2019-2020 Catalog 
    
    Oct 05, 2024  
2019-2020 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Residential Undergraduate Programs


Olivet designs and offers academic programs that support its general objectives, and that appear to meet important needs of its students and constituency. Undergraduate degrees available at Olivet include the following:

Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Offered for programs in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and sciences. Curricula leading to the BA typically promote broad preparation within the discipline and among related fields with emphasis on the liberal arts and sciences.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) - Offered for degree programs in the Art Department that prepare students for professional careers or advanced study.

Bachelor of Music (BMus) - Offered for music programs in which the orientation is toward advanced development of general musicianship allied with competence in an area of specialization. The standards follow those set forth by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Bachelor of Science (BS) - Offered for professional programs in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and sciences. BS programs typically promote focused preparation within a discipline and/or related disciplines. Programs often are designed to accommodate outside accrediting bodies and/or licensure requirements. The Department of Nursing, the Department of Social Work and Criminal Justice, and the Department of Engineering offer variations of this degree-the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), and the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE), respectively.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs

The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs  allow a student enrolled at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) an opportunity to complete the requirements for both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees at an accelerated pace.

Colleges and Schools

The residential undergraduate courses of study in the University are grouped in seven colleges/schools: College of Arts and Sciences, McGraw School of Business, School of Education, Martin D. Walker School of Engineering, School of Life and Health Sciences, School of Music, and School of Theology and Christian Ministry. See Residential Academic Departments  for an alphabetical list of all of the academic departments. In addition, the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies programs and courses are described in School of Graduate and Continuing Studies  and Course Descriptions-SGCS . Graduate programs offered through the School of Theology and Christian Ministry are listed within the SGCS sections of this catalog.

 

College of Arts and Sciences

Stephen Lowe, Ph.D., Dean

The College of Arts and Sciences represents Olivet Nazarene University’s ongoing commitment to the disciplines of study generally associated with a classic liberal arts approach to learning. Embedded in the college’s nine departments are academic programs of study in the humanities including literature , art , and history ; the natural sciences including chemistry and geosciences  and mathematics ; the behavioral sciences ; along with modern languages , communication , and political science .

The departments in the College of Arts and Sciences provide the majority of general education course offerings required of all Olivet undergraduate students. All arts and sciences courses in this core are designed to challenge students with a comprehensive education and Christian world view, as well as to sharpen one’s writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills.

McGraw School of Business

Glen Rewerts, J.D., Dean

The McGraw School of Business  at Olivet Nazarene University contributes to the University’s commitment to combine liberal arts with professional preparation by providing students with a foundational understanding of economic thought (thinking); enabling them to effectively pursue careers in various areas of business concentration; and developing their critical reasoning and analytical skills in order to serve as discerning stewards of God’s truth in various communities, whether family, church, enterprise, or nation.

Additionally, the McGraw School of Business seeks to establish ongoing relationships with professional business organizations to encourage students to seek professional certification in the related fields of study.

School of Education

Lance Kilpatrick, Ed.D., Dean

The major aim of the School of Education  is the preparation of students for effective teaching in preschool, elementary, and secondary schools and to provide in-service opportunities for practitioners to enhance their pedagogical skills. The School of Education is responsible for the coordination of all teacher education programs at the University, both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Teacher Education at Olivet Nazarene University makes use of the total educational resources of the University, is the concern of the entire faculty, and is under the direction of the faculty. Accordingly, Teacher Education is coordinated through designated officers, the Teacher Education Executive Committee, Teacher Education faculty and other policy-making bodies of the University. The Teacher Education Unit at Olivet Nazarene University prepares candidates to enter or to continue in the richly diverse teaching profession through offering well-conceived and sound academic programs in a distinctive Christian environment. Preservice licensure programs integrate a solid liberal arts core with specialized theoretical/pedagogical/clinical offerings, while graduate degree programs focus on in-service teachers’ professional growth and development. All Unit programming is designed to produce graduates who become “Professionals Influencing Lives.” Because of the continual effort to coordinate the activities of the School of Education and the academic departments that offer Teacher Education programs, the prospective teacher is encouraged to confer with advisers from both the School of Education and the department of his/her chosen major field.

Martin D. Walker School of Engineering

Houston E. Thompson, Ed.D., Dean

The Martin D. Walker School of Engineering provides Olivet Nazarene University’s academic disciplines of Engineering  and Computer Science  .  These programs offer innovative and relevant skill development preparing graduates for professional and technical careers. 

Computer Science majors have the option of one of two degrees: 1) a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a concentration in software development, technology and information, or cybersecurity; 2) a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science.  Courses include project-based learning and focus on critical thinking and problem-solving skills for the computing world.  Students have opportunities to display and present their projects and participate in computing competitions.

The Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Engineering majors earn the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree with a concentration in at least one of the following areas: Architectural, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical.  Each concentration offers the opportunity to engage in professional organizations and experience design and implementation through focused projects in real-world environments.  Through missioneering, students may join a mission trip to provide engineering services to those in need.

School of Life and Health Sciences

Amber Residori, Ed.D., Dean

The School of Life & Health Sciences represents Olivet Nazarene University’s ongoing commitment to professional programs, scientific study and educational development. The school includes the following five departments: Biology  , Family & Consumer Sciences  , Exercise & Sports Science  , Nursing  , and Social Work & Criminal Justice  . The school is focused on the ecological perspective (a holistic way of viewing life, health and the human experience) which includes biological, physiological, and social areas of study. The school uniquely joins together key areas of discipline in order to create stronger relationships and additional academic opportunities for students. The school also includes several accredited programs:

  • Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) for the Dietetics Program
  • Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CaATE) for the Athletic Training Program
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for the Nursing Programs, and
  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for the Social Work Program

The departments in the School of Life & Health Science seek to create stimulating learning environments that shape students into future professionals who live out their faith while also impacting the world through strong academic and professional endeavors.

School of Music

Don Reddick, Ed.D., Dean

The School of Music  exists to cultivate the musical skills of student scholars as an act of personal commitment to Christ, and to encourage a life of service to others. The educational thrust of the School of Music is threefold: to complement a broad liberal arts education; to provide the intensive professional training that aspiring musicians need; and to meet the musical needs of the University, community, and Olivet educational region.

The School of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Further information regarding the School of Music can be found at https://olivet.edu/school-music.

School of Theology and Christian Ministry

Mark Quanstrom, Ph.D., Dean

The mission of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry is to educate for ministry within the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition, preparing clergy and laity for service to church and community, and facilitating their personal spiritual development.

The School contributes to the general education of all students by providing a basic understanding of how to interpret the Bible and to think through the theology of Christian faith in order to provide an adequate intellectual basis for spiritual growth and ethical decision making, seeking to provide opportunities for spiritual formation and practical expressions of Christian commitment.

Within the School, the departments of Biblical Studies , Christian Ministry , and Theology and Philosophy  enable those desiring to prepare for professional ministry or graduate studies to gain entry-level knowledge and skills in the areas of Biblical studies, theology, philosophy, history of Christianity, and practices, including Christian education and spiritual formation. While students of other ecclesiastical backgrounds are welcomed, Olivet is an educational institution of the Church of the Nazarene, and the School of Theology and Christian Ministry intentionally designs programs to meet the ordination requirements of that denomination.

The School provides graduate programs to enable those who are preparing for professional ministry or further graduate study and ministers who wish to continue their education, to engage in advanced study of religion and ministry.

The objectives are practical as well as theoretical in scope and relate to the mission of both the School and the University. Students will:

  1. Be able to engage in interpretation and exegesis of the foundational documents of the Christian faith.
  2. Engage in inquiry into the significance of the Christian faith, particularly of the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition, probing the ways Christian doctrines relate to and involve one another and take shape in the life of the Church and of the particular Christian.
  3. Be able to communicate their faith so as to serve both their local church and contemporary society.
  4. Be able to make informed ethical decisions, applying Christian values to contemporary issues.
  5. Gain an informed awareness of the identity and function of religious institutions and movements through the study of the history of Christianity and world religions.
  6. Have opportunity for spiritual growth and be provided with the foundations for continued growth following college.
  7. Be exposed to the major figures and movements of the history of philosophy, the enduring concerns of the discipline of philosophy, and their relationship to Christian thought.