Bison Plus: Integrated Graduate Programs

You can begin work toward a Master of Arts in Christian Studies while completing your undergraduate degree, no matter your discipline of study. The MA in Christian Studies offers four emphases: Biblical and Theological Studies, Apologetics, Leadership, and Christian Ministry. Bison Plus students may choose to take classes in an online 8-week format or in-person 16-week format.

You don’t have to major in a Bible, theology, or ministry field to qualify for the Bison Plus bachelor's degree/MA degree program. You only need to complete the prescribed six hours of Bible courses in the core curriculum (REL 1013; REL 1023) and meet other graduate program admission standards before admission to the MA program will be granted.

OBU’s Master of Arts in Christian Studies includes a common set of classes designed around understanding the essentials of the Christian faith, a Christian worldview, and the Christian life. As a student, you will gain further comprehension of these core competencies through training centered on leading the church, defending the faith, and reaching the world.

Admission Requirements

• Official Transcript: There is no need to order this—as a current OBU student we will upload this for you.
• Official Recommendation: Provide a recommendation form from a current OBU faculty member.

In Person Courses

The MA in Christian Studies: Biblical and Theological Studies emphasis offers a unique 16 week in-person option available to current students. The in-person courses are stacked with corresponding undergraduate courses. The two levels will meet in conjunction with one another, but as an MA student you will have a separate syllabus with additional assignments, lengthened papers, more rigorous assessments, and/or other learning and teaching opportunities.

This in-person option was created for those seeking face-to-face instruction with graduate level coursework. As a Bison Plus student seeking the Biblical and Theological Studies emphasis, if you choose the in-person instruction option there will be an additional $100 fee for that course.

Online Courses

Our Bison Plus classes are offered in the traditional graduate format of 8-week online classes.

Course Descriptions

Apologetics

Biblical and Theological Studies

Christian Leadership

Christian Ministry

You can begin work toward a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies while completing your undergraduate degree, no matter your discipline of study. You don’t have to major in a Bible, theology or ministry field to qualify for the Bison Plus bachelor's degree/MA degree Program. You only need to complete the prescribed six hours of Bible courses in the core curriculum (REL 1013; REL 1023) and meet other graduate program admission standards before admission to the MA program will be granted. OBU’s MA in Intercultural Studies offers training to equip you to reach the world, whether in major world contexts or in your own back yard.

Admission Requirements

• Official Transcript: There is no need to order this—as a current OBU student we will upload this for you.
• Official Recommendation: Provide a recommendation form from a current OBU faculty member.

Online Courses

Bison Plus students may choose to take classes in an online 8-week format or in-person 16-week format.

Course Descriptions

Intercultural Studies

For education majors, the MAT Dual Degree offers the opportunity to take 12 hours of Bison Plus courses for undergraduate and master’s credit, with the option to continue on and complete two master’s level certificates resulting in a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

For non-education majors, the MAT Dual Degree offers the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree, including 12 hours of Bison Plus education courses as electives, and then continue on to complete a Master’s degree with the ACCESS certificate and one additional education certificate.

Admission Requirements

• Application
• Official Transcript: There is no need to order this—as a current OBU student we will upload this for you.
• Official Recommendation: Provide a recommendation form from a current OBU faculty member.

In Person Courses

The MA in Teaching offers a unique 16 week in-person option available to current students. The in-person courses are stacked with corresponding undergraduate courses. The two levels will meet in conjunction with one another, but as an MA student you will have a separate syllabus with additional assignments, lengthened papers, more rigorous assessments, and/or other learning and teaching opportunities.

This in-person option was created for those seeking face-to-face instruction with graduate level coursework. As a Bison Plus student seeking the Bison Plus MA in Teaching option there will be an additional $100 fee for that course.

OBU’s MFT program offers undergraduate seniors at OBU an opportunity to apply for early admission into the program.

To participate in the program, you must complete the MFT degree program admission process by submitting an application, professional recommendations, a statement of purpose and a current transcript. Students typically apply during the junior year. At least 96 hours of undergraduate course work must be completed prior to beginning master’s-level courses.

Additionally, an interview with MFT program faculty is required. If accepted, you are provisionally admitted into the MFT program until completion of your bachelor’s degree. Those who demonstrate success in the graduate courses may have the GRE requirement waived for admission into the graduate program.

Advanced Standing students may begin MFT graduate classes in August of their senior year. Undergraduates may take up to twelve hours of graduate work. The remaining MFT degree requirements may be completed following completion of the bachelor’s degree. Advanced Standing students may receive undergraduate credit of parallel content to the graduate course. The MFT Program Director will advise students on which courses they can take at the graduate level.

We strongly encourage you to consult with Student Financial Services to determine the best approach for maintaining undergraduate aid/scholarships while acquiring graduate credit.

Admission Requirements

• Official Transcript
• 3 Official Recommendations
• Resume
• Statement of Purpose

Recommended Courses

The following 15 hours of undergraduate Psychology/Family courses are recommended for student success with the MFT degree program:

• PSYC 1223 - General Psychology
• PSYC 2623 - Research Methods or PSYC 2223 - Statistics for Behavioral and Social Sciences
• PSYC 2043 - Child and Adolescent Development
• PSYC 3763 - Basic Counseling Skills
• FMLY 3513 - Marriage and Family

Course Descriptions

Marriage and Family Therapy

OBU’s Bison Plus bachelor’s degree/MBA degree program offers you the chance to complete both your undergraduate and graduate degrees in five years. No matter your discipline of study, you can begin work toward a Master of Business Administration degree while completing your undergraduate degree. You only need to complete the prescribed 12 hours of business courses and meet other graduate programs admission standards before admission to the OBU MBA program will be granted.

OBU’s MBA degree program helps you learn to lead by building your skills in proven administrative practices rooted in biblical principles. You will learn to make wise strategic and financial decisions no matter what your career may be. The Bison Plus program will allow you to advance into your career in an accelerated fashion and possess strong academic credentials.

Undergraduate students may count up to 12 hours of OBU MBA cross-listed course work for undergraduate credit. The program effectively reduces the number of OBU MBA credit hours needed to be taken in year five from 33 to 21. The following 12 hours of required business courses must be completed for provisional admission to the MBA degree program:

• FIN 3403 - Introduction to Business Finance
• MATH 2003 - Basic Statistics
• ACCT 2013 - Principles of Accounting I
• ECON (Micro or Macro)

Admission Requirements

• Official Transcript: There is no need to order this—as a current OBU student we will upload this for you.
• Official Recommendation: Provide a recommendation form from a current OBU faculty member.

Online Courses

Our Bison Plus classes are offered in the traditional graduate format of 8-week online classes.

Course Descriptions

Business Administration

Students are eligible to apply for the Bison Plus program leading into their Junior year. To apply, fill out the online application.

Once you apply, log into your student portal to upload documents. You can also send documents to gradute.info@okbu.edu.

No need to pay for your official OBU transcript. We will upload this to your student portal with no additional fee.

Yes. You’ll enroll in the Bison Plus section of the course which facilitates the courses inclusion in your undergraduate block tuition.

Depending on your program of choice feel free to reach out to any of the following people:

• Allie Blevins—Director of Graduate and Online Recruitment
• Dr. David Houghton—MBA Program Director
• Dr. Canaan Crane—MFT Program Director
• Dr. Brandon Smith—MACS/MAIS Program Director
• Dr. Elizabeth Justice—MAT Program Co-Director 
• Annie Keehn—MAT Program Co-Director