General Information about City Vision College

Introduction

City Vision College is the Internet-based distance education program of TechMission.  Its mission is to prepare men and women for successful careers with rescue missions and other ministries, particularly those working in the inner city.

Students may enroll year round in the college's certificate or degree program, the latter of which leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Missions with an urban ministry emphasis.  Individual courses may also be taken for personal enrichment and professional development.

Goals & Objectives

The City Vision College curriculum is designed to prepare its graduates to:

A.   Understand the history of evangelical efforts to reach the needy in urban areas

B.   To recognize the Biblical basis of the urban mission movement.

C.   Oversee the financial and administrative functions of a non-profit organization.

D.   Lead and motivate staff members and volunteers.

E.   Manage programs and services that meet the diverse needs of the people served by that rescue missions and similar organizations.  This includes programs such as services for homeless men and women, long-term residential programs, youth work, and family ministry.

F.   Demonstrate the basic promotional, fundraising, and public relations skills necessary to communicate effectively with supporting constituencies.

A degree or certificate from City Vision College, coupled with appropriate experience in the field, can open the door to employment in a variety of administrative and direct care positions with rescue missions and similar organizations.  These positions include executive director, assistant director, department head, program director, chaplain, caseworker, and various other administrative positions.

Accreditation & Affiliations

Distance Education & Training Council City Vision College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for distance learning schools. As such, our programs and administrative policies are frequently reviewed to ensure that we continue to meet the DETC's exacting standards of excellence.
Missouri Department of Higher Education City Vision College is certified to operate as a postsecondary education provider by the MDHE.  The central focus of the Proprietary School Certification Program is consumer protection. This is accomplished through the establishment of standards for school operation and monitoring of those operations.
Association for Biblical Higher Education City Vision College is an affiliate member of ABHE, which was organized in October, 1947. Formerly known as the American Association of Bible Colleges, it offers a variety of programs and services to affiliate institutions.
ACCESS An association dedicated to providing professional growth opportunities and resources for Christian institutions and individuals committed to develop greater accessibility in education.  Recognizing that most adults cannot be extracted from the context of their work and ministry to pursue further training in a residential environment, ACCESS members are today on the "cutting-edge" of discovery and delivery of nontraditional approaches to training Christian leaders.
CFRE International Approved Education Provider The Certified Fund Raising Executive Credential is the mark of excellence for fundraising professionals. CFRE International, which grants the credential, has approved several City Vision College courses for continued education credit.Full participation in these courses is applicable for forty-five (45) points in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

Programs of Study

A.   Certificate Program
The Certificate in Urban Ministry is granted to students who successfully complete 30 hours of City Vision College course work. Since each course is worth 3 credits, students must take 10 courses to receive this certificate.

B    Degree Program
City Vision College offers a degree completion program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Missions with an urban ministry emphasis. The degree requires 120 credits and is equivalent to 4-year academic degrees awarded by accredited residential colleges in the United States.  To earn this degree, the student must have at least 90 transfer credit hours from an accredited college or university. Students then take 10 City Vision College to complete their degree.

C    Enrollment In Individual Courses
City Vision College courses are open to anyone who wishes to enroll.  Before a student enrolls, however, he or she should keep in mind that the courses are presented at college-level.  If the student wishes to pursue a certificate or degree with City Vision College after taking individual courses, all credits earned will be applied to that program.

Program Options

Students may now choose from one of two options for the City Vision College degree-completion and certificate programs: an emphasis on either direct care ministry or mission management.

Ministry Track
301 - History of Urban Missions
305 - Human Resources
306 - Residential Recovery Programs
307 - Facilities Management
308 - Food Services
401 - Counseling in the City 
402 - Life Skills Training
403 - Urban Evangelism & Discipleship 
404 - Case Management

Management Track
302 - Nonprofit Administration
303 - Nonprofit Accounting
304 - Ministry Management
305 - Human Resources
307 - Facilities Management
308 - Food Services
309 - Fund Raising Basics
310 - Intermediate Fund Raising
405 - Financial Management

All students are required to take this course:
311 - Theology & Strategy of Urban Mission 

City Vision College Internships

The City Vision College curriculum is a unique distance learning experience that incorporates the actual operations of a rescue mission or other approved nonprofit organization as both "laboratory" and "classroom."  The City Vision College approach places a great emphasis on "learning while doing" and requires various assigned tasks at approved training sites.  See Information and Opportunities to be Provided by Approved Training Sites for more information about these on-site learning experiences.

To fulfill this requirement, students with no current involvement with a rescue mission or other approved organization may participate in a one-year "on-the-job" training experience. Interns are assigned to training missions that are members in good standing of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, or to other approved ministries.

Each rescue mission that participates in the program appoints a staff member to serve as a field supervisor for interns.  These individuals must have at least a bachelor's degree and five years of full-time ministry experience. 

While they are at the training mission, interns are primarily responsible to their field supervisor, who files periodic reports with the college.  They give guidance to interns and organize training experiences to coincide with the assignments of the City Vision College courses.  

Field supervisors coordinate the training experience of interns in conjunction with the college.  They also work with other mission staff members who will be involved with the training experience.  

Interns spend at least forty-five (45) hours per month in activities at the training mission that directly correlate with the subject matter of their courses.  In order to provide time to fulfill their academic responsibilities, they are limited to only six hours a day in ministry-related tasks and have at least one free day each week.

While some training missions give interns housing, meals and modest stipends, they are not employees in a legal sense.
 

Transfer Credit Policy

Students who wish to enroll in the degree program must have the required transfer credits from accredited institutions of higher learning that are recognized by the US Department of Education.

The student must request that the other academic institution send an official copy of his or her transcript directly to the City Vision College enrollment office.  This transcript and other pertinent documents should be on hand at the time of the application.

The maximum number of credits, which can be accepted in transfer toward the Bachelor degree is 90.  The final 30 credits must be made up of courses offered by City Vision College, each of which is worth 3 credits.

To be fully accepted into the degree program, students must have ninety transfer credits; at least 32 General Education and 58 additional elective credits.  These must include 

Courses in Public Speaking and Biblical Studies are recommended.

Transfer credit is granted only for courses in which the equivalent to City Vision College’s standard for a “C” (average) or better has been earned.  All transfer credit must fit City Vision College’s academic program requirements.  Courses in which a grade of “pass” is received must be certified by the school as being equivalent to City Vision College’s standard for a “C” or higher in order to be accepted in transfer.

Transcripts and official documents must be in English or be accompanied by an official translation into English.  Where official transcripts are unobtainable due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, City Vision College may accept for review a valid affidavit that substantiates the student’s academic record.  In all cases, City Vision College reserves the right to determine whether it will accept transfer credits from another academic institution.

For a list of courses in each subject distribution, as well as a list of regional accrediting agencies and conversion table for transfer credits, see the Transfer Credit Policy page.
 

Method of Study

City Vision College is an Internet-based distance education program that utilizes an on-site training component.  Internet-based courses provide an interactive online learning environment with access to several learning resources.

The curriculum is a unique distance learning experience that incorporates the actual operations of a rescue mission or other approved urban ministry as both "laboratory" and “classroom."

The course work involves students in directed observation, analysis, data gathering, and evaluation of the various aspects of an urban ministry's operations.

The independent study component includes:

• Assigned readings

• Audio recordings of lectures and workshops

• Written research projects

• Proctored examinations

• On-line discussion and collaboration with other students and faculty members

• Other guided on-site learning experiences

The college courses are offered via the Internet.  Assignments and examinations are submitted via e-mail and the World Wide Web.  Students can download enrollment forms, register for courses, and pay for them on-line. 

All students are required to have their own personal Internet e-mail address and access the World Wide Web.  Some assistance is available to assist them to connect to the Internet.  In many cases, access through public libraries and free e-mail services are sufficient. 

Prospective students without a current involvement with a rescue mission or similar approved ministry must participate in a supervised internship.

Computer Requirements

• Pentium PC with Windows 95/98/XP/2000 or comparable Macintosh
   

  • At least 64 MB of memory
     

  • 56K modem. High speed Internet connection (cable, DSL, etc.) recommended
     

  • Word processor (Microsoft Word, MS Works, WordPerfect, etc.)
     

  • Internet Web Browser (Students may use any they choose, but Mozilla Firefox, a free download, is recommended)
     

  • E-mail Application (MS Outlook Express, Netscape E-mail, and web-based e-mail such as those provided by Yahoo! and Hotmail are all free.)
     

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download from http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/)

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