Science programs at Young Earth Creationist colleges

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At almost any college or university there are natural science programs and these programs prepare students for work in scientific research, education, medicine and many other professions. However in the middle of the 20th century many religious colleges and universities began offering natural science programs of their own, but some of these universities support biblical literalism and Young Earth Creationism. Keep in mind a religious is not always a bad school but in this case these schools are generally terrible schools. This article also contains status of accreditation of each school.

Contents

[edit] National and Regional Accreditation

Note that there are two types of academic accreditation: National accreditation and regional accreditation. National accreditation includes, among others, the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, TRACS, and the Association of Theological Schools, while regional accreditation encompasses, for instance, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In general, the standards of regional accreditation are much higher than its national counterparts, meaning that regionally accredited schools are usually better and hence their graduates are more likely to get work versus. Conversely, the lower standards of national accreditation sometimes allow for faculty members without accredited college degrees and many Christian colleges are accredited under these more lax national accreditation systems whose poor standards also lessens the possibility to for their students to get credits transferred to places that follow the more rigorous regional accreditation.

[edit] Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools

Before going on with these schools, you should know that TRACS is an National Accreditation agency approved by the United States Department of Education to accredit Christian colleges and schools. To be approved for accreditation the candidate school must support Biblical Literalism and Young Earth Creationism plus schools must force students and staff to sign a statement of faith.

[edit] Bob Jones University

Accreditation: Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools

At Bob Jones University there are degrees in Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, General Chemistry, General Physics, Engineering, Science Education and Mathematics. As mentioned on the BJU page bible studies make up almost half of the degree programs and even in the "science classes" (If you want to call them that) bible studies are promoted as scientific fact. The bad part is that BJU "science" students have actually entered secular science graduate schools and, even worse, science education students actually got teaching jobs at secular public schools. Thanks to BJU a middle school science teacher could actually believe that the Earth is 6000 years old!

Example Courses-

Bachelors of Science in Physics: 1st Year

  • Freshman Seminar
  • Composition & Rhetoric
  • General Chemistry I
  • Physics Survey
  • History of Civilization c. 3500 BC to AD 1650
  • Old Testament Messages
  • Introduction to the Arts
  • Composition & Literature
  • General Chemistry II
  • Calculus I
  • New Testament Messages
  • Fundamentals of Speech

All in all, the BJU science programs are substandard and hardly use the scientific method.

Link- http://www.bju.edu/academics/programs/physics/

[edit] Pensacola Christian College

Accreditation- Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools

At Pensacola Christian College there is degrees in Natural Sciences with concentrations in Biology and Chemistry plus Pre-Physical Therapy. Other degrees include Pre-medical and engineering, much like Bob Jones University bible studies are shoved in with actual science education; the school offers teaching degrees but they are only meant for private Christian schools. PCC is well known for the most extreme fundamentalist rules for a college or university.

Example Courses:

Bachelors of Science in Natural Sciences (Chemistry Concentration)

Freshman Course Sequence

Fall

  • New Testament Survey
  • General Chemistry
  • English Grammar and Composition
  • History of Civilization
  • Calculus I

Spring

  • New Testament Survey
  • General Chemistry
  • English Grammar and Composition
  • History of Civilization
  • Calculus II
  • PE Activity Elective

Again, much like BJU most of their classes have little or nothing to do with science. It is very rare for a science student from PCC to get into a graduate school because the accrediting agency, TRACS, is essentially a warning label and thus effectively the reverse of a normal accreditation, since what a TRACS accreditation certifies, among other faith-based nonsense, is that participating educational institutions teach their students YEC. Thus, TRACS' National accreditation is actually of a lower standard than a Regional accreditation (used by good educational institutions such as Yale, the University of Michigan and many others). Just like BJU, PCC simply offers indoctrination in biblical literalism and YEC with some practical science skills tagged on and calls it a science programme.

Link- http://www.pcci.edu/Academics/Divisions/ArtsAndSciences/NaturalSciences/Chemistry.aspx

[edit] Cedarville University

Accreditations- Higher Learning Commission, Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (Candidate Status), Council of Social Work Education, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and several others.

Cedarville University which is located in Cedarville, Ohio is a Baptist school that teaches Young Earth Creationism and Biblical Literalism. Unlike BJU and PCC, Cedarville University is regionally accredited and is not accredited by TRACS. However like BJU students must sign a statement of faith and a bible minor is required for all students. Now science programs that are available are- Biology, Environmental Biology, Geology, Geo-sciences and Physics but yet again bible studies courses are required but the University teaches science programs from both a "naturalistic" and Young Earth Creationist point of view.

Example Courses:

Bachelors of Science- Geology

Freshmen Year

  • Introduction to Physical Geology
  • Calculus I
  • Spiritual Formation
  • Composition
  • Historical Geology
  • Humanities Elective
  • Old Testament Literature
  • Fundamentals of Speech
  • Physical Activity and the Christian Life

With the CU science programs, almost half the classes have little to no relevance to Geology (or any other branch of science for that matter). Cedarville science faculty have been known to be involved with the Institute for Creation Research (not surprising) as well as the Creation Research Society, also a student can get an internship at the Creation Museum in Ohio. However many science graduates get into science graduate schools and medical schools. Though Cedarville University's science programs are a joke, sadly they are the most scientific out of all three so far.

Link- https://www.cedarville.edu/Academics/Science-and-Mathematics.aspx

[edit] Bryan College

Accreditation's- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Bryan College is a school in Daton, Tennessee that is well known for Young Earth Creationism and Biblical Literalism. Their extreme fundamentalist position is on par with Pensacola Christian College and their extremism is worse than BJU's extreme rules, now on to the science programs. The only two major science programs offered is Biology (plus Biology educator grades 7-12) and Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry, Bryan College is well known for forcing students and staff to sign a statement of faith which must be reviewed each year by the administrators. Now here is an example of their classes.

Bachelors of Science in Biology

  • COL 100 College Success
  • Christian Life Formation Elective
  • ENG 109 College Writing I

OR

  • ENG 111 Freshman

English

  • COMM 111 Intro to Communication
  • CT 113 Christian Worldview
  • HIS general survey course (100/200 level)
  • CT 101 CLF: Foundations

for Christian Life

  • BIO 113 General Zoology w/Lab
  • BIO 112 General Botany w/Lab
  • CHEM 132 General Chemistry II w/Lab
  • CHEM 131 General Chemistry I w/Lab
  • (ENG 110 College Writing II)

As mentioned, this school is horrible when it comes to science and they reject evolution completely. The bible is considered a literal history of the Earth and creationism is taught in science classes. Graduates of their science programs actually get into secular graduate schools and sometimes get teaching jobs at secular schools.

Links- http://www.bryan.edu/biology

[edit] Andrews University

Accreditations- Higher Learning Commission, North-central Association of Colleges and Schools and The Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges and Universities

Andrews University is a Seventh Day Adventist university that supports Young Earth Creationism; though the Seventh Day Adventist Church itself supports YEC their science classes also teach actual science along with their religious beliefs. Another thing is a student does not have to sign a statement of faith or be a church member, however a student must follow Seventh Day Adventist rules, on to the science programs degrees offered include- Biology, Biochemistry, Physics, Chemistry,Engineering Biophysics and Agriculture. Despite being a school that supports creationism, they do have very decent science programs.

Bachelors of Science in Biotechnology

Core Classes

  • Foundations of Biology Credits
  • Foundations of Biology Credits
  • General Chemistry I Credits
  • General Chemistry II Credits
  • Organic Chemistry I Credits
  • Organic Chemistry II Credits
  • Organic Chemistry Laboratory I Credits
  • Organic Chemistry Laboratory II Credits
  • Genetics Credits
  • Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics Credits
  • Biochemistry I Credits
  • Biochemistry Lab Credits
  • Molecular Laboratory Techniques Credits
  • Introduction to Biotechnology Credits
  • Introduction to Biotechnology Credits
  • Internship in Biotechnology Credits
  • Internship in Biotechnology Credits

Religion Courses

  • Bioethics and Christian Faith

For being a YEC university, Andrews University has far better science programs than BJU, Cedarville or PCC but there is still Seventh Day Adventist theology course requirements. However this school is the least insane out of the others.

Links-

[edit] Oral Roberts University

Accreditation's- International Christian Accrediting Association, Council on Social Work Education, Association of Theological Schools, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.

To note, the International Christian Accrediting Association is not recognized in all states and this school only has National Accreditation which was mentioned before as having lower standards for certification. Now their science programs include- Biology, Chemistry, Behavior Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Health Sciences. Their website claims to do science through "God's Perspective" and they support Young Earth Creationism with Biblical Literalism. Here is an example of their Health Science programs-

Bachelors of Science- Health and Exercise Science

  • Personal Health Science
  • Safety and First Aid
  • Organization and Administration of Programs
  • Kinesiology and Biomechanics
  • Prevention and Care of Sports Injuries
  • Exercise Physiology
  • Exercise Prescription for Special Populations
  • Techniques of Health Fitness Evaluation
  • Microcomputer Applications for Business
  • Nutrition
  • Scientific Terminology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Internship in Health and Exercise Science

While there is no mention of bible classes on the page, there are bible classes for the general education requirements. In all their science programs are similar to Bob Jones University and Cedarville University.

Links-

[edit] Liberty University

Accreditation- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

SACS is actually a legitimate regional accrediting body. Undergrad science programs at Liberty include biology, chemistry, forensic science, and... not physics, although they do offer degrees in various engineering disciplines, as well as mathematics. As an example course of study, students pursuing a BS in general biology will, over four (hopefully) years, take two theology courses (three hours each), a "survey" of each testament (three hours each), two classes on biblical worldview (one hour each; guess there isn't much world to be viewing), a class on evangelism and Christian life (two hours), and oh yeah, one four hour course on genetics (but you'd best believe evolution is magically glossed over), a four hour course on cell biology (which will certainly not include the endosymbiotic hypothesis, since it's "just a theory"), and, to be fair, twenty-eight hours of various other biology courses, as well as the general ed requirements (including the various Bible courses already listed) and a bit more chemistry.

Link- https://www.liberty.edu/media/1270/BIOL-BS-R.pdf

[edit] Clearwater Christian College

Accreditation- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

CCC is a college that supports Young Earth Creationism and is regionally accredited, this college takes the bible as a literal history of the Earth. Students must sign a statement of faith and must take a bible minor (Much like Cedarville University), degrees offered include- Biology (Molecular Biology, Marine Biology, Neuroscience, General Biology and Organismal Biology ), Pre-Medicine, Pre-Veterinarian and Mathematics. Like every other college on this page they promote creationism as science.

Bachelors of Science in General Biology (Pre-Med)

  • SCI 151 - Medical Terminology
  • SCI 201-2 - General Physics 1 & II w/ Lab
  • SCI 304 - Botany w/ Lab
  • SCI 305 - Invertebrate Zoology w/ Lab
  • SCI 306-7 - Organic Chemistry 1 & II w/ Lab
  • SCI 320 - Freshwater Biology
  • SCI 321 - Field Biology
  • SCI 329 - Marine Biology
  • SCI 402 - Cell Biology
  • SCI 420 - Biochemistry
  • SCI 475 - Senior Research I
  • SCI 480 - Senior Research II
  • SCI 482 - Directed Study in Science
  • SCI 483 - Health Profession Internship
  • SCI 484 - Biology Internship

Basically their Biology program is utter crap and it is unknown about how many students make it into a secular graduate school. While their program is not as bad as Pensacola Christian College, it is on par with BJU's "science" program.

Link- http://www.clearwater.edu/academics/undergrad/majors/biology.asp

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