- Why is bringing the LCU program to your community a good idea?
- Starting a local campus of Life Christian University offers many benefits. Here are a few:
- Becoming a local campus enhances the profile of your church or ministry by offering your community higher education that they may not otherwise have available to them.
- Campus Pastors, Directors and instructors can continue progress toward their personal educational goals through credits earned by teaching.
- Campus Pastors, Directors and instructors have an opportunity to teach and train Christian leaders, thus fulfilling another part of the Great Commission.
- Becoming a local campus allows you to be a part of an established, accredited university with a world vision. We've done all the startup work — now you can get down to the business of providing a quality education for a reasonable cost.
- LCU has established programs with supporting documentation such as syllabi, outlines, tests and answer keys. The textbooks for all courses have been selected. All you need to provide is a qualified, anointed teacher. This ensures that your students benefit from a high-quality, established program.
- With the Main Campus providing administrative support for only a portion of the tuition received, the local campuses are able to generate additional ministry income.
- When should we start?
- Because of the way the courses and programs are structured, you can start your local campus and begin a program at any time. A fall startup matches most academic school years, but many campuses have found a January startup, corresponding with the calendar year, equally effective. The Main Campus can support either schedule.
- How do we get started?
- Simply complete the Campus Application package and make a $250 payment by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) or a check made payable to Life Christian University. Send the Minister's Recommendation Forms to two fellow ministers, who will forward them to us.Once you are accepted, we will send you a basic start-up package that will include the following items:
- A letter of acceptance as an official campus of LCU
- An official campus wall certificate
- The Campus Director's Handbook which is updated periodically
- The LCU Student Handbook & Course Catalog
- The Faculty Handbook
- A link to download all syllabi, outlines, recordings on MP3s, final tests and appropriate answer keys for all courses offered in Program #1.
- Samples of promotional material
- What is included in the Campus Director's Handbook?
- It includes the following:
- General administrative procedures
- Detailed financial information
- Copies all forms you will be using to communicate with the Main Campus
- An instructional DVD
- How do we advertise?
- Most local campuses begin with a student body comprised of their own church members. Start advertising in your own church through your church bulletin and pulpit announcements.Promotional brochures and flyers can be downloaded from the LCU Online™ website.You may also advertise in all your local and regional print media as well as on radio and television.If you are involved in a ministerial fellowship, be sure to let the other pastors know that you are starting a Christian university. Often they will be interested in continuing their own education. Ask if they are open to letting you advertise within their congregation.
- How much time should we allow between advertising and startup?
- We recommend allowing at least 2 months after receiving LCU approval and the Campus Start-Up Package. This gives students time to plan financially and time for the local campus to develop the program, advertise, recruit instructors, order books, and process student applications.
- How do we enroll students?
- Have each student fill out an LCU Student Application. They can do this either online or on a paper form. Students will need:
- Proof of high school graduation or GED (if they are entering a degree program)
- The $50 application fee
NOTE: These procedures are explained in complete detail in the Campus Director's Handbook.
- How many courses must we offer in an academic year?
- Local campuses must commit to offer at least 10 courses per academic year, one at a time.Rather than have a student carry a course load of 5 different subjects through the whole semester, students get to concentrate on one 4-week course at a time.This allows your campus to increase student enrollment throughout the year, as students can enroll at the beginning of any new course, not just at the beginning of the semester.
- What are the course requirements?
- Each 3-credit-hour course meets for 3 clock-hours once per week. Over a period of 4 weeks, the required 12 clock-hours of class time is accumulated. You should allow for at least two 10-minute breaks during each 3-hour class session.
Most campuses meet at night to accommodate student work schedules, however some campuses have also added day classes. - What program of study should we offer first?
- All students should be enrolled in our initial 30-credit-hour program called Program #1. This program of courses is designed to solidly establish each student in certain foundational Bible truths. If you had an individual student for only a single year, you would want the assurance that he or she received a foundation on which they could build a solid Christian life (see our Undergraduate Programs page for details on Program 1). LCU provides syllabi, outlines, recordings on MP3s, final tests and appropriate answer keys for all these courses.
- What is required of the student for each course?
- In addition to the class time, undergraduate students are required to:
- Read approximately 150-200 pages of written, published material from their texts.
- Either pass a written exam or write a 6-page paper.
In addition to the class time, graduate students must:
- Read approximately 300-400 pages of written, published material.
- Write a 6-page formal paper for each class. (If a paper is required for undergraduates on the course syllabus, then a 12-page paper is required for graduate students.)
NOTE: The important issue is to accurately assess student learning.
- What is a ministry practicum?
- A ministry practicum is simply volunteer ministry in any area of church work during the 10-month duration of the program. Ministry Practicum is recommend but not required. See our Ministry Practicum page.
- What is your accreditation and what does this mean for our students?
- Please see our Accreditation page.
- How do I earn my advanced degree(s) while hosting a local campus?
- By simply teaching courses, you (and your staff) can earn credits toward advanced degrees. The study and preparation in teaching undergraduate courses is commensurate to graduate-level course work and will meet the course requirements, even through the doctoral level.NOTE: a doctoral dissertation is also required at that level.)
- What support is provided by the Main Campus?
- Main Campus provides each extension campus with:
- A Campus Director's Handbook (with periodic updates)
- Course syllabi, outlines, recordings on MP3s, tests and appropriate answer keys for all programs
- An academic assessment of each student upon receipt of the student's file and transcripts
- A listing in the Campus Locator page here on the LCU web site that will contain a link to your church website.
Main Campus also:
- Maintains a master file on each student
- Sends one official transcript and a degree/diploma certificate to each student at the completion of each degree program
- Releases official student transcripts to other educational institutions
- Orders on your behalf graduation caps, gowns, and hoods for your graduation ceremony (This is optional and is paid for by collecting gown fees from students.)
- Upon request, provides a speaker for your graduation exercise (expenses paid by the extension campus)
- What are the administrative duties of a Campus Director?
- The Campus Director is responsible for:
- Checking their LCU email account regularly to ensure prompt communication with the Main Campus
- Recruiting students
- Collecting applications and all associated paperwork
- Collecting fees and tuition
- Recruiting instructors
- Ordering all textbooks
- Ensuring that all class sessions are recorded and provided to students who were absent
NOTE: Complete details are found your Campus Director’s Handbook.
- Who would be a qualified instructor?
- Instructors must have a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree or be in there senior year in a ministerial or theological discipline (transfer credits for liberal arts programs are awarded at 50%). In the case of certain Bible institute graduates (for example: Rhema Bible Training Center), you may teach for course credit for the final year of your Bachelor's Degree.
- What are some instructor duties?
- The instructor's responsibility is to:
- Read the entire course text and listen to the recordings on MP3s from the Main Campus before teaching each course
- Verify that course materials (syllabus, outline, and test) are current and ready to hand out to students
- Teach all classes
- Grade all tests and research papers
- Take attendance and record grades
- Assist in making audio recordings of all classes
- Can a campus start without qualified instructors?
- Using our DVD courses, local campuses may now be opened in churches which lack academically qualified faculty by showing the courses taught at the Main Campus. Potential instructors attend classes with the students while working on their own degrees. As soon as faculty members meet LCU's academic requirements, they may begin teaching the courses "live."
- How do we order books?
- The Main Campus provides a list of wholesale book distributors who stock the required textbooks. Each local campus orders books directly from the appropriate distributor. Most qualified churches have already established accounts with some distributors, but if you have not, it is quite simple to open most accounts.
- How much does each student have to pay?
- How much a student pays depends his or her level of study. See our Tuition page for details.
- How are the tuition and other fees distributed between local campuses and Main Campus?
- Many educational programs operate on a 50%–50% division of the tuition proceeds. Life Christian University has determined to tithe to all its local campuses and operates on a 60%–40% division of tuition with the local campuses retaining the larger portion. All other miscellaneous fees (application, change-of-grade, etc.) cover the costs of administration and are paid 100% to the LCU Main Campus.
- What qualifications must be met to start a local campus with LCU?
- In order to operate as a local campus of Life Christian University, you are required to meet the following standards:
- If located in the U.S., you must be a 501(c)3 tax exempt church.
- Your church must have adequate space to house the university classes.
- Your Campus Director must be certified by Life Christian University.
- All faculty must be qualified by Life Christian University (unless you are using our DVD program).
- Either the Host Pastor or Campus Director must be able to be contacted by phone during Life Christian University's hours of operation.
- Your Campus Director must have access to the Internet.
- What government requirements must be met to start a local campus of a degree granting university?
- These vary from state to state. You will be contacted by Main Campus with information concerning any limitations unique to your state.