If you’re engaged and wish to enroll prior to getting married, there are several things you’ll want to keep in mind:
For all incoming students:
• We strongly encourage both parties to attend Bethany if at all possible. Even if you are planning to complete the Certificate only, you and your fiancée/fiancé will benefit greatly as a couple to have this year of training as a foundation for your future ministry and life as a married couple.
• If you plan to get married prior to enrolling at Bethany, please note that our standard policy is that newlyweds should not enroll until close to their first wedding anniversary. This policy reflects the principal of taking an appropriate amount of time to attend fully to personal affairs and the adjustment of marriage, without the additional stresses of college-level work and ministry training. You may, however, submit your applications during your engagement, indicating an enrollment date closest to your first anniversary.
• If you feel that there is a compelling reason for you to enroll prior to your first wedding anniversary, you are welcome to submit a statement explaining your unique situation to the Admissions Office when you send in your applications. Exceptions to our standard policy are considered on a case-by-case basis.
For those wishing to complete the B.A. Degree in Cross-cultural Studies:
• If you plan to complete the B.A. program, you will be spending 16 months on an overseas internship. Completing the Certificate program is a pre-requisite for anyone going on internship. If you intend to go on internship with your new spouse, your spouse will be required to complete the Certificate program, even if he/she will not be a B.A. student on internship, but a team member only.
• Bethany International Ministries (our sending arm, which fields interns doing the B.A. program overseas) also has a standard policy that newlyweds be married for approximately one year before going to a field learning site. Please keep this in mind as you make wedding plans.
• If you wish to get married in between completing the Certificate and going on internship (assuming you have completed the Certificate as an engaged couple), arrangements can be made for you to withdraw from the college for a one year leave of absence following your marriage. You would then re-enroll and go on internship with the next incoming class.
Contact the Admissions Office if you have further questions about the policies and recommendations regarding engagement and the setting of wedding dates.
Single parents participate fully in all components of their chosen program, just as a single student without children would. Since childcare is not provided on campus, children must be old enough to care of themselves when their parent is fulfilling school requirements. Therefore, no single parent with children under the age of 14 will be considered for enrollment.
Please review the information for families throughout this page, as much of it will apply to you as a parent regardless of your marital status.
Bethany promotes the Biblical concepts of marriage and family, and therefore will not under any circumstances enroll a student who wishes to separate from their family in order to attend BCOM.
We require all full-time enrolled students and their spouses and dependent children to live on campus in order to receive the full benefit of community life and training.
Classes, chapel times, and cell groups take place each morning from 8:00 am - noon. Full-time students attend at least 12 hours of class during the week and participate in a practical training assignment with a department on campus for 20 hours per week on average. Full-time students are also involved in a weekly Outreach Practicum (4 – 6 hours per week) and generally have one or two hours of homework each evening. All students attend a weekly evening service on campus of approximately 2 hours as well. A number of breaks and special events are planned throughout each term.
Both husband and wife must apply and if accepted, both are required to enroll as full-time students for a minimum of one year. At the end of the year the couple may decide to both finish with one-year Certificates or they may to continue to work towards B.A. degrees, by going on Global Internship. If one spouse wishes to finish with a Certificate and the other spouse wishes to earn the B.A., it is required that the couple to go on Global Internship together, even if only one spouse is a student. In
this case, the non-student spouse would be asked to meet only minimal requirements as a missionary team member, rather than the requirements of a full-time student.
We welcome families! However, we do not recommend that both spouses enroll as full-time students unless exceptional circumstances exist.
Instead, we require that one spouse enroll as a full-time student in the one-year Certificate Program (meeting all requirements, just like any single student) and the other as a part-time student, earning a Certificate of Achievement after one year. The family would then have the option of going on Global Internship, which would enable the full-time student to earn a B.A. degree.
Because our vision is to equip students to serve the Lord within cross-cultural contexts, we expect that most of our graduates will eventually apply to serve with a mission-sending agency. Most legitimate agencies require a minimum standard of training for their missionaries, including both spouses, when married. Taking classes as a part-time student will fulfill this requirement for most agencies.
Certificate of Achievement (Part-time) Program Requirements:
The mother enrolling in the Certificate of Achievement program is a part-time student. The minimal required courses taken by the Certificate of Achievement student consist of:
• One Bible or theology course and one cross-cultural course per term (these can be audited or taken for college credit, as desired)
• The course, Power of the Cross, which meets once weekly over the course of the entire year
• The Logistics for Ministry course, which meets once weekly over the course of the entire year
• A Fund Raising module
• Weekly cell group meetings, which are usually held in the evening
• Additional credits can be taken with special permission from the Dean
The following activities are optional for a mother, but recommended if possible:
• Chapels and worship/prayer services
• Outreach Practicum
• Special events and conferences
Mothers do not participate in PT, but will instead complete one Independent Study (I.S.) for one credit each term on a topic specifically relevant to home and family life.
The topic, format, and requirements of the study will be assigned during orientation week for new students and prior to each new term from that point on. The I.S. could be a DVD series with workbook that is gone through, studying the home and family life in a small group setting at a church or attending a seminar, etc.
We feel that the part-time program greatly benefits the family, engages the student in the life of the campus, and gives ample opportunities for spiritual growth and a basic understanding of key Biblical and cross-cultural concepts.
Along with the normal application materials for the couple, we also ask families who have any children over age 12 to fill out a Children’s Questionnaire for each older child. If you need one of these questionnaires, please contact the Admissions Office.
Parents should find that they are able to give ample time and attention to their children while completing all school requirements. A little ingenuity in scheduling and cooperation with others families on campus usually allows couples to manage childcare and schoolwork with little disruption to the family.
Bethany International does not provide childcare for students; however the college is usually able to provide facilities for cooperative childcare and assistance with family scheduling, as desired.
School-aged children can attend any one of a number of both private and public schools in the Bloomington school district. More information on school and daycare options is available upon request from the Admissions Office.
Special arrangements can be made for parents who choose to home-school their children. Please contact Admissions to talk about your situation.
Married students live in on-campus living quarters. Each couple is given one bedroom, with the option of renting additional bedrooms as available. Children under age 2 can share a bedroom with you, if desired, thus keeping the cost of housing a little lower.
Couples generally share a bathroom, a living room, and kitchen facilities. Unless you have a large family it is likely that you will share these spaces with one other couple or family. In some buildings the living room and kitchen facilities may be shared between several couples. While our students find married student housing to be sufficient, you will probably be more crowded than in your present situation.
We currently provide meals in the campus dining rooms; however, you may want to do some of your own cooking in your dorm as well. The dorm kitchens are equipped with very basic appliances (refrigerator,
oven, dishwasher), so we recommend that you bring some of your own dishes, silverware, and food containers, and if you’d like, some small appliances (i.e. coffeepot, popcorn popper, etc.) and kitchen tools.
