Liberal Arts B.A. [Online]
The Liberal Arts B.A. degree prepares the student with a biblically based perspective on critical thinking, a broad base of interdisciplinary knowledge, and engagement with modern culture. This program serves as a solid foundation for students intending to pursue graduate work in the various fields of the liberal arts.
Why Liberal Arts?
A YoutThe search for truth and the ability to think across disciplines is a major reason to pursue a degree in the liberal arts—mathematics and science, history and literature, philosophy, fine arts, and social sciences—because they provide us with ways to discover truth in the world. Fitted together with theological reflection on God’s Word, these disciplines enable us to formulate a robust understanding of God, the world, and ourselves. The breadth of study provides knowledge and background which are often left underdeveloped in other programs, helping the liberal arts graduate thrive in a wide variety of fields.
Curriculum Intro
The BA in Liberal Arts program has been designed with input from our expert faculty in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, ensuring you graduate with the in-demand skills and knowledge that the ministry and workplace needs. The program requires 66 credits from the University Core, 42 credits from the specialization courses, 12 credits from electives. View a sample curriculum sheet for a snapshot of the courses you will take.
Online B.A. in Liberal Arts from Cairn
Biblical Integration
Cairn University is committed to the centrality of Christ and the Word of God and is reflected in the curriculum and instruction. At Cairn, faith and truth do matter. We teach our students accordingly, challenge you to think deeply on these things, and strive to make you ready to serve Christ in the church, society, and the world as biblically minded men and women who not only give assent to truth but think and live in light of it.
Academic Opportunity
The Cairn mission statement begins with education and ends with character, because we believe that education should change not only what you know, but who you are and what you do.
Experienced Faculty
Our courses are designed and taught by the School of Divinity faculty who are actively involved in ministry and are committed to your professional and spiritual growth. In addition to the carefully crafted learning activities, our faculty are substantively engaged during the course delivery.
Flexibility
Complete coursework anywhere through our asynchronous course design, reinforced by substantive faculty engagement. It's the same courses, the same degree, the same faculty as the onsite program.
Affordability
Cairn University students earn more than a professional credential – you develop a solid foundation for all of life and learning. Wherever you go after you graduate from Cairn, you go prepared and ready to make a difference in your workplace, your community, your church, and around the world. And our competitive tuition rates and financial aid packages help to keep your education costs reasonable.
Campus Community
Community is about more than simply taking classes together. It's more than having a similar experience. Community is powerful, instructive, encouraging, and biblical. And at Cairn, community is intentional. It's attended to closely be an outworking of the University’s biblical commitment and understanding that in Christ, we are one.
more Details
Get an inside look at our Liberal Arts Program
There are over 70 unique programs at Cairn to choose from! Not sure if this is the best program for you? Here are some more details to help you decide.
Required Credits: 120
Curriculum Highlights:
- HUM Lit/Arts Hist Context
- THE 302 Bib Persp Contemp Issues
- HIS 302 Global Hist of the Church
- PHI 301 Philosophy
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Cairn Online has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which regionally oversees postsecondary online education.
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An Affordable Education
While the cost of a Cairn University education is competitive with similar institutions, we realize you may need financial assistance to take this journey. You are not alone. 97% of our full-time undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance.
Meet Our Faculty
Charlotte Gleason
Chair, Humanities department
After graduating from Cairn University in 2000, Charlotte taught high school English in public schools both in Pennsylvania and New York. Her high school students inspired her to reconsider the place of adolescent literature in the classroom, and in 2006 she completed her thesis on how to integrate both the classics and YA literature in the classroom.
The birth of her first son led her to pursue higher education, and in 2007 she accepted a position as a part-time faculty member at Cairn University. During the last two decades, Charlotte has taught in a variety of classrooms and developed curriculum for private Christian schools and home school families, including her own. Recently, Charlotte transitioned to a full-time role at Cairn. She teaches a variety of literature, composition, and education courses and serves as the Chair of the Humanities Department in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Victoria Bradley Aquilone
Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Victoria (Tori) Aquilone has always loved learning. She started attending Cairn for her undergraduate degrees in social studies education and Bible while she was a senior in high school. Her studies took her to graduate school where she has spent two degrees—a master’s degree in liberal studies from Villanova University and the better part of a PhD in English from the University of Delaware—studying human relationships with the natural environment in the context of contemporary American literature.
At the forefront of Tori’s academic work is the God of the Bible, whose general revelation of Himself in creation, namely His “invisible attributes” of “eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20), drives her desire to learn about and care for that very creation, as well as study literary works that celebrate it. In particular, Tori’s work engages sustainable agriculture, tree community, and plant-thinking. Even with such rich scholarly studies, Tori’s heart is in the classroom and thoroughly enjoys teaching English Composition, Literature and Arts in Historical Context I & II, and other literature courses.
Cairn Online Frequently Asked Questions
The tuition for post-secondary education has become expensive in general. However, Cairn Online programs rank amongst the most affordable online bachelor’s and master’s programs. While the tuition costs vary by program level, the rate is typically $425 per credit or 12K per year for A.A. and B.S. programs and $300-$725 per credit for graduate programs.
The current tuition rates are available from this page. Scholarships and financial aid are also available.
Currently there are over 6 million online learners in the United States, and those numbers are growing every day. Online degrees that have regional accreditation are held to the same standards as traditional universities, ensuring that students earn a valuable degree that will prepare them with the skills and credentials for their career. Do research to find an online degree that is accredited and reputable, such as those offered at Cairn University.
Cairn Online courses based on Cairn’s 100+ years tradition of excellence in biblical education. Our on faculty has carefully designed them taking into consideration what works best for the online learner. The modular design and asynchronous delivery enable you to complete your studies while you pursue your career, ministry and spend time with your family.
Courses typically contain seven units and are delivered in 7-week terms*. Each unit contains 5-7 modular activities. Each learning activity includes instructional videos accompanied by reflections, quizzes, discussion forums and other assessments. Courses also utilize adaptive learning technologies such as Cerego for long-term retention of concepts and VoiceThread for enhanced collaboration.
The asynchronous delivery provides flexibility around your daily busy schedule. In most courses, interactive activities are typically due by Wednesday while the rest of the unit’s work is due by Sunday night. The MBA, M.A. in Music and Criminal Justice programs use the 7RD2 process and require the completion of certain activities daily to optimize learning.
Our own Cairn faculty intentionally participate in the course throughout the week to provide you with an incarnational experience.
*Few capstone courses are intentionally offered in 14 weeks to optimize student learning.
A.A. programs usually take 2 years and B.S. and B.A. programs typically take 3-4 years to complete.
Graduate programs vary in length by program. As an example, Cairn’s traditional MBA typically takes 20 months to complete but then there is also the accelerated One-Year MBA that you can complete in 12 months.
If you are looking to complete your program sooner, you can consider taking more 7-week courses at a time.
All courses are developed by one or more course developers and taught by our own faculty. The instructors are also intentionally involved in the course throughout the week by providing direction in the course activities, participating in the forum discussions, grading the student work and providing substantive feedback. Most courses also offer optional office hours weekly via Zoom or similar video conferencing tools.
Our instructional design team works very closely with the course developers and carefully plans the courses to balance the technology requirements. Most courses use the eLearning platform for hosting the course materials, Panopto for video capture and storage, VoiceThread for enhanced discussion forums, and Cerego for adaptive learning. Zoom is used at times for virtual office hours. These sessions are optional.
Except for the Hebrew and Greek language courses for the B.S. in Biblical Studies program, typically there are no required meeting times for the completing the course activities.
The course transfer depends on where you are transferring from, and what program you are transferring to. If you are coming to Cairn Online from another institution, it is very likely you will have some credits that will transfer. Because there are so many options, we encourage you to talk to an enrollment counselor. If you are transferring out, Cairn is a regionally accredited school and some credits should transfer with relative ease. Each college sets their own transfer criteria, so be sure to check their policies for specifics.
Cairn Online offers a variety of options for prior learning and experience. You can receive up to 6 credits for prior learning for graduate programs. At the discretion of the program advisor, three to six credits for prior learning (CPL) can be awarded for students with extensive background in areas addressed by specific courses. Additionally, advance standing may be granted for Bible or theology credits earned at an accredited Bible college, Christian liberal arts college or university, or seminary. Credits will be granted on a course by course basis.
Cairn is approved to offer financial aid because of its regional accreditation. There are many options available and typically students qualify for at least one type of federal aid. Many students receive scholarships and grants that make earning their degree even more affordable. Cairn offers a variety of scholarships and discounts in addition to options for loans and grants. Please refer to this page for details.
The requirements depend on the program you are considering. Please refer to this page for details.
