Evangel has earned an excellent reputation as a Christian learning-centered community of faith, which confers baccalaureate and master's degrees. Evangel is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, and the Commission on Accreditation-Council on Social Work Education. The Missouri State Department of Education recognizes Evangel graduates who have completed the teacher education program by issuing teaching certificates. Further, Evangel is approved for study for foreign students and is listed in the directory of the U.S. Office of Education. The University has also been approved as an accredited university for four years of veterans' training under Public Laws 550 and 634.
Your degree will be equivalent to the degree granted to students in the day program, carrying with it the prestige of a fully accredited university.
Upon acceptance into the program, you will be assigned to a cohort, or group of approximately 20 adult working professionals, all of whom are completing degrees. The cohort will progress through the core courses together, meeting four hours a week for class for approximately 22 months. Cohorts frequently form work and study groups as members learn from and support one another during their college experience.
The accelerated nature of the program requires cohort members to commit to approximately 10-15 hours a week of reading, studying, research, and writing. In-class lecturing is kept to a minimum as learners interact with one another discussing assigned readings and application of text theories to their respective work environments.
A significant component of the degree completion program is the applied research project completed by all learners. The research project, introduced during the initial research course, guides learners through the identification, research, and proposed solution to a work-related problem. A project advisor will be assigned to each learner. Advisors assist learners in selecting a problem, directing research, and writing the thesis. Learners will present their projects orally during one of the final nights of class.
Additionally, weekly assignments are structured to enable learners to apply text theory to their specific work situations. For example, when you study the roles and responsibilities of managers, one assignment may be to identify two managers in your workplace and analyze which roles and responsibilities they fill. The Communications and Human Services areas will tailor assignments towards those particular environments. Unlike traditional students, who are unable to draw from years of significant work and life experience, you have a background in your field upon which to build your learning. Thus, there is the opportunity for applied, work-related assignments.
Traditionally, college-level learning was recognized only when both input and output were controlled by the instructor. In reality, we all can and do learn throughout our lives in a variety of ways. Much of our learning occurs in uncontrolled environments, with no formal instructor. Earning traditional college credits requires studying and memorizing theory—earning credit for experiential learning requires demonstrating or documenting application of theory through life experience.
Adult students account for over 70% of part-time enrollments and 34% of students enrolled full-time in United States undergraduate programs. As progressive institutions have recognized the validity of experiential learning, over 1000 of them have begun to offer credit for life experience. Evangel is such an institution. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has established stringent standards, principles, and procedures for awarding credit for prior learning experience that are recognized throughout higher education. Evangel uses those guidelines to award credit.
Methods of Evaluating Prior Learning
Potential Sources Of Experiential Learning
Credit for Completion of Evaluated Programs.
Credit for professional, military, technical, or vocational training
will be awarded according to the recommendations of the American Council
on Education (ACE).
Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction
(PONSI)
Credit for documented completion of corporate, union, or government
training programs will be awarded based upon recommendations found in
the Guide for the Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction.
Military Training
Credit will be awarded for documented military training as listed in
A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.
Military credit will include formal service school courses, correspondence
courses with proctored end-of-the-course examinations, Department of
Defense (DOD) courses, Army military occupation specialties and Navy
general rates and ratings.
Professional Licenses and Certifications
Credit will be awarded for documented professional licensure and certification
as recommended in The National Guide to Educational Credit for Training
Programs.
Portfolio-Assisted Assessment
When learning is acquired over a period of time and involves numerous
experiences that no single certification or assessment can measure,
portfolio-assisted assessments can be used to document this learning.
Portfolio requirements and preparation instructions will be explained
by the academic advisor. You may earn up to 22 credits through the portfolio
assessment procedure. The cost for portfolio credit is $50 per portfolio,
and the amount of credit for a portfolio is determined by the course's
credit hours. In other words, you receive 3 credit hours for a portfolio
prepared for a 3-credit-hour class. A copy of portfolio preparation
guidelines may be obtained from the Degree Completion office.
Yes, we review all previous credits, regardless of the time period. You will receive an evaluation transcript that shows credits accepted from other institutions and applied toward your degree at Evangel.
Evangel makes no guarantee that any credit awarded, whether traditional or experiential, will be accepted in transfer to another institution.Some institutions have policies or agreements whereby they accept transcripted credits for experiential learning from institutions without question. Such agreements are frequently found within a university system or geographic region. All credit for experiential learning earned at Evangel will apply to graduation requirements at Evangel University.
Federal guidelines define a full-time student as one who completes a minimum of 12 semester credits within a 20-week period. Evangel's Degree Completion Program is designed within those perimeters, enabling you to claim the full-time student status and the services and privileges allowed full-time students.
The unique design of the Degree Completion program enables you to complete your degree in less than 2 years without leaving your current full-time job. As of Jan. 2005, tuition is affordably priced at $160 per credit hour. That translates into $1920 per term. Along with fees for experiential learning and student services, the total degree completion cost is approximately $8500.
You may print out an application. You may also request an application or further information on-line by emailing us or phone 417-865-2815 ext 7228. If you are emailing us, please include your address and note what program you are interested in (Business, Communication, Human Services, Associate of Arts, or undecided).
All of our classes meet on the Evangel University campus in our Academic Building. Classes meet various nights from 6-10 p.m.; each cohort meets on a particular night of the week. Your night will be assigned when you are accepted into the program. To keep with the University's goal of personalized, individualized education, Evangel University does not offer any distance or internet courses.