• The University of Notre Dame is ranked #17 Best College in the United States by US News & World Report
• Founded in 1842 by Rev. Edward F. Sorin, C.S.C., of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
• Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, 90 miles from Chicago
• Very competitive admissions process
• Catholic University

 When most people think about Notre Dame, they think of one of the following:

• Excellent Academic Reputation
• A killer football team
• The Hunchback

Two out of the above three are correct. Hopefully you’ve guessed which two are actually affiliated with the school. The “Fightin’ Irish” definitely have great academics and athletics, which has helped build them a very strong reputation and each year, incoming freshman applicants have to face a very competitive admissions process (1 out of every 5 applications is accepted).

For more information about Notre Dame, visit their website: University of Notre Dame.

Academics

Students can enroll in one of the several schools within the University of Notre Dame. They include the School of Architecture, College of Arts and Letters, the Mendoza College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Science, The Law School, and The Graduate School. Notre Dame offers a wide variety of majors in engineering, business, liberal arts, law and science. Most of their programs are strictly “on-campus”, however there are a few online courses as well.

Athletics

The University of Notre Dame offers men’s and women’s athletics, in basketball, soccer, golf, lacrosse, swimming & diving, tennis, fencing, softball (women’s), baseball (men’s), football (men’s), track & field, and rowing (women’s). In a few words – something for everyone! Notre Dame is one of the “dream schools” for many student athletes because of their great winning history, as well as their passion for athletics in general. Very few schools have the popularity on a national scale that “The Fightin’ Irish” have, as evidenced by the school’s mascot on t-shirts, hats, and other paraphernalia in stores coast-to-coast.

Faith

On top of the great degree programs and sports, University of Notre Dame is a faith-based institution with campus ministry programs, an on-campus church, and a number of service-oriented programs for students.

For more information about Notre Dame, visit their website: University of Notre Dame.

• Villanova University is located in Radnor Township - right outside of  Philadelphia, PA
• The Augustinians have sponsored Villanova since 1842
• Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the AACSB International, and the Computing Science Accreditation Board
• Villanova University has been designated an arboretum with two, one mile self-guided walking tours on main campus

Villanova University is one of the top Higher Education institutions in the nation with more than a 150 year history. Villanova, a Roman Catholic institution, was founded by the Order of St. Augustine in 1842, and is the largest Catholic learning institution in the state of Pennsylvania.

Upon visiting Villanova, students will find a mix of old stone-front buildings, such as Alumni Hall (built in 1849) and Tolentine Hall (built in 1929) mixed with more modern architecture of the College of Engineering (built in 1997). The fact that Villanova has also been given the title of being an Arboretum, students enjoy beautiful scenery as they walk along campus paths between classes, to and from the dining halls, and upon leaving their dorm rooms to begin their day’s classes. If you are interested in learning more about Villanova, visit their website: Villanova University.

Villanova also offers more than 50 bachelor’s degrees and 35 graduate degrees from five colleges. Degree programs are offered in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Nursing and Law.

Villanova enrolls more than 10,000 students each year and is regionally accredited. Villanova’s top notch athletics include more than 20 NCAA Division I teams. A majority of Villanova’s faculty are experts in their field and hold the highest degree.

As for student life on & off-campus, there are a variety of faith-based organizations and service groups as well as Greek Life, theater groups, academic based clubs, and athletics. Villanova is also situated on “The Main Line”, which is home to several other neighboring colleges, and there are plenty of shopping and dining opportunities all within a short walk or drive. Villanova is also about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia, and there are several bus routes and a train station on campus that whisk students away to the City of Brotherly Love.

Villanova has a great deal to offer students academically, atheltically, and socially. If you are interested in learning more about Villanova, visit their website: Villanova University.

Ok, so I was a bit off the mark on that one. Marketplace Chaplaincy brings the role of the chaplain to today’s marketplace, ie, today’s corporations and organizations, and work sites. The life of a servant of God doesn’t just stay within the confines of the church any longer. Marketplace Chaplains visit work sites and companies, both large and small, to offer guidance, consolation, and help to the employees who seek it. They are there to discuss matters concerning workplace issues as well as personal. Get more information on Marketplace Chaplaincy here: MS in Marketplace Chaplaincy.

Liberty University’s degree in Marketplace Chaplaincy can be completed online, on-campus, or in a blended format combining both online and classroom learning. It is comprised of 36 credit hours, and is at an astonishingly low tuition rate of $260 per credit hour!

The degree in Marketplace Chaplaincy focuses on a few different methods of counseling as well as a focus on ministry. Some of the courses in this program include:

• introduction to chaplaincy ministry
• introduction to pastoral counseling
• multicultural issues in human services
• crisis counseling and grief counseling
• counseling practicum

While many Christian workers tend to seek careers within a church or through ministries abroad, there is a great need for that same message of God’s love to be conveyed within the modern workplace here in the United States. Marketplace Chaplaincy also includes serving in correctional facilities, hospitals, emergency response areas, and geriatric and senior homes.

Being able to a Masters degree in Marketplace Chaplaincy from home can help you achieve your goal of being able to serve God at a time that is most convenient for you. For current ministry professionals, this degree can help enrich your knowledge of counseling to be able to provide more assistance to others when they need it most.

For more information on the MS n Marketplace Chaplaincy degree program, click here: MS in Marketplace Chaplaincy

Fortunately Abilene Christian University has created a few accelerated online courses for graduate students in the fields of business and education. Want more information? Check out this link: Abilene Christian University Graduate Programs.

Currently, Abilene Christian University Graduate Programs consist of:

• Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation
• Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction
• Master of Education in Higher Education
• Master of Education in Leadership of Learning (Principalship)
• Master of Education in Special Education
• Master of Science in Organizational and Human Resource Development

These online programs can be completed in approximately 18-24 months and accomplished totally online. This allows working adults to study from their home, place of business, on the commute to work on a train or bus, or the local coffee shop – anywhere with a working internet connection and a computer. Abilene also has 6 start times per year, allowing students to enroll practically at any point. There’s no need to adhere to a traditional “semester” style college schedule.

Abilene Christian University Graduate Program students will receive a traditional diploma upon graduation, making no note of the format they used to complete the course. In other words, no where on the diploma will there be the word “online” or “internet”, as online degrees from legitimately accredited institutions like Abilene Christian University are worth just as much as on-campus degrees.

Abilene Christian University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. For additional information regarding how Abilene Christian University can help you achieve your graduate degree goals, click here: Abilene Christian University Graduate Programs.

What is Ethnomusicology you ask? It is the study of music in the context of culture. For students who are looking to pursue a career pertaining to music in the ministry, understanding ethnomusicology can help convey the Lord’s Message through culturally sensitive music, especially when travelling to ministries and on missions in other countries. To request more information on this very new degree program, click here.

The ability for musicians and church leaders to be able to communicate through music to other cultures can help break the language barriers that may stand in their way. It opens the doors of communication instead of closing them, and the entire degree program is tought by University Musicologists who already have a defined understanding of musical and cultural diversity.

The Masters program itself is offered in a on-campus and online, or “blended” format. 30 credits can be completed online, however 12 credits are required to be taken on-campus during a summer session. The curriculum consists of a biblical foundation, anthropology, and finally worship studies. Each section of this program is to help build a stronger faith leader increasing their knowledge in their own church and community, and then adding the ethnomusicology on top to expand that knowledge to other countries.

There are a great number of advantages to this program, mainly being able to spread the Word of God to other countries, and open up the lines of communication with those who may not be able to understand you through spoken language. Music is an international language and while there are variances to each culture’s music, they all follow the basic musical scale. The Masters in Ethnomusicology degree  ties together the Christian mission, international communication, and the love of music into one exciting, engaging, and informative program.

As of February 2010, Liberty University has 12,000 residential students and a record-setting 45,000 distance learning students who earn their education through Liberty University’s online programs. For information regarding Liberty’s variety of online programs, click here.

Because of Liberty’s large number of online degree programs, it’s easy to see why online enrollment has increased from 27,000 in May 2008 to 45,000 in less than two years. Because Liberty University’s student enrollment is growing exponentially, they are now the largest Christian University in the world.

Liberty University offers online degrees in all levels, from Associates degrees all the way to Doctorate degrees in 40 different areas of study with 90 specializations. Aspiring high school students can actually begin their college education early with “The Edge” dual enrollment online program. This program allows 11th and 12th grade students to begin to earn college credit before their high school graduation. For students looking to earn their degree faster than a typical 2 or 4 year degree program, Liberty offers 8-week courses, life experience credit, military credit, and degree-completion programs.

The cost of attending Liberty University, either online or on-campus is fairly reasonable and certainly competitive to other colleges. Financial aid is available, and the admissions office and office of Financial Aid are ready to help students through the entire admissions process and covering the cost of their education. Since Liberty has all of these options for students, it’s almost certain that their admission will continue to grow at such a rapid rate over the next few years.

If you are interested in learning more about how Abilene Christian University has been moving forward in the realm of technological learning and how you can participate in this exciting program, click here. Since 2007, ACU has been working with their recently formed Mobile Learning – Executive Team to introduce students to the ways they can learn and interact in their college courses incorporating the iPhone and iPod Touch into their arsenal of learning tools.

In February 2008, ACU announced that every freshman student entering ACU in the Fall 2008 Semester would receive an iPhone or iPod Touch to put their Mobile Learning Initiative into high gear. On August 16, 2008 Abilene Christian University activated a total of 612 iPod Touch and iPhones, claiming host to the world’s record of most iPhones and iPod Touch device activations in one location in a 24-hour period.

While many people are already aware of the advantages and features of these hand-held devices, such as playing Mp3s, taking photos, and of course the basic phone function, the ability to have a world of knowledge at your fingertips has been able to help students learn more in the classroom. Many students at ACU have enjoyed using their iPhone or iPod Touch to access informational websites like Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo and others simply to develop and engage themselves in classroom discussions. There have been times where students may not have known the answer to a question, and were able to get the answer they needed at the simple touch of a button without having to open a book, or wait until they can get to a library to search for their answers.

The overall goal of ACU’s Mobile Learning Initiative is to give students that extra instantaneous method of communication and research, while also introducing them to a more technological way of educating themselves in and out of the classroom.

• Founded in 1971, located in Lynchburg, Virginia
• Regionally accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and
      Schools; member of the Association of Christian Schools International
• Liberty University is a coeducational, private, undergraduate and graduate religious institution
• Additional accreditations for various programs, approved by accrediting and licensing bodies for specific
      disciplines
• Offers 32 graduate programs and 55 undergraduate

     Among its accomplishments is the fact that Liberty University Online has a Career Center that offers internships in Washington DC.  It is one of the most affordable Christian colleges in America, ranking in the lowest 10% of all colleges and universities.  One of Liberty University Online professors, Dr. Troy Matthews, is ranked in Top 10 (#3) on RateMyProfessors.com.  In addition, Liberty University Online has 18 highly competitive NCAA Div. I athletic programs for men and women, including football

Liberty University Online maintains an unapologetic and unwavering Christian posture as the foundation of its educational platform. The late Dr. Jerry Falwell, LU’s founder, proclaimed there are 10 “distinctives” for Liberty University:

1. Uncompromising doctrinal statement based on the Bible, a Christian worldview, repudiation of “political
       correctness” – among other tenets of faith
2. Commitment to training visionary champions for Christ
3. Academic excellence in Christ-centered environment
4. Behavioral standards including prohibition of drug, alcohol, tobacco use; no coed dorms and no sexual
      promiscuity tolerated
5. Modest dress code, reasonable curfews, respect for authority
6. Required attendance at convocations and chapels 3x weekly
7. Action-oriented curriculum which includes internship opportunities
8. Tuition costs in the bottom 10% of all American private college and universities
9. Highly-qualified, non-tenured faculty of whom over 68% have terminal degrees
10. Eighteen highly competitive NCAA Div. I athletic programs for men and women

     Why not click here and get more information about Liberty University Online?

     With over 20 years of distance education experience and over 50,000 online students, Liberty University Online is ranked third in the nation for online education.  If that isn’t impressive enough, Liberty University  Online offers 10 more reasons to complete your studies, including the following features:

1. Flexibility
2. Affordability
3. Christian foundation
4. Experience
5. Programs
6. Support
7. Faculty (same professionals who teach on campus)
8. Ground campus (online programs based on established university)
9. Ethics
10. Accreditation

     Is Liberty University Online for you?  Why not check out all the details about Liberty University Online to help make your decision?!

Liberty University Online Degree Programs

Liberty University Online offers the following degree programs:

Undergraduate Degrees

• Associate of Arts in Accounting
• Associate of Arts in Business
• Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice
• Associate of Arts in General Studies
• Associate of Arts in Management Information Systems
• Associate of Arts in Psychology
• Associate of Arts in Religion
• Bachelor of Science in Accounting
• Bachelor of Science in Business
• Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
• Bachelor of Science in Education
• Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems
• Bachelor of Science Nursing (RN to BSN)
• Bachelor of Science in Psychology
• Bachelor of Science in Religion
• Certificate at Wilmington School of Bible
• Minor in Management Information Systems

Graduate Degrees

• Master of Arts in Human Services
• Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy
• Master of Arts in Professional Counseling
• Master of Arts in Christian Leadership
• Master of Arts in Discipleship Ministries
• Master of Arts in Evangelism & Church Planting
• Master of Arts in Marketplace Chaplaincy
• Master of Arts Pastoral Counseling
• Master of Arts in Theological Studies
• Master of Arts in Worship Studies
• Master of Arts in Worship Studies – Ethnomusicology
• Master of Arts in Religion (MAR)
• Master of Divinity (MDiv)
• Master of Religious Education (MRE)
• Master of Religious Education – Chaplaincy
• Master of Sacred Theology
• Master of Science in Accounting (MSA)
• Master of Science in Management (MSM)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Arts in Teaching
• Master of Education (MEd)
• Educational Specialist
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling (PhD)
• Doctor of Education (EdD)
• Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
• Doctor of Theology & Apologetics (PhD)

     Note that some of the graduate programs do have residency requirements, so be sure to check the stipulations for your program of interest.

Tuition and Financial Aid

     Liberty University Online has a tuition rate that is in the bottom 10% of all private colleges and universities in America, making a quality Christian education truly affordable.  The approximate annual undergraduate resident cost is $21,200, which includes tuition, mandatory fees, and housing.  To assist even further with making your college education possible, Liberty University Online also offers a variety of financial aid options, including scholarships, work-study programs, payment plans, and federal student loans.

Would you like more information?

     If Liberty University Online sounds like a match for you, and you would like more extensive details about the various online degree programs offered, start here: Get the Facts about Liberty University Online