It’s remarkable what modern technology has made possible for Christian higher education. Not only has the Internet paved the way for students to conveniently attend accredited universities fully online without having to go to a campus, but it has also given students the option of pursuing a quality Christian education while earning an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral or other postgraduate degree online.

Students attend Christian colleges online for many reasons. Some choose these colleges because they want to explore their faith in greater depth and build Christian leadership skills while studying non-religious majors, such as business or psychology. Others choose these colleges to attend seminary online and prepare themselves for a life of ministry. Whatever the reason, students who choose online Christian colleges want to ensure God is incorporated somewhere in their education.

Online Christian colleges have developed ways of integrating topics of faith throughout secular curriculum. One way they do this is by requiring Christian coursework within a certain secular field of study. For instance, an online business student at an online Christian college would need to successfully complete courses in Christian thought and biblical literature in order to graduate, alongside with the courses you would expect to see in a business track, such as business law, economics and accounting. This provides students with both an academic and spiritual education.

Many Christian institutions offer online Bachelor of Science degrees in secular areas like criminal justice, education and business, but they also offer a Bachelor of Science in religion, along with minors in biblical studies, church ministries and Christian counseling. At the master’s degree level at Liberty University for example, students have the option of pursuing secular areas of study like nursing or accounting, but can also choose the seminary track, which offers study in areas of Christianity like discipleship ministries, evangelism & church planting, pastoral counseling, theological studies and worship studies. The above-mentioned areas are Master of Arts degrees, but there are also options such as Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Theology and Master of Religious Education at Christian institutions like Liberty.

While not everyone chooses online Christian colleges to prepare themselves for ministry, most benefit from the broadened focus on areas of philosophy, theology, spirituality and religious life that a Christian college affords. Those who do choose to prepare themselves for ministry will experience more intensive studies in scripture and Christian thought. The Master of Divinity program at Regent University, for example, has a deep focus on biblical languages, church history and theology.