The online Christian Ministry degree can be completed in 36 months. Students will participate in a dynamic online learning community (cohort) consisting of 12-15 students. Students will take elective General Education courses through NNU’s online College Core program.  Major courses will be seven weeks in length and offered through NNU’s course management software. Students will complete the degree entirely through the online cohort format and cannot take similar courses from the traditional undergraduate program to fulfill program requirements. Students will take up to 16-17 credits each semester which include both general education and courses in the major to complete the degree in 36 months. A new learning community (cohort) will begin annually.

Program Outcomes

As a result of this program, students will:

• Develop a theology of the Church and gain skills in Christian Ministry.
• Acquire the theological and philosophical foundations for Christian doctrine.
• Gain hermeneutical skills in properly interpreting the Scriptures from a Wesleyan-Holiness perspective.
• Develop a Christian worldview to engage in God’s redemptive work in the world
• Develop leadership skills for ministry in the local church.
• Prepare students for entrance into seminary or graduate programs in religion.

University Outcomes

• Christlike Character: NNU students will grow toward Christlike-ness: demonstrating ethical behavior, loving and respecting others, offering grace as they have received it, building up the community of Christ, and representing Christ to the world.
• Academic Excellence: NNU students will demonstrate understanding and appreciation of the liberal arts, expertise in a major field of study, and professional growth.  Throughout their lives they will endeavor to reach their potential and be transformed by their pursuit of knowledge about God and creation.  
•  Creative Engagement: NNU students will apply their natural gifts and acquired knowledge to respond creatively to life: producing original works of art, new synthesis of knowledge, novel expression of ideas, and inspired solutions to problems in the home, the workplace, the church, and the greater community.
• Social Responsiveness: NNU students will be faithful stewards of their knowledge, skills, and resources, and be agents of social justice and divine mercy.  Compassionately they will show love for people of all faiths and cultures, and identify with and advocate for those in need—locally and globally.

Suggested practices for both students and professors are found below, outlining NNU's ideal expectations for effective online learning:

Student Expectations

• Students are expected to log on and respond to posts five out of seven days each week. This attendance requirement is critical for group participation and learning as colleagues in community.
• Students should spend the same amount of time on an online course as they do for an on-campus course.
• Students are expected to complete all assignments on the due dates provided by professor, no later than 12:00 midnight (Mountain Time).
• NNU's online environment encourages collaborative and community learning. Competition is discouraged since all students are expected to be working toward the same goals in a learning community.
• Students are expected to submit strong academic work that reflects graduate level education. Discussion Group posts should be well-formed with accurate grammar and spelling.
• Since the online class is only five or seven weeks long, each one is considered an intensive course. As a result, it is critical that students not fall behind in the learning process. If extraordinary circumstances arise, exceptions can be made for the student to make up work, but only if arranged in advance with the professor.
• Students can expect approximately 20-25 hours per course work each week.
• Students are to use accurate, respectful language in all writing assignments.  

Faculty Expectations

• Faculty members are expected to log in to ANGEL to check posts daily. It is recommended that professors do this more than once each day, although Sundays can be set aside as “non-working” days. It is crucial that online faculty members maintain their presence online throughout each course.
• Professors are expected to respond to student questions within a 24-hour period. While there may be times when professors need to be away for a day, it is essential that online faculty members communicate this to all students, since they are expected to reciprocate and will expect timely responses from their professors.
• Online courses should accomplish the same learning outcomes as on-campus courses.
• Course assignments should be supported by web-based assignments and information available via the Internet.
• Course assignments should include the use of the NNU's online library resources.
• Assignments need to be graded in a timely manner, typically within a week of their due dates. Since the online class is intensive, timely feedback on assignments is imperative.
• The role of online faculty members is to be a facilitator of learning, not someone who only provides transmissive education.
• Faculty members need to demonstrate flexibility, openness, diversity, concern, and sincerity in all online interactions. It is very important that professors create an ecology of learning that is supportive and respectful of each student.

The following requirements are condensed from the NNU Undergraduate Catalog.  For more information, please visit the Catalog.

To qualify for a bachelor's degree at NNU, the student must satisfy the eleven (11) requirements described below. Faculty and staff members at the university advise students concerning progress toward graduation. However, the student is responsible for meeting all graduation requirements.

1. TOTAL CREDITS. The student must complete a minimum of 124 semester credits.
2. UPPER-DIVISION CREDITS. The student must complete at least 43 semester credits in courses numbered above 2990.
3. COMPETENCY IN COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE. All students must demonstrate competency in communication and language skills in the English language.
4. QUALITY OF GRADES. Either grades must average C (2.000) or better; or all grades C (2.000) or better must be earned in 124 semester credits which meet the basic skills, general, and major requirements. A grade of C- (1.700) or better must be earned in all courses which apply toward the Major.  All Christian Ministry Online majors must have a 2.5 or higher GPA.
5. RESIDENCE. Each student must spend a minimum of one year, full-time standing, in residence. If only one year is spent at NNU, it must be the senior year and must include a minimum of 8 semester credits in the major.
6. GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. The student must complete the standard program of General Education as described in the Undergraduate Catalog.
7. MAJOR FIELD OF STUDY. In addition to the various areas of scholarship represented in the general education group requirements, a baccalaureate degree requires a more detailed acquaintance with the advanced materials and methods of a particular field. In this field of concentration the student is expected to attain an elementary degree of mastery and a background for further reading and study, formal or informal. In many cases this major study has professional or vocational value.
8. MATH PROFICIENCY. A student with an ACT mathematics score of less than 21 or an SAT mathematics score of less than 550 is required to take the COMPASS placement test. The student must achieve a level of proficiency in mathematics as measured by the COMPASS Mathematics Exam which indicates the student has reached a COMPASS score equivalent to 21 on the ACT. This should be completed by the end of the second year of residence.
9. COMPREHENSIVE EXAM. The Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) is an assessment of student knowledge taken during the senior year. The CAAP test scores are compared to the freshman ACT scores.  This comparative study, organized by and administered under the direction of the American College Testing Program, is aimed at assisting colleges and universities in efforts to improve general education and helping students to persist to graduation with the knowledge and skills important to functioning effectively in society.
10. APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION. Candidates for a degree must submit an application and have the application approved by the administrator(s) of the program. The application should be placed on file with the registrar the beginning of the semester prior to the semester in which the student plans to graduate.
11. FAVORABLE VOTE OF FACULTY. The names of students nearing completion of their programs will be presented to the faculty of the university for review. A favorable two-thirds vote of the faculty is required before an NNU degree is granted.

A Computer & Broadband Connection

Students will need a computer, preferably with broadband access to access course materials. NNU recommends that a minimum computer configuration of a Pentium-III 500 MHz with 64 MB of RAM, a 256-color display card with 8Mb Ram, a 56K modem, and Windows 2000, XP, or Vista.

While this minimum configuration will enable students to participate in online courses, faster computers, increased computer memory capacity, and faster Internet connections are optimal. It is preferable for students to use a Pentium III 500 MHz computer with at least 128 MB of RAM.

An Internet Service Provider

NNU's online courses require students to connect regularly to the Internet to view course content, email, and to download materials provided. In order to connect to the Internet students must have an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Fortunately, many options are available to most people today, with a wide variety of costs -- including some with free access. Students must ensure that their ISP will permit them to access NNU's system without filtering our sites or our online discussion group server. Our experience has found AOL to be among the least reliable ISPs for accessing our systems. If possible, NNU strongly recommends that students invest in a broadband connection or a cable modem during the span of their online studies.

An Internet Browser

In order to navigate the Internet, students will need an Internet browser. NNU recommends Mozilla Firefox.

• Please note that Java Scripting, Active X, and Cookies must be enabled
• For Windows users, the following are recommended:
  • Firefox 3.0.X
  • Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
  • Please note that Safari is not supported
• For Mac users, the following are recommended:
  • Firefox 3.0.X
  • Internet Explorer 5.2 only
  • Safari 1.0 only on OS 10.2, 1.1 or above on OS 10.3
  • Java plugin 1.4.1 or above

Email

While most course communication is done within ANGEL, NNU's online course management platform, additional communication is done through email. While students likely have other email accounts, they are assigned an NNU email account, which they are expected to check on a daily basis for communication with other students, professors, or other campus sectors. 

Microsoft Word & PowerPoint

In order to read files that are frequently included in courses, students will need to view some documents created with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Often, these products are pre-installed when computers are purchased. Students who do not desire to use Word or PowerPoint can download free viewer programs for each application below:

• Viewer for Microsoft Word (.doc extension)
• Viewer for Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt extension)

Educational Discounts are available through NNU's campus bookstore for Microsoft Office Suite, which includes Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Students are encouraged to seek out other competitively priced software from other vendors. to take advantage of educational discounts, students must be fully accepted, have an NNU identification number, and identification card. These are provided by NNU's Graduate Theological Online Education office.

A Word Processor Program

Students will be creating various assignments for online courses that will require a word processor. Given that all of our faculty use Microsoft Word, students are strongly encouraged to use it as well.Students using any other program such as Works or WordPerfect must save their files as Word 2003 (.doc) files before uploading them in Blackboard.

Adobe Acrobat Reader

In order to shorten the download time of some larger files, professors frequently provide some documents in PDF format. These files can only be read by using Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free by clicking here.

Anti-Virus Software

It is essential that students protect themselves and their colleagues from the potential damage that can be done from a computer virus. NNU requires that all online students use anti-virus software regularly while taking classes. NNU recommends that students use either Norton Anti-Virus or MacAfee Anti-Virus software and that students regularly download updated virus lists to keep their system safe from malicious, potentially damaging viruses.