Non-Degree Programs

For more information please visit www.erivendell.org and www.studycenters.org.

University+ brings the resources of Christian scholarship to students in university communities across the United States and abroad while they go through their degree programs. Students who are enrolled in another college or university are invited to take courses online or at Affiliate Study Centers to supplement their undergraduate education. To date, courses have been approved for transfer credit at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado.

Depending upon location, courses may be delivered entirely online, in a classroom with a local instructor, or may feature a combination of online content and local, mentored cohorts.

Wherever possible, students are encouraged to live in CCSI student residential communities where they combine learning and living together in a life-transforming experience.

Students who are concurrently enrolled full-time at a regionally accredited institution may receive a University+ scholarship to make the courses affordable.

Piper Program in Christian Studies. This learning opportunity is the equivalent of an academic minor, consisting of at least six courses from among the following: The Religion and Literature of Ancient Israel, The New Testament and Christian Origins, Elementary Greek, 1 and 2, The Christian Tradition, History of Christianity, Christianity in American History, Christianity and Science, Introduction to Ethics, and Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. The program is featured in the Bridge, Peak Leadership and University+ Programs. It is named for the family of Paul Piper who, through the CIOS Foundation, has contributed generously to the formation and staffing of this program.

Bridge Program. Today half of all college freshmen are enrolled in 2-year public institutions. This has created an opportunity for CCSI and its partnership with Rivendell College to develop the Bridge Program as a one- to two-year opportunity that prepares students for their university experience from a Christian perspective, and that serves as a “sending program” to local universities. To date, CCSI has received positive reception of this program at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado, with all three institutions approving Bridge Program coursework for transfer credit.

Depending upon location, courses may be delivered entirely online, in a classroom with a local instructor, or may feature a combination of online content and local, mentored cohorts.

Wherever possible, Bridge students are encouraged to live in CCSI student residential communities where they combine learning and living together in an experience that will prepare them well for completing their degree in a contemporary university setting.

The Peak Leadership Program is a unique experience designed for college students and recent college graduates who are committed to a path of personal excellence and influence. Peak is offered in Boulder and at all affiliate study center sites. Features include:

• In some locations, residential life in a student residential community housed in former Greek houses close to a university campus.
• Courses in Christian Studies designed to help shape a Christian worldview.
• Time with study center staff and other Christian leaders in the community in interactive teaching/learning settings, including optional courses and seminars on topics such as Christian courtship, Christian marriage, Christian family, the disciplines and dynamics of spiritual growth, mentoring relationships, sharing your faith, leadership skills, conflict management and resolution, interpersonal communication, spiritual gifts, time stewardship, and financial stewardship.
• A variety of assessment tools including personality, motivational, and behavioral analysis, resulting in a personal profile that helps students understand who they are as the workmanship of God, serves as a basis for charting a leadership development plan uniquely suited to each student, and provides measurement for personal and spiritual growth over the course of the program.
• One-on-one and small group training with a certified life coach designed to help students focus, clarify, prioritize, and accomplish goals in a number of areas, including life purpose, career direction, discovering and honoring core values, brainstorming options and possibilities, strategizing, growth, productivity, and transitioning through change. Coaching includes identifying plans of action, agreements to change behavior, examining what is working and what isn't, and forwarding action through the completion of personal assignments.
• Monthly meetings with a Christian mentor in a student’s area of professional interest.
• Ministry internship: twenty-hour per week practical ministry experience with a study center, or a local church or para-church ministry.

Certificate and Diploma Programs. Certificates are one-year programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels that allow students to study with Rivendell for more than 18 semester credits, yet without admission into a degree program.