Bachelor of Science Degrees
English Professional Studies Program
Intercultural Studies Program
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Pre-Seminary Program
Sports Ministry Program
Music and Worship Studies Program
-Dance and Worship Program
Youth Ministry Program
Kuyper College’s English major is distinctive in that we recognize that the skills learned in earning an English degree prepare students for diverse professional/vocational settings. To that end, Kuyper College’s English major is a praxis-oriented major, requiring our students to complete internships consistent with their career goals. In addition, students will choose a career track for their studies from TESOL, writing, or editing. English majors will develop competence in skills required in many different vocational settings, including communication, interpersonal skills, critical thinking and analytical skills, creativity and imagination, and incorporation and expression of a biblical, Christian worldview.
Link to English Professional Major in Kuyper College Catalog - PDF
Intercultural Studies Program
The Intercultural Studies Program is designed to develop and instill in students the skills and knowledge necessary to minister and communicate the gospel in cultural settings different from their own. Students are taught to understand non-Western customs and cultures and other world and folk religions and to apply missiological, anthropological, and historical principles for evangelism and church growth both domestically and globally.
The program prepares students for ministry roles in intercultural settings as church planters, youth-ministry leaders, teachers of English as a foreign language, and social workers.
Some key courses and opportunities:
- Student practitioners in social work, youth ministry, TESOL, missions, pre-seminary, and education learn how to communicate across cultures in the course Ministering Cross-Culturally
- Faced with the world religions and their distortions on their own doorsteps, students learn how to share a contextualized gospel that makes sense in World and Folk Religions Today
- How do we share the gospel in today's pluralistic, postmodern era? Gospel Communications prepares our graduates with the tools to identify receptive hearers and to be able to share their faith.
- Student practitioners in the different disciplines of study at Kuyper College need to be equipped for holistic ministry, for word and deed ministry. Global Urban Development is one course that introduces students to this biblical concept and gives basic principles for ministering holistically.
The Intercultural Studies Program integrates theory with practice in a manner were students have the opportunity to apply learning through supervised field education and internship experiences. This takes place in domestic or foreign settings, with denominational agencies and parachurch organizations.
Link to Intercultural Studies Program in Kuyper College Catalog - PDF
Link to Intercultural Internship Handbook - PDF
Interdisciplinary Studies Program
The interdisciplinary studies major is designed for students who wish to pursue more than one area of study while gaining a solid core of ministry and vocational skills. This major is specially designed for students who are undecided about which major to pursue or to those whose vocational goals are not addressed in an existing major within the College.
To fulfill the requirements of this major, a student must complete 27 credits from at least five of these disciplines: anthropology, foreign language, literature, communication arts, history, fine arts, philosophy, sociology, social work and TESOL.
Link to Interdisciplinary Studies Program in Kuyper College Catalog - PDF
Pre-Seminary Program
Whether you have always known you would attend seminary or have just started thinking about it as a possibility, Kuyper College's Pre-Seminary Program could be just the program you are seeking.
Ask yourself:
- Have leaders in your church encouraged you to go to seminary?
- Do you want to have your call to seminary confirmed by your undergraduate work?
- Are you interested in an academic career in biblical or theological studies?
- Has God called you to a preaching ministry? Do you want to be better equipped for a ministry of leadership in your home, your church, and your world?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then Kuyper College's Pre-Seminary Program may be a good fit for you.
The Pre-Seminary Program is for men and women interested in in-depth biblical and theological studies who want to take a deeper and longer look at God's Word and world, whether for personal enrichment or preparation for seminary graduate studies.
Imagine starting seminary ready to dig into Old Testament Hebrew, having already mastered New Testament Greek. And with Kuyper College's unique focus on field education, which gives students the opportunity to engage in meaningful and supervised ministry opportunities in churches and communities, you will be well on your way to being equipped for ministry.
One of the unique components of Kuyper's Pre-Seminary Program is Greek-language studies (12 hours over four semesters). Students who graduate with this degree have completed two years of biblical Greek-language studies and exegesis—fully satisfying the Greek-language requirements of even the most demanding seminaries around the country. This means that Kuyper pre-seminary graduates have a head start on their seminary education, regardless of the school they attend.
While all Kuyper students earn sufficient credits in Bible and theology to receive a major in this area, students on the pre-seminary track have the opportunity to dig deeper into these studies. Pre-seminary students can take a course in every part of Scripture—Pentateuch, Psalms, Prophets, Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation.
The decision to attend seminary is a significant one—it means more years of schooling and more money spent on education. Students in Kuyper's Pre-Seminary Program can test and confirm their call and commitment to seminary, since the program provides a strong foundation for seminary studies.
Kuyper College's Bible and theology professors have graduated from a variety of seminaries across the country. Each of these professors endorses the value and importance of the College's pre-seminary education for seminary-bound students. Along with the Academic Office and the Career Development and Field Education Office, which have material on seminary programs around the country, faculty members would be pleased to share with students their seminary experiences and counsel them about the right seminary fit for them.
"The depth of biblical and theological study to which this program will take you, balanced with the breadth of its general education courses, will jump-start your seminary education," Kuyper College, Assistant Professor of Theological Studies Jessica Maddox.
Link to Pre-Seminary Career Track in Kuyper College Catalog - PDF
Sports Ministry Program
Young people possess the potential to move and shake the economic, political, social and religious structures of our world. Who better to reach with sports that convey the reconciling message of Christ than those who are first-hand participants in the heart of our culture? This message offers eternal salvation as well as transformation for the whole person and the systems in which people live. Sports ministries that invite true discipleship go beyond counting converts to equipping them for hope-filled participation in the kingdom of God.
The sports ministry career track program partners with the Bible major and general education classes to holistically train and equip leaders to develope future leaders for the kingdom of God. Specifically, it prepares students to engage the current culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ using a variety of sporting activities that embody truth and love. This marriage of evangelism, discipleship and sports cn occur in recreational roles, parachurch ministries, community youth agencies, international training organizations or missionary settings.
Link to Sports Ministry Career Track in Kuyper College Catalog - PDF
Kuyper College's new music and worship major is unique in undergraduate programs today. It's been carefully designed in response to the heartfelt need expressed by church leaders for direction and help in impacting today's culture through the ministry of worship.
Based on research data gathered from a broad spectrum of pastors and church music leaders, the program includes theological foundations, broad-based exposure to traditional and contemporary worship music and styles, music instruction, development and use of technology, and practical hands-on experience in church settings.
Graduates of the program will acquire skills, which, when integrated with the arts, will enable them to design and confidently lead worship in a variety of local and global settings. In addition, they'll be proficient in piano, keyboard, and organ or guitar, as well as vocal leadership. They'll also learn the delicate skills of interpersonal communication and conflict management necessary to lead groups of people with varying degrees of talent and commitment.
Dance and Worship Emphasis
Kuyper College also offers an emphasis with this program, the Dance and Worship major. By collaborating with Turning Pointe School of Dance, students can earn a bachelors degree from Kuyper College, in which Bible, theology and general education courses are taken at Kuyper, and dance courses are taken on campus and at Turning Pointe Christian Dance Academy in nearby Holland, Michigan. This new program is a training ground for dancers who desire to use their gifts in a worship ministry setting. Through this program, students are grounded in theology and biblical principles, and equipped to plan and lead biblically faithful and culturally relevant worship, with particular attention to the role that dance can play in ministry.
The Worship Studies Program is already receiving great reviews from respected and nationally known worship leaders, songwriters, and producers. "We live in a period of significant change in worship practices as churches both reclaim tradition and express creativity," said John Witvliet of Calvin Theological Seminary. "This new worship program at Kuyper promises to equip future worship leaders with not only the leadership skills necessary for congregational life, but also the pastoral sensitivity to use those skills well."
When combined with the Bible and theology major and communications minor that every graduate receives, Kuyper's Worship Studies Program is a cutting-edge and fresh approach available to individuals who are called by God to lead the Church in worship.
Link to Music and Worship Studies Career Track in Kuyper College Catalog - PDF
Link to Dance and Worship Suggested Four-Year Schedule - PDF
Are you looking to make a lifelong impact on the lives of young people? Then perhaps the Youth Ministry Program at Kuyper College is for you.
We recognize that God has created us to be in relationship with him and with one another. Therefore, any education in any vocation should focus first on our relationship with our God, and second on loving one another.
Kuyper College's Youth Ministry Program has been developed as a career track with integrity. This is not a cookie-cutter ministry degree with a youth-ministry label—students will be taught sound biblical doctrine and contemporary methods for relating that doctrine to the youth of today.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This truth must be lived out in genuine, authentic relationships. Our program focuses heavily on building long-term, significant relationships with youth, leaders, and the communities we serve. The example of Jesus' incarnation provides an excellent model to follow. Students will learn how to communicate the gospel in relevant language to a lost and hurting youth culture.
By pursuing a Bible major, the student will understand how Christ's message from the Great Commission provides clear direction and purpose for ministry with adolescents.
The program features heavy emphasis on field-work in order to use the tools being developed in the classroom. To gain additional hands-on ministry experience, senior intern placements and other practicums are available. As part of these internships, students spend their senior year under the supervision of an experienced youth leader, minister, or pastor.
The Youth Ministry program also allows for integration with other forms of ministry , allowing students to specialize their field of studies even further.
Upon completion of this program students will be able to apply for positions with churches, Christian camps, community youth organizations, and a wide variety of other Christian ministries. They will be trained to go to all corners of the world to minister to young people in the name of Christ.
It's our belief that God has called us to make a significant impact on the lives of his children. We make this impact through caring, genuine, and lasting relationships sharing Christ's love and life found in his Word.
"Youth ministry is not a stepping stone to something bigger and better," said Pastor Brian Telzerow, professor of youth ministries.
"Youth ministry requires a long-term commitment to build relationships and model the life of Christ to an ever-changing youth culture."
Link to Youth Ministry Career Track in Kuyper College Catalog - PDF
Link to Youth Ministry Program Student Handbook - PDF