NationsUniversity, also known as Nations University or NationsU, is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

university in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. It only offers

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

(as well as in small learning pods and different locales)and focuses on "the development of faith and the training of Christian leaders around the world." While NationsUniversity's founding faculty and many of the staff are affiliated with the

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ, also commonly known as the Church of Christ, is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations located around the world. Typically, their distinguishing beliefs are that of the necessity of baptism for salvation ...

, NationsUniversity itself is a nondenominational online Christian university, which offers certificates,

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

in religious studies, and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in theological studies, and a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

(M.Div.) degree. The school offers all of its programs through the internet and correspondence but does provide some degree of remote student services including having a full-time chaplain on staff. The school has become a popular school for low-cost education for Church of Christ ministers in Kenya.

History

NationsU was incorporated in 1996 by Richard Ady, Mac Lynn, and Darrell Frazier. Ady and Lynn had been college classmates. Ady's career had been in church work and Lynn had worked in

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

as a teacher and administrator. Ady had previously founded the World English Institute.History of Nations University
Nations University website Gathering volunteers who would travel around the globe, conducting courses and seminars in religious studies, was the plan. As time progressed, around two hundred volunteers were enlisted to provide assistance. As the group's activity strengthened, the demand for religious degree programs strengthened. Therefore, the organization became officially incorporated in Louisiana on July 19, 1996, as NationsUniversity. The school celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020 with an online event during the COVID19 pandemic.

Academics

NationsU offers three different degree programs and three certificate programs. These programs include: * Certificate of Biblical Studies * Certificate in Christian Ministry * Graduate Certificate in Biblical Studies· * Bachelor of Religious Studies * Master of Theological Studies * Master of Divinity In 2011 the student announced that it has served 5,000 student to date with its programs. As of December 1, 2019, active enrollment stood at 1482 students in 100 countries and 40 states within the U.S. Of the total enrollment, 328 were formally admitted into the Certificate in Biblical Studies, 228 to the Bachelor of Religious Studies, 80 to the Master of Theological Studies, and 47 to the Master of Divinity. The remainder were as yet not formally admitted to a specific program of study and as of December 31, 2018, 1,369 degrees have been awarded since the founding in 1996.

Accreditation and Affiliations

The institution is accredited by The

Distance Education Accrediting Commission The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), formerly the National Home Study Council and then the Distance Education and Training Council, is a private and non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States speciali ...

(DEAC). Since 2019, the institution has been a member of the

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an American financial standards association representing Evangelical Christianity, Christian parachurch organization, organizations and churches, which qualify for tax-exempt, nonpro ...

."NationsUniversity accredited by national fianancial accountability organization" ''RNS Religion News Service'' (Sept. 12, 2019)
(accessed Mar 12, 2023)

References

External links

* {{authority control Distance education institutions based in the United States Universities and colleges established in 1996 Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ 1996 establishments in Louisiana Universities and colleges in New Orleans Private universities and colleges in Louisiana Distance Education Accrediting Commission