Officials from Louisiana Christian University (LCU) and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) signed a historical partnership agreement April 13.

The partnership re-affirms transfer options for LCU graduates who study in the NOBTS Accelerated Master of Divinity program (M.Div.) established in 2019. The new agreement offers NOBTS students the opportunity to transfer credits toward the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees. The partnership will expand the training options available for God-called men and women in Louisiana and help students save time and money.

Rick Brewer, president of LCU, and Jamie Dew, president of NOBTS, signed the agreement on the NOBTS campus in conjunction with the seminary Spring trustee meeting.

“We are very excited about the leadership of Dr. Brewer, and we are so grateful to have Louisiana Christian University as a partner,” Dew said. “We are trying to do everything we can to make the pathways to ministry more efficient, for the Kingdom.”

Brewer said that he wants LCU to stand with partners who proclaim “thus sayeth the Lord” like NOBTS. He sees the expanded partnership as a way to address a culture that is increasingly hostile for the gospel.

“This should be a model for more Baptist universities to link up with seminaries for Kingdom work and to address the challenges before us,” Brewer said. “We are grateful for the partnership with the seminary.”

The NOBTS Accelerated Master of Divinity Program
The agreement offers LCU graduates the opportunity to start the NOBTS Accelerated Master of Divinity program with advanced standing by transferring pre-approved courses from their undergraduate program. The program reduces educational redundancy and the time it takes to complete the M.Div. by leveraging the quality biblical studies and ministry instruction students receive at LCU.

Potential Accelerated M.Div. students from LCU must apply to NOBTS and meet all the admissions requirements for the school. Students must have earned a “B” or higher in a qualifying undergraduate course to receive credit toward a master’s course. In addition, the credits can only be applied to the Accelerated M.Div. program within five years of a student’s baccalaureate graduation.

The LCU MBA program
NOBTS students with an interest in earning a business degree will benefit from the partnership with transfer options in LCU’s Master of Business Administration (MBA). NOBTS students in the M.Div. program can transfer up to nine credit hours from a pre-approved course list into the MBA program at LCU. LCU courses taken in the MBA program may be used to fulfill the free elective requirements for the M.Div. degree.

NOBTS students must meet all of the LCU MBA admissions requirements for acceptance into the program. Requirements include an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and a 2.5 minimum undergraduate GPA. Candidates must also earn an Inbound Peregrine Assessment score of 100 or higher. Students must have at least three undergraduate credit hours in accounting, economics, finance, statistics, and spreadsheet proficiency or take a leveling course during the first semester in the MBA program. The LCU MBA program will charge the same rate per credit students pay in their master's study at NOBTS.

The LCU MSW
NOBTS students earning the Master of Arts in Church and Community Ministries degree will receive transfer credit of up to 15 hours (on approved courses) toward the 60-hour Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at LCU. The LCU program is accredited by CSWE and gives students the opportunity to become licensed social workers. LCU courses taken in the MSW program may be used to fulfill the free elective requirements for the Master of Arts in Church and Community Ministries degree.

NOBTS students must meet all of the LCU MSW admissions requirements for acceptance into the program. Requirements include an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university with nine hours of social science credits and nine hours of humanities credits. NOBTS students who graduated with a BSW from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program can gain advanced standing in the LCU program. The LCU MSW program will charge the same rate per credit students pay in their master's study at NOBTS.

“We are excited about the new articulation agreement between LCU and NOBTS that creates innovative pathways for our students to earn more than one graduate degree,” said Cheryl D. Clark, vice president of academic affairs at LCU. “Under the new partnership, students will be able to fast track earning graduate degrees from both institutions.

“We are very excited to partner with Louisiana Christian University to provide our students opportunities to attain these degrees which we do not offer ourselves,” said Norris Grubbs, NOBTS provost. “Students can work on both degrees at the same time and be prepared for a ministry world that is always changing.”