Online Courses
A maximum of 42 credits in the Master of Divinity; 29 credits in the Master of Arts in Biblical Leadership; 13 credits in the Graduate Diploma; and 5 credits in the Diploma program may be completed through online distance learning, whether taken at Phoenix Seminary or transferred from another instititon.
Online courses appeal to current on-campus students who may need to commute long distances or have an unexpected schedule conflict at home or work. They also appeal to those accepted to study at the Seminary who must delay moving to Phoenix for a season. Students in other U.S. states or foreign countries also find such courses a good option. Online courses are available for full academic credit to those enrolled in the Seminary’s degree and diploma programs and may also be accessed on a non-credit basis in several personal enrichment certificate options. Online courses offered by Phoenix Seminary meet all applicable regulations of State and Federal agencies and the criteria of our professional (ATS) and regional (HLC) accrediting agencies.
The Phoenix Seminary Faculty have approved 28 Master-level courses which can be offered online (the Faculty’s philosophy of education places a priority on the importance of face-to-face instruction and ministry formation in traditional classroom settings). Because the development of quality, graduate-level online courses is both expensive and time consuming, we are moving forward in this area carefully over several years and current online course offerings are limited. Our Online Education Committee is currently developing new online courses, focusing on classes drawn from the core curricula of our Master-level programs. As new online courses are completed, they will appear in the semester course schedules with course numbers followed by the letter “o.”
Phoenix Seminary online courses are multifaceted, consisting of learning experiences such as captured lectures, assigned readings, projects, research papers, quizzes, discussion forums and examinations. The classes require regular and substantive student-faculty and student-student communication. Courses are often taught/facilitated by the faculty member whose lectures form the backbone of the course. Occasionally, however, the “professor of record” may be another Seminary faculty member who facilitates the course, using the captured lectures of the professor who developed the course. Online courses follow a traditional 15-week semester format. A sample syllabus for an online course may be found below.
Sample Online Course Syllabus - BL505o (195.9 KiB, 192 hits)
Application to Study Online at Phoenix Seminary
Inquiries from online students about enrolling at Phoenix Seminary are welcomed in a variety of ways—by phone, email, Skype, paper correspondence and via Facebook. An Enrollment Counselor is available during business hours to consult with interested students about admission requirements, degree program options, the student experience and so forth. The Counselor will explain the types of courses available in online format, the commitment required to succeed in these courses and the amount of online education that can be accepted toward completion of requirements for a particular degree, diploma or certificate.
Making formal application to enroll in Phoenix Seminary—whether as a resident student or an online student—is done electronically through our website (link below) and requires establishing a student login and password. Once a prospective student has begun an online application, he or she may save the data entered and return to it at a later time to add required information and complete the application. The entire application process, including required references, is online. Application may be made to either credit or non-credit programs. Students wishing to take non-credit online classes in our Certificate program complete an abbreviated application.
Admission requirements for students in a degree program are the same as for on-campus students, allowing them to move seamlessly from online to campus course enrollment without additional steps. At any time during the application process an applicant may contact an Enrollment Counselor for clarification or assistance. Serving the prospective student so that he or she may engage in theological education of excellence is our highest priority.
To apply for admission to take graduate online courses for credit in one of our degree programs please click the following link: Apply for Admission, Degree.
To apply for admission to take online courses on a non-credit basis for personal enrichment in one of our certificate programs please click the following link: Apply for Admission, Non-Degree.
Online Course Technical Requirements
To complete an online course you need the following computer and software minimums:
| Internet Connectivity | High speed connection (DSL, Cable, Satellite, Wireless) |
| Software | Microsoft Office 2007 or higher, Adobe Acrobat Reader |
| PC operating systems | * 32-bit OS: Windows XP SP2 or SP3, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 (app mode not supported) * 64-bit OS: Windows 7, Windows 8 (app mode not supported) |
| PC browsers | 32-bit OS versions only: * Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 8+ (i.e., 8, 9, 10) * Mozilla Firefox (FF) 4+ * Google Chrome 11+ |
| PC media player requirements | Windows Media Player (WMP) 10 or higher. WMP 11 or higher recommended |
| Mac operating systems | * 32-bit OS: 10.5 (Leopard), 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 10.7 (Lion) * 64-bit OS: 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 10.7 (Lion) |
| Mac browsers | * Apple Safari 5+ * Mozilla Firefox 4+ |
| Mac media player requirements | * Intel-based: Silverlight 3 or higher * PowerPC-based: Silverlight 1 |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB |
| Recommended RAM | 1 GB or more |
| Minimum CPU | Pentium 4, 1.3 GHz |
| Recommended CPU | Intel Core Duo |
Technical Skills Required to Complete an Online Course Successfully
To complete the requirements of a Phoenix Seminary online course you must have the ability: (1) to use a computer word processor such as Microsoft Word; (2) to launch a web browser (see above) and complete an online application at the seminary website for admission to Phoenix Seminary; (3) to register and pay tuition and fees for classes on line; (4) to log into the seminary’s Moodlerooms Learning Management System and establish access using a password/key provided to registered students; (5) to access course materials and discussion forums by clicking on the items and dropdown menus displayed on the course page in Moodlerooms; (6) to send and receive email; (7) to send assignments to the professor as an attachment to email or through the electronic course dropbox in Moodlerooms; and (8) to complete course evaluations and related assessment surveys online.
Online Student Services and Support
Technical assistance is available to online students. Please contact: Technical Support at tech_support@ps.edu.
Once they are admitted, online students will be assigned a “personal librarian” at the Seminary Library with whom they may communicate by email, telephone or Skype video call. Contact information for Library staff may be found at: Library Staff.
Registration information may be viewed here. Academic advising may be obtained from the Registrar. Contact information may be found at: Office of the Registrar.
Career Counseling is provided by the Dean of Students. Contact information concerning Career Counseling may be found at: Vocational Guidance.
Mentoring for Online Students
An approved mentor-student relationship is required of all online education students enrolled in the Seminary’s master-level programs. The purpose of mentoring relationships is to stimulate student growth in godliness so he or she may increasingly embody the character of Christ and lifestyle of a mature Christian disciple. We encourage this growth through heart-to-heart mentoring relationships for each student. Mentoring is intended to help the student:
- Evidence an increasing love and growing accountability to God and the body of Christ.
- Demonstrate Christ-like character and personal integrity.
- Evidence strong moral and ethical standards in both personal and professional relationships and duties.
- Demonstrate mental and emotional health.
By the close of the first semester of study each degree student must complete a Student-Mentor Agreement establishing such an arrangement and begin regular personal meetings with the mentor. Mentoring continues as indicated below:
- M.Div. — Until the student completes 60 credit hours and passes the 60-hour Faculty Review.
- MABL — Until the student completes 42 credit hours and passes the 30-hour Faculty Review.
- MAC — All semesters the student is enrolled for courses at Phoenix Seminary and until the student passes the 15-hour Faculty Review.
The Mentoring Department will work with each online student either to engage someone he or she knows as a mentor, or find a Seminary-approved mentor. The mentor must be a spiritually-mature Christian who accepts the opportunity to bring maturity, accountability and encouragement to the student in conjunction with his or her degree requirements. Mentors must be approved by the Director of Mentoring and must give permission to undergo a background investigation.
More Information about the Mentoring Program can be found here: Mentoring Program.
Financial Aid for Online Students
Online students enrolled in Phoenix Seminary have access to the same array of financial aid options available to resident students.
- Online students have access to the financial aid process via the Seminary’s website where links and forms are provided for students wishing to apply for scholarships and loans.
- The policies and procedures for financial aid are published on the Seminary’s website and in the current Student Handbook.
- Financial Aid counseling can be conducted by telephone or Skype. Documentation can be managed via email. (All students anticipating using federal student loans are required to have one-on-one financial counsel from the Financial Aid Officer [either in person, by telephone or Skype]).
More information on Financial Aid may be accessed at: Office of Financial Aid.
Field Education Requirements for Online Students
Resident and online students have identical Field Education requirements. For MA and M.Div. (BC and LD concentration) students this is an Internship as described in the Student Handbook. MAC and M.Div. CF students must complete one practicum during their residence on campus. The Director of Counseling programs is available to discuss this requirement with prospective MAC and M.Div. CF students: jsmith@ps.edu or (602) 850-8000, extension 137.
Online students choosing to complete their Field Education requirements where they reside may do so by arranging for an internship experience close to them. Guidance for this is available in the following document.
Internship Information and Registration Packet - 2012-13 (260.0 KiB, 74 hits)
Student Conduct Requirements for Online Students
Student conduct requirements at Phoenix Seminary apply equally to resident and online students. Resident and online education students are required to know and follow the “Student Conduct Policy.” Please see pages 104-105 in the Student Handbook, which may be downloaded below.
2012-13 Edition of the Phoenix Seminary Student Handbook/Catalog (36.6 MiB, 3,169 hits)
