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:
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.
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, a “minor” includes 15+ credits, with at least 9 credits in the Upper Division. The sections of this catalog describing each academic department include descriptions of any minors offered by that department.
The following policies govern the offering of minors:
All Point bachelor’s degree programs include a 15-credit Character Formation Component. The Character Core may take the form of a Biblical Studies Minor. Learning objectives and required courses for the Character Core and Biblical Studies Minor appear in this catalog under “Biblical Studies Department.”
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. Students may not add minors to associate’s degrees.
For a minor to appear on student transcripts as a “minor,” at least 12 credits required for the minor must be beyond those required in the Core Curriculum (General Education and Character Formation Component) and professional major of the student’s chosen degree program. A maximum of two courses may be used to satisfy both Core Curriculum and minor requirements. A maximum of two courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both the professional major and the minor. A maximum of two courses may be used to satisfy requirements of more than one minor.
If a specific course required for the student’s major is also required for the minor, students should substitute another course in the same discipline to fulfill the required minimum number of credits for the minor. Any course used to replace an upper division course should also be upper division (300 or 400 level).
At least 6 credits within the minor must be completed at Point University.
For purposes of academic planning and financial aid, Point recommends that students declare their desired minor(s) as soon as possible—preferably (but not necessarily) at the same time they declare their major. See the policy on “Declaring Programs, Majors, and Minors” in the section of this catalog devoted to “Academic Advising.”
Point awards minors and places them on transcripts only when the baccalaureate degree is awarded.
The proper sequencing of courses to include a minor in a degree program is the student’s responsibility.
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.