Valor Christian College

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my degree be a real certified degree?
Valor Christian College is professionally accredited by the Association of Independent Christian Colleges and Seminaries. Our degrees are certified by the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools. Valor received approval from the Veterans' Administration to provide training for veterans of the United States armed forces, in addition to receiving I-20 status with the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Will my degree be the same as a student would earn in your traditional programs?
The degree you will earn in Valor Christian College's Degree Completion Program is equivalent to the degree a student would earn in the traditional classroom programs. Currently, Valor offers A.A. in Pastoral Leadership through the degree completion program.
What is a "lockstep cohort"?
A lockstep cohort is a group of students that start and complete the degree completion program together. They take the same course each term together, work together on group assignments, and graduate together. By moving through the program in lockstep, members of a cohort often develop study groups and friendships, and members support, challenge, and learn from each other. Different cohorts will meet for class on different evenings of the week.
How long will the program take?
The degree completion program is an accelerated program that is designed so that you can complete it in about 12+ months. In that time, your cohort will go through 12 classes together.
It usually takes 2 years to finish a A.A. degree - how can I complete this program in only 12+ months?
To graduate from the degree completion program you will need a total of 127 hours, but you must have completed at least 24+ credit-hours before you enter the program. You will take 35 credit-hours of coursework in the program. The core courses must be taken in lock step. Other credit-hours or required courses (e.g. six hours of electives) that you need may be taken by traditional or nontraditional means, or you can apply for credit for life experience, for credit by examination, or for credit for relevant military training. The degree completion program is designed to build on what you have already learned in your previous college educational background and in your various ministry experiences, and what you are now learning in your present ministry position. Every class you will take will be designed to use situations and experiences in your current ministry to enhance and extend the amount of learning you can do in a given amount of time.
How much time will I have to commit to a course?
Each class you take meets 4 hours per week for 5 weeks. You will also have to commit to spend 10 - 15 hours per week outside of class in study, research, and writing. Your in-class time will focus on discussing and applying what you have read, learned, or discovered in your outside-of-class study, and on providing a context and background for what you will study next.
What kind of assignments do the classes require?
Weekly assignments are applied and ministry-related, designed to let you apply theories and ideas from your reading and research to your own ministry situation. As a participant in the degree completion program, you already have years of life, work, and ministry experience - giving you a background that can help enable you to apply theory to real life settings.
What is credit for life experience, and how can I apply for it?
Credit for life experience is based on the reality that people learn more outside a classroom than inside one. But to give you credit for life experience for a certain course, Valor needs evidence that you have already learned the material and gained the skills that the course teaches. You assemble this evidence in a "Portfolio-Questionnaire," or PQ. You can get a PQ from the Valor Office of Continuing Education.
Define CLEP and DANTES.
CLEP is the acronym for the College Level Examination Program. You can take CLEP exams for most general education courses. These courses may count toward the 24 hours of credit needed to be accepted into the Adult Degree Completion Program. DANTES is what use to be the military form of the college level examination program. These credits may also count.
What kind of evidence will I need to show in order to get credit for life experience?
Evidence may include seminars taken, books read, certificates, demonstrations, examinations, interviews, job experiences, licenses, papers, publications, and other appropriate materials. You must demonstrate that your experience meets the Valor course objectives for that course and that the knowledge and experience reflected in the PQ is comparable to what is taught on campus. (course objectives can be obtained from the Center for LifeLong Learning Office).
What is the procedure for getting credit for life experience?
You must submit a PQ to the Academic Dean who then assigns a professor who teaches in the subject area to review the material and submit a recommendation to the Faculty Committee and the Academic Dean. Based upon the review and recommendation from the Faculty Committee, the Academic Dean can (1) award course credit, (2) waive the course requirement, (3) substitute a more advanced course in the subject area, (4) request additional work/documentation, or (5) deny the student's application for credit. Tuition for Credit for Life Experiences will be half of the normal tuition. All appeals are made through the Faculty Committee.
Can I get credit by examination?
Credit by Examination is designed for students who already have a high level of proficiency in a subject area. Students must submit a written request to the Academic Dean for permission prior to scheduling an examination. Students must score in the 80 percentile or above in order to receive credit. Upon successful completion of an exam, the student will have tuition fees of half the normal rate applied to their student account. Credit given through examination will be part of the twenty credit hour allowance for non-traditional credit.
Does Valor accept CLEP and AP examination credit?
Valor grants academic credits to students who meet scoring requirements on CLEP (College Level Examination Program) and approved AP (Advanced Placement) examinations.
Can I get credit for military training?
As many as 12 units of credit may be transferred from course work taken in the military, if such courses are appropriate to the curriculum of Valor Christian College. Transfer recommendations will be followed as contained in the manual published by the American Council on Education.
Are there maximum amounts of credit Valor will grant for nontraditional methods?
There is a 20 hour maximum on nontraditional credit, which includes online and distance-education courses taken at other institutions, credit for military training, credit for life experience, and credit by examination, including CLEP and AP.
When do classes meet? And are they on the Valor campus?
Classes will meet one evening per week for 5 weeks in Beta Hall on the Valor campus. The inaugural cohort will meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, but as the program develops, different cohorts will meet for class on different evenings of the week. When you join a cohort, your cohort will be assigned a specific evening so that you can arrange your schedule around the classes.
Will I be considered to be a full-time student?
Federal guidelines define full-time student status for undergraduates as completing 12 credits within a regular semester. Valor's program is designed so as to allow you to complete courses at that rate and so be able to claim full-time student status along with privileges and benefits for full-time students.
How much will the program cost me?
As of August 1, 2009, tuition for a three-credit-hour course is $378. For the 12-course program, the current cost will be around $4,400, which does not include the required fees and books. The fee is $60 per semester or for every 4 courses. The cost is less per hour if you pay $1500 tuition per semester if you pay upfront. This will relate to the summer semesters as well.
How can I enroll?
You can download a short application for admission and print it out (you'll need Adobe Reader in order to view or print the application). All degree seeking students should fill out the longer application form online or for a hard copy call 614-837-4088. Make sure you check "Degree Completion" under the question "Which major do you plan to pursue?" Mail the completed application to World Harvest Bible College along with the required transcripts, references, and application fee, and a member of our enrollment team will contact you. Or, if you have further questions, you can call Valor at 1-614-837-4088 and ask to speak with a recruiting representative.