Degrees Offered at Luther Rice College & Seminary
Luther Rice College & Seminary appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Master’s in Theology Degree Programs Online.
Luther Rice College & Seminary is a private divinity school and theological seminary that offers a broad range of degrees based on biblical scholarship and leadership. From the undergraduate to the graduate level, the programs available online and on campus at Luther Rice are focused on Christian teachings and ministry. At the undergraduate level, Luther Rice offers a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Biblical Studies with a choice of three degree minors, including biblical counseling, Christian worldview, and ministry. All bachelor’s programs can be completed entirely over the Internet or in a hybrid format of online and campus-based classes.
Tuition for classes covers student learning resources such as academic support and career placement programs, and all courses take advantage of state-of-the-art technology and technological security. The physical and online libraries at Luther Rice contain millions of e-books and e-documents for students to download and use in their studies. The Lithonia, Georgia campus offers many student resources, such as computers, printers, scanners, wireless Internet and production software for course projects.
Earning a four-year degree at Luther Rice is a challenging and stimulating experience that the vast majority of students are able to do within six years of enrollment. Graduate students have several choices of nationally accredited degree programs that can be completed online or in person. Master’s students can choose a degree focus from five possible specializations: Christian apologetics, biblical counseling, Christian studies, Christian leadership, and ministry. Master’s programs are designed to be completed within 18 to 24 months by online students with full-time careers. The seminary programs available at Luther Rice include the Master of Divinity and the Doctor of Ministry. The Master of Divinity program differs from other master’s programs in that it prepares ministers and Christian leaders to attain a higher position of leadership within a church organization.
The Doctor of Ministry program is available almost entirely online. Four introductory courses must be completed on campus during a four-week period at the beginning of the D.Min. program. Students are required to have an M.Div. degree before enrolling in the D.Min. program. Students with a different type of master’s degree but at least 90 hours of graduate-level coursework in theology or ministry may also be considered for a D.Min. Doctoral students are required to have real-world work experience in Christian divinity or ministry. Graduates of this program may go on to fill the role of senior pastor, church administrator, divinity professor, Christian author, nonprofit coordinator or theological missionary.
About Luther Rice College & Seminary
Luther Rice Seminary was founded in 1962 as a divinity school for ministers and church leaders who had difficulty balancing work and student life. It is primarily a distance education university, and most degree programs are available entirely online, with the exception of the Doctor of Ministry program. The school was originally built in Jacksonville, Florida, and it is now located in Lithonia, Georgia.
For its first 30 years of operation, Luther Rice educated seminary students through online and correspondence programs based in Jacksonville. In 1991, it moved its headquarters to Lithonia and began offering campus-based programs as well as online and correspondence programs in ministry and divinity. With the advent of high-speed Internet in the 2000s, Luther Rice began to focus on Web-based education, with some degree plans requiring in-person attendance.
The university’s name comes from the missionary, minister and educator Luther Rice, who lived during the early 1800s. Each year, about 1,400 students enroll in classes at Luther Rice College & Seminary. Degree plans available include bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in Christian apologetics, leadership, counseling, and ministry. It is a private, nonprofit university with a Southern Baptist interpretation of Christian doctrine.
Luther Rice College & Seminary Accreditation Details
Luther Rice is institutionally accredited by three national organizations. The Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education has accredited Luther Rice to award undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology, ministry, and divinity. The Accreditation Commission of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools has accredited Luther Rice to offer degree programs recognized by Christian institutions outside the United States. On December 8, 2020, Luther Rice was also granted membership as an accredited institution by the Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate degrees. These accreditations ensure that credits from Luther Rice can be transferred to other theological seminaries and divinity schools. The process of accreditation involves a thorough audit of the university’s educational resources and facilities. The student learning experience is assessed by education experts with extensive knowledge of Christian ministry and divinity. Accreditation is renewed every 10 years to ensure that academic and pedagogical standards are upheld.
Luther Rice College & Seminary Application Requirements
The acceptance rate at Luther Rice is 76 percent, so most students can reasonably expect to be admitted within 30 days of submitting an application. About 78 percent of students graduate with a four-year degree within six years of enrollment. Application requirements for campus-based and online degree programs are the same. Undergraduate students are required to submit a high school transcript or GED certificate with their applications. Transcripts must contain information about grade point average and class ranking. Transfer applications must include an official college transcript with at least 30 hours of credit earned from a nationally or regionally accredited university.
Graduate school applicants must include a college transcript with proof of a bachelor’s degree. Graduate students are not always required to have experience in the subject of their graduate studies, but they must be able to demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in a graduate program by passing the relevant section of a GRE test. Application deadlines are the same for undergraduate, graduate and online students. Applications for spring enrollment are due by November 1, and applications for fall enrollment are due by March 1.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students of Luther Rice live in 44 different states, and most of them can complete their online degree programs without ever traveling to Lithonia, Georgia. The cost of tuition at Luther Rice is approximately $6,800 per year, and when the cost of books and living expenses is included, the total cost is increased by around $14,936 per year. Financial aid is offered by the federal government through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid program. By completing the online FAFSA form, students can apply for grants and subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Federal student aid is awarded on an as-needed basis, and public loans don’t need to be repaid while the student maintains at least half-time enrollment status. All students can apply for scholarships, grants and private loans through the financial aid office at Luther Rice College & Seminary.