FAQ

Most of our undergraduate independent learning courses and an increasing number of our graduate independent learning courses are offered on the Internet. Each is a recording of an actual class that was taught on campus to resident students. Sample the web interface.

Each semester and summer we offer several undergraduate and graduate online classes. Online classes are designed to be flexible and yet structured. A qualified faculty member will set assignment deadlines and monitor student progress throughout the course, but you’ll be able to listen to the lectures according to your own schedule. For example, you may be assigned to complete 7 lessons during the first week, but you can choose when to listen to the lectures and complete the work. Throughout the course you’ll be expected to interact with both the faculty member and other students. Each course lasts 6–8 weeks, so you should be able to work a full-time job and still complete an online course. You will need to purchase your own textbooks.

No. Our online classes are asynchronous. You will be expected to meet assignment deadlines, but you will be able to fit the lectures around your own schedule.

• Online classes: $295/credit hour
• Independent learning courses: $275/credit hour

Prices apply to undergraduate and graduate courses. Visit our costs section for more information.

No, we do not offer group rates.

The availability of financial aid depends on a number of factors. Generally it is not available for independent learning courses. However, if a student registers for at least 6 hours of online courses during a semester or summer, he may be eligible for federal financial aid.

If you are working on a degree from BJU, email the Financial Aid office for more information.

If you are teaching or are an administrator in a Christian school setting, you may be eligible for the Educational Leadership Development Program. See Graduate Financial Aid for more information.

Unless you are enrolled in a degree program on campus at Bob Jones University, full payment for your course must accompany the application. BJU resident students may have their course applied to their school bill between September 1 and March 10 of the academic year.

Yes. We accept Discover, MasterCard and Visa.

No. Our materials are available only on a library loan basis to those who have paid the tuition for a course. See below if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the textbooks.

There is no shipping fee for orders sent to the continental United States (including Alaska). Students who request shipping to Hawaii or foreign addresses will be billed at cost for any shipping charges.

Students who cancel their applications before their start date will receive a 100% refund on tuition. Consult the table below for dropping/withdrawing from a course after the start date.

Unless otherwise noted in the course description, you are expected to purchase your own copy of the textbook(s) for your course. You may order textbooks through the BJU Campus Store. We also have a limited number of used texts available. View available books

If you purchased your own copy of the texts, you may write in them. Otherwise, you may not, since other students will need to use them.

We are in the process of moving all of our courses to a web-based format. Any course that indicates "Web" in its course description is already web-based. We recommend DSL Internet access or better to interact with our courses. You may log in to our Learning Management System as a guest to see how well your computer interacts with our sample course.

No. Formal admission to Bob Jones University is not required in order to enroll in and earn credit for BJUOnline courses. Acceptance into a course does not imply admission to BJU or to a particular degree program. If you are interested in enrolling in a degree program through BJU, email Admissions for further information.

You should sign up for an online undergraduate class at least 1 week before it is scheduled to start, and for an online graduate class at least 2 weeks before it is scheduled to start.

Please allow 2-4 weeks after we receive your application. If you apply for graduate credit for a course and did not receive your undergraduate degree from Bob Jones University, processing may take longer because we must wait for your undergraduate transcript to arrive before we can send your application to the Scholarship Committee for approval.

You will receive your tests in sealed envelopes that may be opened only in the presence of your proctor. (In your course kit you will receive information about who may proctor your tests.) Once you have completed each test, your proctor will mail it back to the University for grading. Your final exam will be mailed directly to your proctor when you are ready to take it. Students who live in the Greenville, South Carolina, area are required to take their tests on campus.

We have a toll-free helpline available to students in the United States and Canada, 888.253.9833. Local and international students may reach us by calling 864.242.5100, ext. 2045. Someone will be available to help you from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. You may also contact us by email.

As is true with all transfer credits, it is wise to check with the college you intend to graduate from to make sure they will accept the credits for the courses you wish to take. Our students rarely have trouble transferring credits to other institutions.

Request a transcript from the Records Office.

No. Our courses are available only for college credit.

Credits at Bob Jones University are assigned on a credit-hour basis. Indicated after the description of each course is the amount of credit that the course carries. Credit is given in semester hours, each semester hour representing 16 hours of class work.

You may sign up for only one independent learning course at a time unless you receive appropriate permission. BJU students must obtain permission from the Registrar; non-BJU students must seek permission from the director of the Center for Distance Learning. You may register for an independent learning course and online courses at the same time.

If you are working toward an undergraduate degree at Bob Jones University, you may take up to 30 hours through independent learning. If you are working on a graduate degree at Bob Jones University, you may take up to 18 hours through independent learning, depending on the degree program in which you are enrolled. Non-BJU students may take as many courses as they wish through independent learning.

Yes. However, you may not take a course later for credit once you have audited it. If you audit a course, you are not required to take tests or submit projects. There is no price difference between a course taken for credit and a course that is audited.

Yes, once you have completed a course (audit only), you may request a CEU transcript or certificate from us. There is a $10 fee for processing this request. Independent learning and online courses taken for undergraduate or graduate credit do not qualify for CEUs since an academic transcript is available upon request. See more information about CEUs.

Students may have up to one full year to complete a course. Usually students are able to finish an independent learning course within 3 months.

Any student who does not finish an independent learning course in one year and would like an extension must submit a request in writing to the director of the Center for Distance Learning. A $25 fee is assessed for any student granted an extension. Extensions are granted only for extenuating circumstances.

No. The Center for Distance Learning exists to support BJU’s undergraduate residence degree programs, not to replace them.

If you are a BJU student, check the requirements for your degree program in your undergraduate or graduate catalog. If you have further questions, contact your advisor. Non-BJU students should check with their registrar or academic dean to determine whether a course will meet their degree requirements.

Yes. Contact Admissions for more information.

We give you great content without the pressure of papers, projects, tests and everything else that goes with a college education. Although many IBE courses are captured from university Bible classes, we have taken out the academic requirements—quizzes, report cards—you name it! You don’t have to worry about letter grades; all you have to do is fill in the blanks and answer the questions. This doesn’t mean we will abandon you in your studies; we will keep in touch with you, review your progress, and answer any questions you may have about the content.

Certainly. If you have a group of three or more students, you qualify for special group discounts. The leader is not expected to lecture but conducts group sessions according to the instructions provided in the leader’s guide. The leader’s guide adds a variety of application and discussion ideas. The group leader also reviews participants’ progress and reports completion to the IBE office.

Possibilities for IBE group use include the following:

• Adult Sunday school classes
• Bible institute courses
• Discipleship ministries
• Informal Bible studies
• Training-hour programs

About half of our courses use a written format, so no videos are required. Just read a Scripture passage and study a lesson that expounds that passage and highlights its practical application. Then answer several review questions and memorize an assigned memory verse or passage. Additional activities are often suggested. In a group setting, participants complete each lesson at home and then meet to review and discuss what they have learned.

The other half of the curriculum uses a video format. Most of IBE’s video courses consist of lectures recorded from Bible classes offered at Bob Jones University. Each lecture averages 30 to 45 minutes in length. As you watch the video, you complete a fill-in-the-blank outline in the accompanying study guide. Each lesson typically includes a Scripture reading, a memory passage, and an optional textbook-reading assignment. Video courses are available in DVD format.

All of our courses are also available online in either a web-based workbook or web-based video version. In addition to a Scripture passage and a study/video lesson, the online format offers facilitator and peer interaction, no shipping fees and a quick enrollment process. Online courses are only available for the individual study format.

Learn more about Workbook, Video and Online formats.

For individuals, most of our video courses are just $35 per unit, and written courses are $12 per unit. For groups, most video courses are $100 for the DVD rental plus $4 per participant. Each person receives his or her own study guide. Written courses are just $6 per person.

Learn more about Workbook, Video and Online course pricing.

All of them. No, really, we like all of our courses, but some of them are especially good. For video courses, people seem to really like Principles of Christian Growth with Dr. Mark Minnick or the Biblical Counseling Series with Dr. Jim Berg. If it’s a written study you’re looking for, lots of people like to start with the Foundations of Christian Living series.

Ordering is easy. You can order online and get started right away. You can also order by calling toll-free at 888.253.9833 or 864.242.5100, ext. 2042. We’ll be glad to answer any questions that you may have. Payment can be made by credit card, check or money order. Most orders are shipped via UPS and arrive approximately one week after receipt of payment.

IBE courses are for personal enrichment. As such, they are not offered for college credit. However, you can work toward several levels of achievement. Participants receive a certificate of completion for each unit. In addition, the following categories of recognition are available:

A Certificate of Biblical Counseling is also available for the completion of the 6-unit Biblical Counseling Series. This may be substituted for the Special Topics Divisional Certificate.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are also available for each IBE course. The Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is a measurement that documents participation in non-academic-credit continuing education programs. BJU offers 2 kinds of CEUs for participation in IBE courses:

• Standard CEU: One standard CEU equals ten contact hours (50 to 60 minutes of instruction). When appropriate, a fractional part of a standard CEU may be awarded, but not less than 0.1 (1 hour equals .1 CEU). A transcript is available for standard CEUs. Most employers and licensing/accrediting bodies use the standard CEU definition. If you request a standard CEU transcript, a transcript of all of the BJU CEU activities in which you have participated will be sent.
• ACSI CEU: One Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) CEU equals 6 to 11 contact hours. Only whole numbers may be awarded (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.). A certificate is available for ACSI certification. If you request an ACSI CEU, a certificate for only the course/activity that you indicate will be sent.

The number of Standard and ACSI CEUs available are listed with all the courses. A $10 fee per transcript/certificate requested will apply.

Everything you need to complete the course successfully! If it’s a video course, we’ll send your DVDs, which are provided on a 6-month rental basis. At the end of your study, please return the video materials to the address listed on the last page of your study guide. You can return your study guide, too, but after we review it and record your progress, we’ll send it back to you with a certificate of completion, both of which are yours to keep. If it’s an online course, all the required materials are available on the Internet.

Optional textbooks may be purchased from the BJU Campus Store (toll-free 800.252.1927).

The IBE curriculum consists of 46 units, most of which contain 12 to 15 lessons. There are 24 written units and 22 video units. These are distributed among 5 divisions: Old Testament Studies, New Testament Studies, Theological Studies, Practical Studies, and Special Topics. Each division consists of a 2-unit “core course” and additional “supporting courses.” Generally speaking, the core course serves as an introduction to the division, and the supporting courses are electives that focus on biblical books or topics in more detail. View our courses

No, you are free to take the courses in whatever order best fits your interests. We can make some recommendations, but ultimately the choice is up to you!

Browse the IBE section, or call our office toll-free at 888.253.9833. Feel free to email us as well. We’ll be glad to answer whatever questions you may have.