As a nationally ranked Christian university, Biola University is located in La Mirada, California. The university was founded in 1908 and offers an educational experience that is centered on biblical teaching and spiritual development. All of the staff, students and faculty are Christians, which make this a unique learning environment.
Biola University began as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and was founded by Lyman Sterwart and Reverend T.C. Horton. Theses men established the school to educate both men and woman in the gospel’s truth. In just a year, there were more than 540 extension courses, and by 1912, the school hired R.A. Torrey, a Christian leader in education, was made dean.
Over the next decades, the school continued to grow and eventually moved from a two-year program to four-year program under the leadership of President Dr. Louis T. Talbot. Courses offered were sacred music, Christian education, theology and missionary medicine, which was a one-year program. In 1949, the institute became a bible college, and in 1952 opened the Talbot Theological Seminary. Just 10 years later, the school had to purchase a large site in La Mirada, where it sits today.
The school became Biola University on July 1, 1981 and it is made up of the Talbot School of Theology, the School of Arts and Sciences and the Rosemead School of Psychology. The School of Intercultural Studies was established the following year, the School of Business in 1993 and School of Education in 2007.
In 2014, Biola University was ranked as number 10 on U.S. News and World Report’s list of America’s “up and coming” national universities. Currently, the school enrolls more than 6,000 students, offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and has courses on campus, online and several distance programs.
Featured Online Programs
Figuring out where to apply? These top, accredited schools offer a variety of online degrees. Consider one of these accredited programs, and discover their value today.
Biola University Accreditation Details
Biola University is accredited as an institution from the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Additionally, the university has accreditation for specific programs including from the American Psychological Association, National Association of Schools of Music, Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs and the California Commission for Teacher Preparation and Licensing.
Biola University Application Requirements
The admissions process for Biola University typically begins in the fall or winter of the student’s senior year of high school. First time students must complete an application for admission along with a $45 application fee. Students must write an essay and submit it along with the application and must also send an official transcript to the school. Students who are home schooled must send in an official homeschooling transcript which is signed by the homeschooling parent. International students must send a transcript from the secondary school they attended, and it must be translated to English.
All potential students must submit either SAT or ACT scores unless they are transferring from another college or university.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for Biola University in the 2016 and 2017 school year is $36,696. Additionally, students who are aged 20 or younger and do not live at home must pay room and board and purchase a meal plan. The average cost of the room is $5,424 and the average cost of the meal plan is $4,280.
Scholarships are available for freshman students and ranges from $10,000 to $14,000. Other scholarships are available, too, which range from $1,000 to $11,000 and are dependent on a number of factors including GPA, church membership and alumni relationships.
Students who are graduate or PhD students must pay $1,073 per unit for tuition. There is also a $1,200 fee for student internships.
Other forms of financial aid are available from Biola and is dependent on the student’s financial need. Those who are applying for or who have been accepted at Biola should apply for financial aid by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. Students who live in California must also fill out the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form. Both are due by March 2.
Psychology and Counseling Degrees at Biola University
Biola University offers an undergraduate psychology degree and two PhD options.
The undergraduate psychology program at Biola features both a tried and true curriculum, it taught by expert faculty and has biblical integration. Students who work towards their bachelor’s degree in psychology will have access to the same faculty and resources as the graduate students. Students with a high enough GPA may choose to join Psi Chi, which is a national honor society.
The curriculum for the undergraduate degree combines issues of human nature with a Christian worldview. Students can choose from eight different areas of specialization, and will learn concepts such as applying Christian practices to psychology, the analysis of the experimental method, an overview of personality theories, the discovery of factors that influence community and how to use psychology in ministry.
Though there is not a specific master’s degree program, students who choose to continue their psychology instruction at Biola University by joining the doctorate track will earn a master’s degree half way through their doctorate instruction.
There are also two doctoral programs available through Biola University, a PhD and a PsyD. These programs are designed to train students to be practitioners of professional psychology, and will help students to pursue careers in clinical psychology. Students will be trained in all areas of scientific psychology, yet with a Christian view. Approximately 67 percent of students in the graduate school work towards the Psy. D program and 33 percent work in the PhD program.
Both the Psy.D and PhD have a common core at the base of the curriculum, students who are in the Psy.D track are usually preparing for a full-time position as practitioners in psychology. Those in the PhD program are more interested in combining clinical work with other competencies of psychology such as research and teaching. All of the instruction for these students is supported by faculty research, and real-world experiences are necessary for graduation in the form of internships and clinical experiences.
Students interested in a nationally accredited psychology degree with a Christian view will find it at Biola University.