Below are the links to the questions or facts outlined on this page. Click on any that you might need an answer to.
What is the denominational affiliation/spiritual climate?
Timeline for Typical B.A. Program
When is the application deadline?
Are correspondence courses available?
Is Bethany College of Missions accredited?
Do other schools accept your students in graduate programs/your credits in transfer?
Is accreditation important to mission sending agencies?
What do Bethany graduates do after they finish school?
Do you accept international students?
Are any scholarships available to help with the cost?
Can students work while they’re in school?
Do students get paid for their practical training time?
Can you describe the outreach practicum?
Can you describe the Global Internship?
How do students with children manage childcare?
Describe the living situation on campus?
Can I request a specific roommate/a single room?
See Campus Profile
• All full and part-time students are residents (required)
• Commuter students are welcome to take up to 2 classes per term
See Contact Us
See BCOM Overview
• 12 months in length (3 terms), with either an August or January start date
• Designed to help students become global Christians with a missional approach to all life, work, relationships, and ministry
• Holistic preparation, focusing on Scriptural understanding, skill acquisition, character development, and deepening the students relationship with the Lord and with others
All full-time Certificate students must complete the following core program components:
Core Program Components
1) 12 hours of class time per week, and a weekly Logistics for Ministry course and Designed for Freedom course that run over the course of the whole year
2) Regular times of corporate and personal worship and prayer
3) Participation in small cell groups for the purpose of building community and mutual encouragement (minimum of 2 hours per week)
4) 20 hours per week of Practical Training in a department on campus
5) Weekly doing Outreach Practicum
6) Assessment times to assist students in discovering their spiritual gifts, competencies, and calling, including a Kingdom Impact Plan
• Upon successful completion of the Certificate program, students may be approved to continue their course of studies with the goal of earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
• Pre-requisite of completing the Certificate program
• Additional 2 years to earn the B.A. – 4 months of home based support raising; 16 months of Global Internship in one of several overseas locales, and 1 term (4 months) back on campus for re-entry and de-briefing
• Designed to give students in-depth training and first-hand experience in cross-cultural life and ministry
• Focus on acquiring transferable skills, useful in any context.
• Strongly recommended for students who desire a career in missions, but have had limited overseas experience
• Global Internship involves study of local language and culture, evangelism, church-planting, and instruction in a variety of other ministry skills appropriate to the specific internship context.
• Global Internship coursework is taught by missionaries and local ministers who serve as adjunct faculty
• Breaks and holidays are built into the Global Internship schedule and some travel is permitted
Fall-Certificate Program on campus
Spring-Certificate Program on campus
Summer-Certificate Program on campus
Fall-Support-raising and planning at home
Spring-Global Internship
Summer-Global Internship
Fall-Global Internship
Spring-Global Internship
Summer-Re-entry/Debriefing on campus/Graduation
Families are welcome! One spouse enrolls as a full-time student meeting all requirements in the Certificate Program. The other spouse enrolls as a part-time student for a minimum of one year. If the family chooses to go on Global Internship, the full-time student works toward a B.A., while the part-time student goes on internship as a team member rather than as a student.
If you would like more information, click here to download our Couples and Family Document
No, it is not difficult to be accepted if you meet the following criteria.
Check out Admission Requirements
Take a look at Admission Deadlines
• Some credits may be transferable, but will be very limited since it’s important that students participate fully in our program.
• Generally, if you have taken some Bible and theology or missions courses they have a chance of transferring. Other subject material will probably not transfer because our program is so specialized.
• Contact the Admissions Office to discuss the possibilities and take a look at our page on Transfer Credits.
At this time no correspondence coursework is available through BCOM.
Please see our page on Accreditation.
Though we are non-accredited, we enjoy good relationships with other Christian colleges and seminaries, both in Minnesota and all over the United States (a list is available upon request from our Admissions office). Although we cannot promise that all of our credits will transfer, many institutions do accept our credits (especially in related programs, like Teaching English as a Second Language, Biblical Studies, etc), and a number of BCOM graduates have excelled in various graduate programs in the U.S. Also see Transfer Credits.
No. Accreditation is not normally an issue for mission sending agencies. The only exception to this would be for some denominational agencies. If you want to go out with your denomination check with them about their training requirements before enrolling at Bethany.
Although most mission sending agencies do not require their missionaries to have a B.A. in missions, many have given us feedback that they would like to see new missionaries have a firmer foundation in the Bible and theology and more practical application of their coursework in ministry settings. Although our Certificate program generally meets the education requirements for most mission sending agencies, students who desire a career in missions should strongly consider the best possible preparation by taking the Bachelor of Arts course of studies.
• Bethany graduates are equipped to work in a wide variety of cross-cultural settings and ministries.
• Since our training is geared toward giving students tools for communicating Christ cross-culturally, our graduates are able to live and work effectively in those circumstances.
• Alumni are missionaries with our own mission sending agency, Bethany International Ministry, and many other agencies, such as WEC, Operation Mobilization, Mission: Moving Mountains, Pioneers, Wycliffe and YWAM, to name a few.
• They are involved in teaching and training, literacy, teaching English as a second language, relief and development, medical and mercy ministries, agricultural work, orphanages, coffee house ministry, church planting, evangelism, missionary aviation, prayer and worship, etc etc.
• The majority of our graduates go on to full or part-time ministry positions either in the U.S. or overseas and the vast majority of those graduates in the U.S. are actively involved in missions in their local church.
• Yes! We welcome qualified international students.
• We are a SEVIS-approved school and have permission from the U.S Government to give the I-20 immigration form to accepted students
• We have permission to enroll those students who have an F-1 student visa; no other visa-holders are permitted to enroll
• International students pay slightly higher fees because we require them to submit funds for medical insurance, books, and personal money.
• International students must pay their first term and all annual fees in advance of receiving the I-20 form. This is to ensure that the student has the means to complete their program before entering the U.S.
For much more extensive information, please check out our International section of the website.
See our page on Financial Costs for our first year certificate, and take a look at Global Internship Costs for the overseas portion.
Yes.
• Each applicant is potentially eligible for up to $1,000 in discounts from the college. Discounts are distributed evenly over the first 3 terms of enrollment. A list of discounts and their eligibility requirements are available on the web site and from the Admissions Office.
• Applicants and upperclassmen may also apply for private scholarships as they are made available. Details can be found on our web site as applicable.
• We encourage students to check with private civic and religious organizations, credit unions etc. for private scholarships
• The State of Michigan offers an annual scholarship to full-time college students regardless of accreditation; check their web site for details
And No.
• Since Bethany is not accredited our students do not qualify for federal financial aid, including the GI Bill.
We would encourage you to also look at our page on Financial Assistance.
Students who need employment for pay should plan to come with enough money to cover their expenses until after the first 6 weeks or so of their starting term. After that students can work for pay on or off-campus for up to 8 hours per week. If a student needs to work more than 8 hours per week, we ask him/her to check in with his/her mentor, before committing to a greater work commitment. We recommend no more than 10 hours per week of work above and beyond the regular school schedule.
International students may only work in jobs on campus, due to U.S. Government regulations. The student must possess a valid “for work” social security number in order to draw wages from the college. After the student has been enrolled for 10 days he/she may apply for a social security number.
No. Students do not receive pay for the time they spend in a department on campus. This is part of their missionary training and gives students an opportunity to be a part of the ministry of Bethany International. The purpose of practical training is to give the student real life study experience, to build good habits and character, learn to resolve conflict and so forth. Students will also benefit by learning some practical skills and development lifelong relationships with classmates and practical training supervisors.
Please see our page on Outreach Practicum.
• Students in the first term of studies are given Global Internship location options for their class.
• The number of fields available increase according to the number of interns going out from year to year.
• Students select their Global Internship location during the 2nd term of their Certificate year.
• Students spend 1 term following the Certificate year (approximately Sept – Dec) preparing for Global Internship (raising funds, making travel arrangements etc)
• A Global Internship lasts for 16 months, followed by re-entry and de-briefing on campus for 1 term (about 4 months)
• On the field, students take courses which best lend themselves to an overseas venue (language, cultural topics, church planting, etc)
• These courses are taught by missionaries and local ministry leaders who serve as adjunct BCOM faculty. Some courses can also be taken on-line and through local Bible and ministry schools.
• Students are supervised by a Bethany International missionary who is dedicated to the fielding and supervision of the students
• Students do not live in a compound and do not necessarily do everything together; each field strives for legitimacy in the cultural context.
• Students experience a variety of ministry options, and may choose to focus in specific regions or works as their Global Internship progresses and doors open
• Times for vacation, field conferences, and survey trips into other countries are built into the Global Internship calendar.
For much more extensive information, please check out our page on studying abroad/Global Internship.
• Bethany does not provide any formal childcare for families, but can recommend several very good childcare options within minutes of the BCOM campus.
• There are usually a number of families needing childcare on campus at any given time. Parents often co-op care for the children.
• Families who face insurmountable scheduling conflicts can work with the College to identify creative options for meeting requirements, such as a flexible p.t. schedule, independent study courses etc.
• Full-time students (taking 12 credit hours or more) and their spouse and dependant children must live on campus; this is in order to receive the full benefit of community living and mentoring which are crucial to our training program.
• Commuter students do not live on campus. They may take classes only (no work study or practicum), and do not earn a certificate.
• Students are mainly housed in the Far East Building. This building is comprised of 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, complete with a living room, kitchen, full bathroom, and storage.
• Students are divided into small groups of 8 – 10 single women, single men, or married students.
• Each group has a resident mentor, who is a recent graduate of BCOM, and an Advisor.
• Each group is assigned to 1–2 apartments in the Far East Building, with 4–5 people living in each unit.
• Most families with children have their own apartment, or share with one other couple.
• Beds, dressers, and bookshelves are provided. The apartments are also equipped with adequate living room and kitchen furnishings.
• Single students should plan to have at least one roommate
• Single men, single women, and married students are housed in separate wings of the Far East Building. Single men and women are not permitted to “visit” one another’s apartments.
• Two common laundry rooms are located in the basement of the Far East building.
• Parking is available to students for a fee – there are no vehicle restrictions for incoming students
Please check out our dorm life on our Housing Info page.
• You may request a roommate, but we cannot guarantee that you will get that roommate. Roommate assignments are made known to accepted students about 2 weeks prior to orientation week.
• You may request a single room, but again, we cannot guarantee that you will get one. Plan to have a roommate so you will be pleasantly surprised if you end up with your own room, and prepared with a good attitude if you have a roommate.
