● Two Certificate Programs (about 1 year)
Certificate in Church Service
Certificate in Church Leadership
● Diploma in Ministry (about 2 years)
● Bachelor's Degree in Ministry (about 2 years beyond Diploma)
● Master's Degree in Ministry (about 2 years beyond Bachelor’s)
● Phd in Ministry (2-4 years beyond Master’s)
Frequently, students who apply to CMT desire to transfer university credits for courses they took before at other schools. Students who have successfully completed theological and ministry courses in the past with other credible schools are welcome to present their transcripts to see if these credits can be recognized by CMT. Our CMT university accepts credits from other schools based upon the merit of the courses taken and the credibility of those schools, and providing the subjects meet the standards of CMT and are similar or equivalent to courses in the CMT Curriculum. CMT is strictly a theological education institution, so credits for training in secular fields may not be eligible for transfer.
Students may be required to take an entrance exam and be interviewed by CMT Staff to judge their readiness to enrol in CMT. The decision to admit students and whether credits from another school are transferable is solely at the discretion of CMT.
Transfer students with considerable ministry experience, but who feel they lack a complete Bible college training, may be eligible to take advantage of CMT Bridging Courses. The purpose of these Bridging Courses is to help students “bridge the gap” of knowledge in a particular area to meet CMT’s standards. Students who desire to enter a CMT course sometimes need some extra pre-enrollment learning in order to meet the prerequisites of that course. This procedure made be deemed necessary if they wish to have CMT accept their prior learning and have those credits entered into their CMT transcript.
CMT students who have taken Certificate Level or Diploma Level courses may desire to advance into the Bachelor's Degree Level. These students may be required to take some Bridging Courses and an entrance exam to meet the higher expectations of this level.
Mature servants of God with years of preaching and teaching experience may also be able to apply, on a case-by-case basis, to have a portion of their personal, academic-level studies in the Scriptures converted into college credits with our School.
What is Credit for Learning by Experience?
We realize that the greatest classroom of all can be the Holy Spirit's school of on-the-job-training and experience. Valuable education is not just learned from books or from the classroom setting, but from years of actual ministry to those around us.
Credit for Learning by Experience (CLE) refers to academic credit granted by CMT for learning experiences that have occurred in non-traditional settings, such as in workplace or ministry situations where knowledge was gained and skills developed. It may have taken place through serious personal study or attendance at workshops or conferences. These kinds of learning are particularly valuable if they occurred under the guidance of mentors or supervisors.
How is CLE viewed in the world of academia today?
The traditional practice of institutions of higher learning was to recognize learning as legitimate only when it occurred when the knowledge was imparted or directly supervised by a teaching professional. The expectation was that this knowledge would be be memorized by the student and hopefully applied. However, often the knowledge gained was primarily theoretical. What was largely missing was a demonstration and documentation of students actually going out and applying abstract and theoretical knowledge into real life situations.
In recent years colleges and universities have come to place increased value on knowledge acquired outside the classroom through non-traditional learning experiences of students, often acquired over time in the course of professional employment or merely as a curious, longtime life-learner.
A new appreciation for actual outcomes in the world of learning, even if this learning occurs via alternative means, is an important development which has allowed many tens of thousands of mature learners to further their education and obtain degrees. The African saying, “The old man sitting on the ground sees farther than the young man who climbs a tree,” aptly describes the credibility and respect that is increasingly being shown to those with proven and fruitful life experience.
For the Christian minister, valid Learning by Experience happens through years of deep and detailed study of the Scriptures for the purpose of teaching it to others. Servants of God also acquire critical skills and competencies through on-the-job training and direct involvement in challenging professional and ministry experiences, such as counseling, managing staff, persevering through trials, pioneering new ministries and projects, building and maintaining organizations, interfacing with authorities and the secular community, etc. Christian leaders attend conferences, take seminars, read books, are mentored by seasoned supervisors, etc. They discover how to integrate theoretical knowledge (what is truth) with practical application principles (how is it carried out).
Center for Ministerial Training has embraced this growing trend among universities of placing value on non-traditional learning. Through our CLE program, CMT students are encouraged to apply to have their previous experience evaluated to see if some of it can be converted to academic credit.
Obviously, not all life-learning is at the academic level of university courses, but some definitely could be. If the quality of this non-formal learning can be duly substantiated and corroborated by evidence, then the possibility exists for CMT to convert a portion of it into academic credit. Currently, CMT offers a maximum of 25% of the total 120 credits required for an undergraduate Bachelor degree to be earned through prior Learning by Experience. In rare cases CMT may increase the amount of non-formal credits earned beyond 25%, depending on the breadth and depth of a student’s experience. The non-formal learning must be evaluated to be roughly equivalent to knowledge gained through courses that are listed in the CMT curriculum catalog. For this to happen, students must fulfill other requirements, such as the preparation of an extensive Learning by Experience Portfolio, interviews with CMT staff, and the payment of school fees.
Although a long list of universities today recognize the legitimacy of converting life experience into academic credit, CMT makes no guarantees that any credits derived from non-formal life experience will be transferrable into other educational institutions.
What is a CLE Portfolio?
Students with prior history of significant life and ministry experience and scholarly study of God's Word may qualify them to challenge a course or subject area. These students develop a carefully documented Portfolio which is assessed by our School to determine if the quality and appropriateness of this experiential knowledge can be considered as functionally equivalent to college credit. Testing may be required to validate hours of credit. In preparing a portfolio, students must follow the School's guidelines in compiling, categorizing, and documenting in detail all information pertaining to course or subject areas the student wishes to be considered for credit. An autobiographical resume is also included. The information contained in the student portfolio is kept on file by the School for accreditation purposes.
Students who wish to be given CMT credit for prior ministerial and life experience may be required to take CMT Bridging Courses in certain subject areas to round out their knowledge and to be CMT course standards.
In the Master's Degree program a maximum of 25% or 9 credit hours can be earned from life and ministry experience evaluated and approved by the School through Portfolio Assessment.
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