The Bible continually challenges Christians to do everything they do as a gift to God. Therefore, Abilene Christian University requires every student enrolled in their online graduate degree programs to perform all tasks with excellence. This commitment to excellence is ACU’s graduate degree program’s learning covenant.
Students enrolled in graduate online degree programs at ACU commit to go beyond the minimum requirements of their assignments to stretch their minds by reading, questioning, exploring, and committing to learn and complete all assignments with rigor as part of the learning covenant. They will not limit themselves to just complete classroom assignments, but they will go beyond the assigned work to explore the topics of learning. Students in the online degree programs at ACU agree to take responsibility for their work at ACU. They agree to make ethical academic decisions and pursue ethical life directions, with the support of the many Christian mentors, advisors, and friends that will work with them while at this online Christian university, ACU. The students agree to make good personal choices in their lives during online degree courses and after earning their online graduate degree.
Not only will students commit to grow intellectually, but they also will commit to grow spiritually as they study in a Christian atmosphere in their online graduate degree programs. As expected of all Christians, students at the online Texas Christian University will demonstrate respect for themselves and others in all speech, online discussions, and actions in their online degree program. They will work well with all cultures and races, and enjoy the blessings of diverse traditions, beliefs, and backgrounds that they will encounter in their online graduate degree experience at ACU. Part of the spiritual growth to which students commit themselves will come as a result of their commitment to love and honor God and Christ. Students in the online graduate degree programs commit to study the Bible, and to practice the actions that God commands in His Word. Additionally, students will seriously pursue opportunities to grow as a Christian servant leader, as they grow in their desire to follow in the footsteps of Christ.
Students who live out the learning covenant at ACU will find that they will gain skills that will enable them to be lifelong learners and committed leaders. The servant leader model of leadership is based on the foundation of putting others’ needs before one’s own. A servant leader will not ask followers and stakeholders to perform tasks that the servant leader is unwilling to perform himself. A servant leader leads by portraying the lifestyle that he desires for his followers. He/She is the role model for sacrifice for others’ benefit.
A student in an online graduate degree program at ACU will never be satisfied with mediocre work and performance in and out of the classroom. The learning covenant requires much more. To assist the student in excellent work, the faculty at ACU has committed to stretch the minds of their students as they serve them as Christian scholars and professionals. They also will integrate faith into their online graduate degree coursework requirements and instruction with boldness. The faculty covenant to be servant leaders serving with honor and integrity as they lead students to maturity in their faith and all aspects of their lives. Their primary personal goal of developing a personal relationship with Christ that grows to love God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love students and others they encounter as themselves. They reflect their commitment to servant leadership in their creation of a learning environment where respect for each other is foremost in all activities.
Outcomes of students maintaining their learning covenant commitments are recognized by others as superior professionals upon earning their online graduate degrees. Supervisors, potential employers, and coworkers recognize their strong communication skills, quantitative abilities, and information skills at work in a range of settings, career fields, and environments. Students in a variety of online graduate degree programs at ACU will receive intensive hands-on experience in a variety of discipline applications. They will have a superior understanding of the natural, socio-cultural, aesthetic, and religious realms as demonstrated through their online degree program studies, studies that build conceptual knowledge by engaging learners in concepts and modes of inquiry that are basic to the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, and Christian faith. Part of the online graduate degree coursework at ACU is the development of intercultural knowledge, integrative thinking, and collaborative problem-solving skills, demonstrated in a variety of collaborative contexts, including classroom, community-based experiences, international opportunities, and online coursework that prepare students both for democratic citizenship and for work.
Students completing their online degree programs at ACU will develop a proactive sense of responsibility for individual, civic, and social choices. They will also be involved in advanced research and creative projects where students learn to take the responsibility for asking questions, developing hypotheses, carrying out analyses, and writing about their findings. Students will choose specific specializations and areas of interest that they will pursue independently in their studies. Many students who graduate from online degree programs at ACU have participated in many service projects, and many have become leaders in their own church congregations. As graduate online degree program students at ACU, students will work with people from various cultures, geographic locations within and outside the US, all economic levels, and many age groups, as students learn best when they interact with interesting people who bring different perspectives to their online graduate degree coursework.
Students enrolled in the online degree master’s programs at ACU will find that they can continue their education at the online Christian university as they have other terminal degrees as well as the master’s programs. ACU offers a specialist degree in school psychology, and ACU offers three doctoral programs as well. They offer doctoral degree in theology, in education, and in nursing practice. ACU is a unique community of learners, dedicated to scholarship and committed to Christ. One of the goals of the online graduate degree programs at ACU is to foster a lifelong love of learning in graduates. ACU is one of few in the nation to be named an Apple Distinguished School, thanks to its award-winning initiative that helps ensure that cutting edge technology is an integral part of each student’s education. For six of the previous seven years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked ACU first or second among “Up-and-Coming-Universities” in the West. For 2016, ACU is No. 2 on the newest U.S. News list of “Most Innovative Schools” in the West. Forbes ranks ACU in the top 10 percent of U.S. colleges and universities, and the university is named among the “Best Colleges for Veterans” for the second year. Because of ACU’s strong sense of mission and outstanding academic programs, they attract the best faculty as instructors and mentors in student’s Christian growth and education.