed so that you can complete it in about 18 months. In that time, your cohort will go through 16 classes together.
5. It usually takes 4 years to finish a B.A. degree - how can I complete this program in only 18 months?
To graduate from the degree completion program you will need a total of 123 hours, but you must have completed at least 64 credit-hours before you enter the program. You will take 48 credit-hours of coursework in the program. Credit-hours or required courses that you lack may be taken by traditional or nontraditional means, or you can apply for credit for life experience, for credit by examination, or for credit for relevant military training. The degree completion program is designed to build on what you have already learned in your previous college educational background and in your various ministry experiences, and what you are now learning in your present ministry position. Every class you will take will be designed to use situations and experiences in your current ministry to enhance and extend the amount of learning you can do in a given amount of time.
6.How much time will I have to commit to a course?
Each class you take meets 4 hours per week for 5 weeks. You will also have to commit to spend 10-15 hours per week outside of class in study, research, and writing. Your in-class time will focus on discussing and applying what you have read, learned, or discovered in your outside-of-class study, and on providing a context and background for what you will study next.
7. What kind of assignments do the classes require?
Weekly assignments are applied and ministry-related, designed to let you apply theories and ideas from your reading and research to your own ministry situation. As a participant in the degree completion program, you already have years of life, work, and ministry experience - giving you a background that can help enable you to apply theory to real life settings.
8. What is credit for life experience, and how can I apply for it?
Credit for life experience is based on the reality that people learn more outside a classroom than inside one. But to give you credit for life experience for a certain course, CBC needs evidence that you have already learned the material and gained the skills that the course teaches. You must assemble this evidence in a portfolio and submit it to the Vice President of Academic Affairs for review. For more information on earning Credit by Portfolio, contact the Center for Lifelong Learning office at 1-866-847-2555 ext. 1277 or clll@cbcag.edu.
9. Can I get credit by examination?
Credit by Examination is designed for students who already have a high level of proficiency in a subject area. Students must submit a written request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for permission prior to scheduling an examination. Students must score in the 80 percentile or above in order to receive credit. Upon successful completion of an exam, the student will have tuition fees of half the normal rate applied to their student account. Credit given through examination will be part of the thirty credit hour allowance for non-traditional credit.
10. Does CBC accept CLEP and AP examination credit?
CBC grants academic credits to students who meet scoring requirements on CLEP (College Level Examination Program) and approved AP (Advanced Placement) examinations.
11.Can I get credit for military training?
As many as 12 units of credit may be transferred from course work taken in the military, if such courses are appropriate to the curriculum of Central Bible College. Transfer recommendations will be followed as contained in the manual published by the American Council on Education.
12. Are there maximum amounts of credit CBC will grant for nontraditional methods?
There is a 30-hour maximum on nontraditional credit, which includes online and distance-education courses taken at other institutions, credit for military training, credit for life experience, and credit by examination, including CLEP and AP.
13. Will I be considered to be a full-time student?
Federal guidelines define full-time student status for undergraduates as completing 12 credits within a regular semester. CBC's program is designed so as to allow you to complete courses at that rate and so be able to claim full-time student status along with privileges and benefits for full-time students.
14. How much will the program cost me?
Tuition for a three-credit-hour course is $570. For the 16-course program, the current total cost will be around $10,000 which includes required fees.
15. How can I enroll?
Central Bible College is not currently admitting new students into the Degree Completion program for the 2012-2013 academic year. The next admission opportunity is tentatively scheduled for fall 2013.