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.
The residential undergraduate courses of study in the University are grouped into the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Professional Studies, 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.
Kent Olney, 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. The College includes the School of Music and the Martin D. Walker School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics , containing the Departments of Biological Sciences , Chemistry and Geosciences , Engineering , and Mathematics and Computer Science ; the College also includes the Departments of Art and Digital Media , Behavioral Sciences , Communication , English , History and Political Science , and Modern Languages .
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.
Amber Residori, Ed.D., Dean
The College of Professional Studies represents Olivet Nazarene University’s ongoing commitment to professional programs, scientific study and educational development. The College includes the Center for Academic Excellence, which houses the Department of General Studies ; the McGraw School of Business ; the School of Nursing ; and the following departments: Education , Exercise and Sports Science , Family and Consumer Sciences , Military Science , and Social Work & Criminal Justice . The College 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 College uniquely joins together key areas of discipline in order to create stronger relationships and additional academic opportunities for students. The College also includes several accredited programs:
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for the Nursing Programs, and
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for the Social Work Program
- 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 (currently on probationary status)*
The departments in the College of Professional Studies 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.
David Wine, M.A., Interim 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:
- Be able to engage in interpretation and exegesis of the foundational documents of the Christian faith.
- 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.
- Be able to communicate their faith so as to serve both their local church and contemporary society.
- Be able to make informed ethical decisions, applying Christian values to contemporary issues.
- 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.
- Have opportunity for spiritual growth and be provided with the foundations for continued growth following college.
- 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.
*Removed from probation February 25, 2022.
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