Online Associate’s Degree Programs Offered by the Christian Leadership University
Christian Leadership University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Affordable Associate’s in Entrepreneurship Online.
All the online associate’s degree programs offered by the Christian Leadership University include two components. The first is the online work that students do in their classes. They also do practicums that help them put their knowledge into practice. The university can help students find places to work in any state or country. Online courses follow a 12-week format that allows students to take classes during three or four terms each year.
One available online program is an Associate of Youth Ministry (ACM). Designed for those who feel called to help children and young adults, it features classes that help students teach parishioners and get them involved in the church. Classes include Becoming a Youth Specialist, Your Theology of Youth Ministry, New Trends in Management and Bible Research Methods. Students learn how to develop a philosophy regarding ministry and how they want to teach and preach. Some of the same courses are available in the university’s Associate of Theology and Associate of Worship Ministry programs.
Many churches have counselors on-site who help parishioners deal with problems ranging from grief after a loved one passes away to infidelity within a marriage. Students can get some of the training needed to work in those positions through the university’s online Associate of Christian Counseling (ACC). They’ll complete a life experience portfolio that shows the classes they took and experience they have to apply for open positions. Parenting for Success, Gifted to Succeed, Fulfill Your Financial Destiny and Prayers That Heal the Heart are some of the classes that students take in the ACC program.
At the Christian Leadership University, students can choose from nine other online associate’s degree programs too. Each one offers practicum work and courses that students can transfer to one of the university’s bachelor’s programs later. They can pick from majors such as Biblical Studies to focus on the Bible, Christian Leadership if they want to work as leaders and Christian Entrepreneurship to start a Christian business.
About the Christian Leadership University
The Christian Leadership University is a private university based out of New York that offers online programs that students can complete while living in the United States or abroad. Established in 1998, it is affiliated with the Christian Church. Students take classes based on the revelations from the Bible and use the philosophy of the Bible all their courses. The university encourages students to move at a pace that works best for them. This allows students to take one class at a time or sign up for multiple classes and to enroll in one or more terms each year.
Also known as CLU, the university takes an approach to education that asks students to use their skills in the real world. It encourages students to talk about their life experiences in their online courses and to discuss the problems they face with both their professors and peers. The practicums that students do allow them to do mission work across the country and outside of the US. Many of the students who attend CLU come from home school programs, though some students have high school diplomas or college degrees. It offers graduate, doctoral, associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs all online.
Christian Leadership University Accreditation Details
CLU has accreditation from Christian Assembly International (CAI) and is certified by a religious organization called the Apostolic Council for Educational Accountability (ACEA). As it lacks accreditation approved by the United States Department of Education, students cannot get the same financial aid that they would get from other schools. This limits their access to student loans and other government programs. CLU has discounts that reduce the cost that students owe though.
Christian Leadership University Application Requirements
It takes only three business days or less for the university to make a final decision once it receives a student’s application. Students can either apply online or submit a downloaded copy of the application form that they complete. The online application consists of nine sections, including one that asks for personal information from a student, including a full name, home address and current employer if the applicant has one. Once they finish the first section, the application will save their progress and let them set up an account to apply later. It takes most students between 30 and 60 minutes to finish each step in the application. A fee of $100 is due when students reach the end.
CLU then asks students to download a copy of the Student Release Form. They need to read the form and then sign and date it at the bottom before sending it back to the university. This form states that students understand that taking online classes will not guarantee that they will find a job later and that they will pay for all the costs they owe. CLU has Bible quizzes online that students need to take, which gives it an idea of the beliefs and positions that the student holds. They will also need to take a class called Communion with God before they can take any other classes. The university allows students to enroll as soon as they get in a decision letter.
Tuition and Financial Aid
At CLU, students pay $10 per course when they register for classes and $100 per credit hour, which comes to $300 for most of the classes they take. The university charges a $45 per credit hour rate for the practicums that students do. This brings the cost of each practicum to $135. Students also pay up to $100 for the supplies and books that they need in each class.
To bring down its costs, the university offers life experience credits. Students need to show the university proof that they have practical experience through jobs and volunteer positions they held or through programs they did in the past. CLU charges a $10 per credit hour evaluation fee for life experience credits. This can bring the cost of earning an online associate’s degree down to $4,200 or less. When two students from the same family enroll in the university, they will each receive a 25 percent discount. A special scholarship goes to military students to reduce their costs too. The online associate’s degree students attending the Christian Leadership University can use external scholarships and alternative loans also.
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