Liberty University

Liberty University is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation, the largest university in Virginia, and the largest Christian university in the world. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 beautiful acres in Lynchburg, VA, Liberty offers over 450 programs from the certificate to the doctoral level.

Since 1971, the mission of Liberty University has been to develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrow’s world. With a unique heritage and an ever-expanding influence, Liberty remains steadfast in its commitment of Training Champions for Christ.

Liberty University is an accredited evangelical liberal arts institution with 17 schools and colleges and more than 450 unique programs of study from the certificate to doctoral level. By incorporating academic theory, research, and hands-on training, Liberty equips students with the knowledge and skills they need to make a lasting impact on their profession.

Liberty maintains that a university’s prestige is not defined by the exclusivity of its admittance policy. We believe a successful university is defined by how many students it educates to their full potential, not how many it turns away — that is why Liberty continues to offer tuition rates that are among the lowest in the nation.

Every course at Liberty is taught by professors with real-world experience who view their position as a calling, not just a job. With a low student-to-professor ratio and caring Christian faculty who are invested in each student’s success, Liberty fosters an environment in which learning occurs among a community of peers and instructors.

Many of Liberty’s programs are comprehensive, offering education for every level of a given discipline or profession. Preparing students for careers in medicine, education, religion, law, aeronautics, psychology, business, and more, Liberty is committed to developing tomorrow’s leaders — men and women of character who will make a positive difference in their communities and in the world.

• College of Arts and Sciences

• School of Nursing

  In accordance to the missions of the University and the School of Nursing, the purpose of the Nursing Graduate Programs is to prepare nursing leaders, nurse educators, and advanced practice nurses to transform the nursing profession through character development, leadership, and scholarship. Grounded in Biblical values, the Nursing Graduate Programs focus on the care of the whole person; body, mind, and spirit.

  The student will be able to:

  1. Integrate research and scholarship into advanced nursing practice.
  2. Influence nursing practice by integrating policy criteria and advocacy skills.
  3. Employ quality improvement, safety standards, and outcomes management to support best practices in nursing.
  4. Collaborate with members of interprofessional teams to promote culturally competent population health care and clinical prevention in a variety of settings.
  5. Utilize innovative health care technologies in a variety of practice settings.
  6. Apply Christian Worldview and ethical decision making to Advanced Nursing Practice.
  7. Demonstrate leadership in a variety of professional practice and educational settings.

• College of Osteopathic Medicine

  Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine [LUCOM] exists to educate osteopathic physicians in a Christian environment. LUCOM prepares physicians who dedicate themselves to excellence in the practice of osteopathic medicine through service toward their fellow man, life-long learning, and the advancement of medical knowledge. Instilling the Christian values of integrity and professionalism, LUCOM trains physicians who will provide ethical, compassionate, competent, and patient-centered osteopathic medical care.

• Alton W. & Lois H. Overton Graduate School of Business

  The purpose is to educate business students with the values, knowledge, and skills they need in the development of the whole person to enable them to impact their world. Inherent in this mission are the following fundamental imperatives:

  1. That all teaching be given within a distinctively Christian worldview.
  2. That the Word of God be honored as the final authority for life and practice.
  3. That justice and ethics be exalted within a context of limited government and a free market system in a global economy.
  4. That all of life’s tasks are sacred and are to be done as unto the Lord.
  5. That the education process be a collaboration with faculty and staff, helping to transform students into self-sufficient, lifelong learners.
  6. That courses of instruction be designed and delivered to provide our graduates with a competitive advantage as they pursue their chosen careers.

• School of Behavioral Sciences

  The School of Behavioral Sciences exists to promote an integrated understanding of science, practice, and faith. Programs prepare future graduates dedicated to impacting the fields of Psychology, Counseling, and Social Work within the context of a commitment to scientific competence and the demonstration of best practices supported by a Christian Worldview.

• School of Communication & Creative Arts

  The School of Communication & Creative Arts, comprised of the Cinematic Arts–Zaki Gordon Center along with the Departments of Digital Media & Communication Arts, Studio and Digital Arts, and Theatre Arts, offers graduate degrees in order to prepare artists and scholars in the practice and theory of the communication arts. Degrees, by department, include: Digital Media & Communication Arts: M.A. in Strategic Communication; Studio & Digital Arts: MFA in Studio & Digital Arts; majors in Graphic Design and Studio Art.

• School of Engineering and Computational Sciences - Online Program

  The Master of Science in Cyber Security equips students with the hands-on skills needed to be a cyber-security professional.  This 36-hour program provides balance between theory and practice, all of which is presented against a backdrop of Christian ethical values.

  
  The student will be able to:

  1. Evaluate emerging cyber security technologies.
  2. Design solutions, using cyber security knowledge, skills, and abilities, for practical scenarios.
  3. Comply with professional, ethical, legal, security and social responsibilities.
  4. Incorporate Christian worldview perspectives when addressing cyber security challenges.

• School of Education

  The School of Education (SOE) is committed to providing the highest quality Christian education based on the principles of God’s Word. The school, by virtue of its commitment to strengthening the mind, body and soul, educates the whole person as God created us. The school offers programs to prepare graduate students for careers in teaching, school administration, and school counseling.

  Excellent teachers and school leaders are an invaluable asset to the home, church, community, and nation. The Licensure Programs at Liberty are designed to provide programs of study and pre-service experiences that will foster excellence and stimulate improvements in teaching amd leadership practices in Christian, public, and private schools. The programs are designed for teacher candidates and school leaders who are preparing to work in  kindergarten, elementary, and middle school, as well as high school and college settings. Those wishing to pursue careers in middle school, or high school teaching may do so in the following areas: biology, business, computer science, English, family and consumer sciences, history/social sciences, and mathematics. Comprehensive licensure may be completed in the following areas: music (vocal or instrumental), health/physical education, Spanish, special education, and teaching English as a second language.

• Helms School of Government

  The Master of Arts in Public Policy (MAPP) is a joint venture of Liberty University School of Law and Liberty University’s Helms School of Government.
  
  Graduate level training pointedly designed to “impact the world” by training Christ-centered statesmen, leaders, scholars and policy makers, the MAPP will train its graduate to effectively shape policy in governmental, legislative, political, communications, managerial, academic, and international relations areas.
  
  The Master of Arts in Public Policy provides access to faculty who are statesmen, leaders and policy makers and embody a Christ-centered philosophy that Liberty University ascribes to an imparts to a world in need of Christ’s directed influence.

  The student will be able to:

  1. Analyze, plan, and develop public policies and/or public policy initiatives for national, state, and local governmental organizations, international organizations, private entities, and/or non-governmental agencies.
  2. Conduct quantitative and qualitative research on issues affecting federal, state and/or local legislative bodies.
  3. Analyze impact of existing or proposed public policies on individuals, institutions, American society and/or international relations.
  4. Analyze structure and operations of governments, corporations, for-profit, non-profit entities and the judiciary as they relate to public policy.
  5. Apply appropriate analysis skills.

• School of Health Sciences

  The School of Health Sciences provides students graduate education and skill development opportunities in Biomedical Sciences, Exercise Science, and Public Health with an emphasis on the Christian worldview.

   

• School of Law

  Liberty University School of Law exists to equip future leaders in law with a superior legal education in fidelity to the Christian faith expressed through the Holy Scriptures.

  • Equip future leaders in law. Inspiring students and preparing them to excel and lead in their profession.
  • With a superior legal education. Constructing and implementing an education characterized by excellence.
  • In fidelity to the Christian faith. Adhering to the perspective that shaped the Western legal tradition.
  • Expressed through the Holy Scriptures. Pursuing truth in a context of free thought and expression informed by a standard.

• School of Music

  The mission of the Liberty University School of Music is to train and equip musicians as Champions for Christ.  While the School of Music has only one mission, two distinctly unique and focused purposes emerge: 1) The Center for Music and the Performing Arts – trains and equips musicians to serve as highly skilled performers and music educators in a variety of commercial and academic markets, secular and sacred; and, 2) The Center for Music and Worship – trains and equips highly skilled musicians to serve as worship practitioners and Christian Music industry specialists in the evangelical community. Both the Center for Music and the Performing Arts and the Center for Music and Worship support graduate degree programs for today’s 21st Century student. These programs in ethnomusicology, music education, music and worship, and worship studies are scholarly, rigorous, intellectually enlightening, and educationally enriching. They are also practical, market driven, and focused on career preparation and development.

In 1971, Pastor Jerry Falwell, Sr. challenged his congregation at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va. to establish a Christian college whose students would “go out in all walks of life to impact this world for God.” Soon after, Lynchburg Baptist College became a reality.

Through those founding years, students and faculty were inspired to influence the moral and ethical course of America. Subsequently, the school’s name officially changed to Liberty Baptist College in 1975 and the colors were changed to red, white, and blue. The college achieved full accreditation with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1980. 

By 1985, the school had become recognized as a fully­accredited university, adding programs and garnering recognition from both mainstream culture and the world of academia. Liberty also pioneered a distance learning program that year, launching what is now known as Liberty University Online.

With the passing of the founder in 2007, his son, Jerry Falwell, Jr., became chancellor and president of the university. At the 2007 Commencement ceremony, just days after his father’s passing, the now President Falwell proclaimed, “We have prepared for this transition for 15 years or more. All is well at Liberty.”

In only four short decades, Liberty has grown to become the nation’s fifth largest university, and most importantly, the world’s largest Christian university.

Liberty’s journey has been one of facing giants, making the impossible possible, watching fervent prayer move mountains, and Training Champions for Christ.

Accreditation ensures that Liberty University has met strict standards with regard to degree programs, faculty, administration, student support and services. Accreditation also ensures that courses taken and degrees earned through Liberty University will be accepted by other accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

There’s always something going on at Liberty. Nearly every major offers an academic organization, and the opportunities to volunteer, join a club or get involved with social causes are numerous. You’ll stay busy, but make sure to schedule some time to unwind. Hit a few of the campus hot spots such as the LaHaye Student Union for a workout or the Student Center for a cup of coffee and some socializing between classes.

Campus Recreation keeps students moving with a variety of recreational activities. From paintball to horseback riding, whitewater rafting trips and waterskiing to chess and video game tournaments, Campus Recreation offers something for everyone.

Christian Service. Weekly Campus Church and Convocation services connect students with their Creator through passionate worship and powerful messages firmly rooted in Biblical truth. Liberty University students understand the importance of the Great Commission — and Liberty supports their global vision through short and long-term missions trips.

Department of Ministry Teams. With several distinct sounds and one clear mission, Liberty University’s Ministry Teams perform at events and church services throughout the country to praise God and act as ambassadors for Liberty.

The Center for Ministry Training (CMT) is an innovative training center for all students who want ministry training, experience, and placement possibilities.

 Liberty Online Communities is only a click away, providing both online and residential students with resources to encourage and strengthen their faith. Watch streaming videos for relevant, accessible guidance, or submit a prayer request.