History and Purpose
At the time of its inception in 1993, the non-traditional undergraduate program at Trinity International University - Florida (formerly known as EXCEL) was developed with a commitment to provide adult learners with quality Christian higher educational opportunities in the liberal arts and professions in a manner that brings glory to God. Today, the undergraduate program has expanded to include all post-secondary learners and our commitment to quality Christian higher education and glorifying God remains unshakable. Trinity Florida's undergraduate programs maximize convenience, relevance, and service to our students while helping them grow as whole individuals through engaging instruction and stretching curricula. We are dedicated to providing adults a means to complete degrees that will draw on past experience as well as providing students at any age with the tools needed for lifelong learning. It is our desire that those proceeding through our programs will grow spiritually, intellectually, vocationally, and relationally and will have the tools to continue that growth throughout their lives.
The Mission of Trinity Florida's Undergraduate Program
Trinity Florida educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness, and lifelong learning.
An Overview
The undergraduate programs of Trinity College at Trinity International University - Florida offer unique opportunities for all learners to enhance their professional goals through accelerated education. The baccalaureate degree earned by Trinity Florida graduates is the same degree offered through Trinity’s traditional programs and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The programs offer a means for busy students to complete their undergraduate degree in a convenient and timely manner. Students may enter Trinity Florida's undergraduate programs with or without any number of prior college credits and, by taking accelerated courses one at a time, finish their degree within a manageable time-frame. The undergraduate degree programs are comprised of core classes within the major field of study, general education courses, and free electives. Students may transfer credit, gain credit by examination, seek credit based on prior experience or job-related learning, or take courses from approved traditional campuses and/or online courses to meet graduation requirements.
We believe Trinity's undergraduate programs here in Florida meet the needs of 21st Century students like you. Are you this kind of student?
- You are busy and have many competing responsibilities. To introduce any educational program into already full schedules is a considerable challenge.
- You are motivated to learn. Students who choose TIU-Florida are typically ready to give the effort needed to benefit from classes for which they are sacrificing.
- You have learned discipline. As a result of a rigorous secondary education, being in the workforce, and/or managing the complexities of both professional and personal responsibilities, many of our students have developed a sense of discipline that serves them well in our undergraduate programs.
- You have broad life experiences. Learning theory tells us we learn by relating abstractions to memories of past experiences. Drawing on a broad background of experiential knowledge and ethnic diversity allows students to quickly grasp ideas.
- You desire relevance. In your daily life, you encounter situations where the classroom learning may be consistently applied to real life, allowing for a more motivated learning environment.
- You have developed skill in independent learning. You have, by necessity, learned to seek information on your own from a variety of sources allowing you to be an active participant in your own educational processes.
- You learn best when you are personally involved. There are many styles of learning, but when you interact in small groups, engage in role play, prepare projects, and apply techniques in the workplace or day to day living, the learning is deep and retention is long.
- You have many insights of your own. Experience is a tremendous teacher. You have much to contribute to the learning of others. Discussion is valued as highly as lectures in Trinity Florida's classes.
Goals Across the Curriculum
The key question that constantly confronts the curriculum in our rapidly changing society is: “What educational qualities allow an individual to succeed and thrive in the unfolding future?” Eight competencies rise to the top. Trinity seeks to enhance these abilities across the curriculum for each of the undergraduate programs. They are:
Integration of a Christian worldview: The ability to formulate a distinctively Christian perspective concerning ideas, people, events, relationships, and issues and then to discern responses consistent with that perspective.
Self-knowledge: A willingness to examine one-self, including one’s emotions, temperament, values, goals, experiences, preferences, habitual processes, and identity structure.
Open-minded inquiry: The commitment to explore, understand, and appreciate divergent perspectives, values, and cultures without losing identity through premature closure or complete relativism.
Critical thinking: The evaluation, through sound research and thinking, of the quality of ideas and information, the merits of courses of action, and the integrity of one’s own beliefs and viewpoints.
Aesthetic appreciation: Love for the beautiful, the imaginative, the delightful and empathy for the unlovely, the commonplace, the tragic.
Organizational effectiveness: The ability to effectively participate in organizational settings, including working in teams, giving leadership, and solving problems creatively.
Communication: Competency in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and collaboration.
Lifelong learning: Awareness of foundational questions and knowledge structures in a variety of disciplines, coupled with curiosity, a desire to learn, and skills in self-direction.
Standard Framework
- The undergraduate programs at Trinity Florida are designed to be nonresidential programs.
- Classes meet once a week for a four-hour block.
- Students generally take one course at a time.
- Classes typically meet for five to seven weeks.
- Classes may be subdivided into study groups expected to accomplish group tasks in addition to individual work.
- Primary emphasis is placed on building transferable skills rather than preparing individuals for specific job functions.
- Skills that cross the curriculum are deemed just as important as the content specific to courses.
- Interaction is emphasized in the classroom, focusing on integrative activities and student input. Prior learning is valued and drawn upon to enhance the educational environment.
- Integrative papers are the primary means of evaluation, though tests may be used when appropriate to the content.
- Community building occurs outside the classroom using online formats.
Program Objectives
Trinity Florida's undergraduate degree programs are designed to meet these objectives:
- Provide students a flexible means of completing their entire undergraduate degree in a reasonable time frame without forcing students to abandon ministry, work, or family responsibilities.
- Meet students’ needs for relevance, convenience, and vocational advancement.
- Foster key skills, such as writing, speaking, critical thinking, problem solving, information literacy, ethical thinking, and the ability to integrate faith, values, and practice.
- Students can enter the program at various stages in their academic career and enroll in courses that proceed one course at a time. Clusters can be combined to form an entire degree program supplemented by transfer hours, elective courses, credit for learning outside the classroom, and credit by examination.
For students to satisfactorily complete an undergraduate degree through Trinity Florida, they select a major, complete general education courses and, optionally, select a minor. They may also take individual classes offered as electives and seek assessment of credit for prior learning. Some courses are offered in a remote learning format. Since students may enter the undergraduate program at various points in their progress toward a degree, different majors have different admission requirements. The primary goal of the admission requirements is to ensure that students enter equipped for success. Students should work closely with an academic advisor.
General Education and Elective Courses for Florida Undergraduate Programs
For All Majors
To guarantee a well-rounded liberal arts education, the college requires all undergraduate students to gain understanding in a variety of fields. These requirements can be met by taking undergraduate general education courses, through transfer credit, credit for prior college-level learning, or credit by examination. Before graduating, students must have 45 credit hours of general studies distributed in the following way. Education majors must follow the specifications established by the Division of Education to meet the undergraduate General Education requirements, as found in the Elementary Education section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biblical Studies / Theology / Lifelong Learning (9 hours) | ||
| Select two: | 6 | |
| Understanding the Old Testament | ||
| Understanding the New Testament | ||
| Biblical Interpretation | ||
| Select one: | ||
| IDS 105 | Foundations for Adult Learning | 3 |
| or IDS 150 | Foundations of Christian Thinking and Living | |
| College Writing (6 hours) | ||
| ENG 111 | Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
| ENG 115 | Writing and Research | 3 |
| Humanities (12 Hours) 1 | ||
| Select one: | 3 | |
| Studies in Fiction | ||
or ENG 308 | Nineteenth-Century Women Authors | |
| Select one: | 3 | |
| United States History Through the Civil War | ||
| United States History Since the Civil War | ||
| World Civilizations to 1600 | ||
| World Civillizations Since 1600 | ||
| Additional Humanities courses for Florida residents: 1 | 6 | |
Select 6 hours from the general education course offerings. Total hours must represent at least three of the following fields: Art, English (excluding composition), Foreign Language, History, Literature, Music Theory, Philosophy. 2 | ||
| Math or Computer Science (3 hours) 3 | ||
| Select one: | 3 | |
| Applied Computer Technology | ||
| Mathematics in the Modern World | ||
| Introductory Statistics | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Science (3 hours) | ||
| Select one: | 3 | |
| Earth Science | ||
| Human Biology | ||
| Environmental Conservation | ||
| Social Science (12 hours) 1 | ||
| Select two courses from the following options. The courses that are selected must come from two different areas of study, which are represented by the different prefixes (BUS, COM, CRJ, POL, PSY, and SOC). | 6 | |
| Introduction to Economics | ||
| Personal Finance | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Intercultural Communication in a Global Context | ||
| Introduction to Criminal Justice | ||
| Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and Criminal Justice | ||
| American Government | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Psychology of Addiction | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Marriage and the Family | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Additional Social Science courses for Florida residents: 1 | 6 | |
Select 6 hours from the general education course offerings. Social Science courses consist of the following fields: Anthropology, Economics & Business, Education, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Health & Wellness. | ||
| Total Hours | 45 | |
| 1 | 12 hours of Humanities and 12 hours of Social Sciences are required by the state of Florida. |
| 2 | Applied subjects (e.g. applied music, dance, drama, etc.) are not acceptable to meet this requirement. |
| 3 | Math must be college algebra or above; computer science must be general introduction, not programming, and completed within the past five years. |
For Florida Students
General Education Courses are those college-level courses designed to place emphasis on principles and theory rather than on practical applications associated with a vocational, occupational, or professional objective. General education courses may include, but not limited to, English, history, philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, sociology, foreign languages, humanities, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and psychology, when such courses are not within the area of concentration of a vocational, occupational, or professional program. For example, English Composition is considered a general education course, but Business English is not. Courses designated as "applied", "specialized", "technical", or similar designation do not meet this definition.
Note: “Double-dipping” is not permitted for General Education requirements. No one course can satisfy two General Education requirements. Further, no more than 9 credits can simultaneously count for both General Education and any major/core requirements.
