By Gary Myers, NOBTS Communications
NEW ORLEANS (BP) — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s trustees approved an initiative to launch four new fully-online degrees, new degrees in biblical archaeology and chaplaincy and created seven new extension sites during their fall meeting Oct. 8.
The board approved a plan by the NOBTS administration to petition ATS for approval of the four additional degrees. In addition to the three online degrees already offered, NOBTS will seek approval for a fully-online master of divinity, master of arts in Christian education, master of arts in apologetics and master of missiology.
In 2012, the trustees approved three fully-online degrees — the master of theological studies, master of arts (theology) and master of arts (biblical studies). The master of theological studies degree was already approved by the seminary’s accrediting agency, Association of Theological School in the United States and Canada (ATS). The seminary petitioned ATS for approval for the two other degrees. The petition was granted and NOBTS began offering the three degrees in a fully-online format this spring.
NOBTS Provost Steve Lemke said the seminary “has long been a national leader in distance education, so offering these new degrees online is continuing a pattern of innovation and excellence for which we have achieved national recognition.”
Each of the degrees will be offered both in fully-online and traditional “in-person” classroom formats.
The new degree programs in archaeology and chaplaincy approved by trustees, meanwhile, will combine traditional, in-person instruction and opportunities to gain real-world, hands-on experience.
The new 46-hour master of arts degree in biblical archaeology flows out of the seminary’s ongoing archaeological excavation of the Gezer water system in Israel. The degree is designed to prepare students for research in biblical archaeology and biblical studies.
The master of arts (biblical archaeology) degree is the second program at NOBTS to utilize a mutual partnership with a state university. In this case, the partnering school is Mississippi State University (MSU) and the MSU Cobb Institute of Archaeology. MSU will provide instruction for NOBTS students in specialized areas such as ceramic analysis and anthropology. MSU students will receive instruction in biblical languages and Semitic inscriptions from NOBTS faculty members.
Trustees also approved an 84-86 hour chaplaincy specialization for the master of divinity program. The new specialization is designed to prepare students for military, hospital, industrial or police chaplaincy. The new specialization offers 15 hours of specialized training related to chaplaincy and a three-hour practicum component.
The board approved three extension centers in Alabama and four certificate teaching sites in Georgia and Louisiana. Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., was approved as a graduate extension center. Forest Lake Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and First Baptist Church in Rainsville, Ala., were approved as undergraduate and graduate centers. Approved to offer undergraduate certificate courses were Central Baptist Church in Douglasville, Ga.; the Monroe Extension Center at North Monroe Baptist Church in Monroe, La.; Treasure Coast Baptist Association in Fort Pierce, Fla.; and Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, Ga. And trustees approved First Baptist Church in Rainsville, Ga., as a graduate certificate center.
In other curriculum-related actions, trustees approved a new graduate certificate in family ministry and a new internship specialization option for Christian education students. The new internship specialization is designed to allow extension center students in the master of divinity and master of arts in Christian education programs course credit and hands-on experience in a local church setting.
The board also voted to change the seminary’s policy regarding credit card transaction fees on student tuition payments. Several years back, when the seminary began allowing credit card payments for tuition, NOBTS did not pass along the credit card transaction fees to the students. With an increased number of students opting to pay for tuition with credit cards, the total transaction fee amount has risen sharply. Trustees voted to discontinue paying the transaction fees. Credit cards may still be used for tuition payments, but students will be required the pay the transaction fees associated with credit card use.