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Types of Degree Programs

The American education system consists of “preschool” and “kindergarten” (typically ages 2-5), “elementary education” (grades 1-6, ages 6-12), “secondary education” (grades 7-12, ages 13-18), and “higher education” (college and university programs, ages 18+).

The higher education system awards “degrees”—that is, diplomas signifying that a student has successfully demonstrated the competencies associated with a prescribed course of study. There are four basic types of degrees—namely, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees. Each degree lays a foundation for the next degree level above it (see diagram below). Point University defines these degree levels as follows:

 

visual of degree program levels

 

Associate’s Degrees

  • The first degree beyond secondary education is the associate’s degree, which includes a minimum of 60 credit hours.

  • Point University associate’s degrees typically include four major components: (1) a 31-32 credit General Education Core that lays a broad, coherent foundation for students’ university studies and for lifelong learning as servants of Christ; (2) a 9-credit Character Formation Component that lays foundations for spiritual formation and character development; (3) a 15-credit Professional Component that develops foundational competencies related to the student’s chosen vocation or discipline; and (4) 5 credits of General Electives, which enable students to explore additional areas of interest. All associate degree programs are aligned with the mission and goals of Point University, which facilitate students’ intellectual, social, physical, professional, and spiritual growth.

Bachelor’s Degrees

  • The bachelor’s or “baccalaureate” degree includes a minimum of 120 credit hours (60 hours beyond the associate’s degree).

  • Baccalaureate degrees typically include four major components: (1) a 31-32 credit General Education Core that lays a broad, coherent foundation for students’ university studies and for lifelong learning as servants of Christ; (2) a 15-credit Character Formation Component that lays foundations for spiritual formation, character development, and integration of faith and vocation; (3) a 45+ credit Professional Major consisting of focused studies in a given academic discipline or professional field; and (4) General Electives, which enable students to explore additional areas of interest. All baccalaureate degree programs are aligned with the mission and goals of Point University, which facilitate students’ intellectual, social, physical, professional, and spiritual growth.

  • A difference between bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees is the expectation for foreign language learning.  Each degree program is free to set its own requirements for foreign languages.

Master’s Degrees

A master’s degree includes no fewer than 30 credit hours beyond the bache­lor’s degree. Graduates demonstrate further mastery of a specialized discipline resulting in high-level professional practice. All master’s degree programs are aligned with the mission and goals of Point University, which facilitate students’ intellectual, social, physical, professional, and spiritual growth. At the master’s level, Point seeks to develop in students:

  • Advanced experiential knowledge, skills, and competencies for one’s chosen profession, which enable graduates to mentor others in that profession

  • A highly developed philosophical and theoretical framework that enables students to exercise their professions in contextually appropriate ways

  • A highly developed ethical and theological framework for exercising one’s profession as a servant of Christ (integration of faith and vocation)

  • Active involvement with professional tools and literature, along with advanced research skills

  • Advanced practical experience in one’s chosen discipline or profession

  • Advanced expertise in a specialized discipline, which enables them to conduct research in the field

  • Christian commitment displayed in active discipleship and participation in Christ’s redemptive mission to the nations

  • Knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to pursue a doctor’s degree,  a  professional creden­tial, and/or licensure

Undergraduate versus Graduate Degrees

Traditionally, the first degree earned at a college or university was the bachelor’s degree. Accordingly, students who have not yet graduated with a bachelor’s degree are referred to as “under-graduate students,” and associate’s and bachelor’s degrees are called “undergraduate degrees.” Students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree and then continue with more advanced studies are “graduate students,” and master’s and doctoral degrees are called “graduate degrees.”

First-, second-, third-, and fourth-year undergraduate students are traditionally called “freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.”

Majors and Minors

A bachelor’s degree must, by definition, include a “major”—that is, an inte­grated series of courses focusing on a particular field or discipline. At Point, a “major” must include a minimum of 30 credits. Majors typically include 45+ credits, with at least 30 credits in the Upper Division.

Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree have the option of adding a minor(s) to that degree beyond the normal program requirements. A minor is a shorter series of courses focusing on a particular field or discipline. At Point University, a minor requires between 12 and 21 credits and at least six (6) credits must be earned at the 300-level or above.

The following policies govern the earning and awarding of minors:

  1. Only students at the undergraduate level who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree may add a minor(s) to that degree beyond the normal program requirements.

  2. Students may add a minor to any bachelor’s degree program that does not include that specific area of study as its major and/or as noted otherwise.

  3. For a minor to appear on a student’s transcript, there may be only three credit hours of overlap between each of the Core Curriculum, Character Formation Core, any declared majors, and any additionally declared minors. The Biblical Studies minor is an exception to this rule because it satisfies the Character Formation Core (see below).

  4. If more than one specific course in a minor is also required for a student’s major(s)/minor(s), with advisor consultation and approval, students should substitute another course(s) in the same discipline to fulfill the required minimum number of credits for the minor.

  5. Any course used to replace an upper division course should also be upper division (300 or 400 level).

  6. At least six (6) credits within the minor must be completed at Point University.

  7. Point University awards minors and places them on transcripts only when the baccalaureate degree is awarded.

  8. The proper sequencing of courses to include a minor in a degree program is the student’s responsibility.

 The Character Formation Core may take the form of a Biblical Studies Minor.

 Students interested in earning a minor should review the section in the catalog on Changing Degree Programs, Majors, or Concentrations.

Concentrations and Specializations

Some undergraduate majors and graduate programs include a “concentra­tion” or “specialization,” which consists of 12+ credits focusing on a particular field, discipline, or specialty. One example is the B.S. in Information Technology, for which students may choose a concentration in Information Systems Security or Network Administration.

Certificates

Point occasionally forms groups of courses into certificate programs. A “certificate” consists of 12-30 credit hours in a focused area of study. Guidelines for certificates appear below under “Academic Regulations.”

Traditional versus Non-Traditional, On-Ground versus Online

In “traditional” academic programs, students typically com­plete several courses at one time, on-campus, in sessions lasting 10 weeks (quarter system) or 15-16 weeks (semester system). Traditional programs were originally designed with the expecta­tion that students would live on campus (“residential programs”) or commute from nearby, devoting most or all of their time to their studies. In contrast, “non-traditional” programs are designed for working adults. The academic year often consists of a series of shorter sessions in which students typically take only one or two courses at a time. Students study online or attend classes only once or twice per week.

Point University offers both “traditional” and “non-traditional” academic programs. However, since Point’s traditional programs often include non-traditional “virtual” elements, the University generally designates students and programs as primarily “on-ground” or “online.”

On-Ground, Point Online, and Point Hybrid Course Modalities. Point University offers coursework in three primary modalities:

On-Ground Courses—Students typically meet face-to-face with instructors at the main campus in West Point or another Point education site for about 3 hours each week.

Point Online—In this fully-online format, students engage in educational activities through a customized Point Online course website that facilitates interaction between students, their instructor, and their fellow learners. Students may access their Point Online courses at any time from any location with an Internet connection. Students must log into their course sites every week to register attendance and complete assignments. They should log in nearly every day to participate in ongoing class discussions and other interactive learning activities. However, Point Online courses are “asynchronous” in that they do not require all students to log in at the same time. This arrangement offers more flexibility for students who have different work schedules or live in different time zones.

Hybrid —This online format features a weekly live, synchronous, 2-hour class session supplemented by asynchronous learning activities offered through the online course website. For most hybrid courses, the live session takes the form of a “virtual meeting” or videoconference allowing two-way, face-to-face interactions between students, their instructor, and their fellow learners. For other hybrid courses, the live session takes the form of an on-ground session at a Point education site Students must participate in the weekly live sessions to register attendance and engage in interactive learning activities. They should also log into the course site regularly throughout the week—at the times of their choosing—to complete other assignments. This blend of synchronous and asynchronous elements offers students the “best of both worlds”—the flexibility of an online program with the benefit of a weekly gathering.

Students may enroll in fully online undergraduate programs while being an on-campus student. Students will be charged the on-campus tuition rate and are eligible for scholarships not available to fully online students. Student-athletes (including Marching Band) enrolled in any undergraduate program will be charged the on-campus tuition and fees rate. Student-athletes (including Marching Band) enrolled in any graduate program will be charged graduate tuition rates as well as on-campus fees. Please see Tuition & Fees page on website for more information.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Some courses carry “prerequisites”—that is, courses students are required to complete before they enroll in the course in question. (For example, students must complete ENGL 101 Critical Reading & Writing I, or its equivalent, prior to enrolling in ENGL 102 Critical Reading & Writing II.) Some courses carry “corequisites”—that is, courses students must complete either before or during their enrollment in the course in question. When applicable, prerequisites and corequisites are listed at the end of each course description later in this catalog.