What is an online University?
Online universities utilize technology in order to provide education remotely to a geographically-vast student body. Holy Sophia provides this education all over the world, focusing on convenience and academic rigor. The convenience of such an education is multi-faceted: 1) Each intensive course is only 8-weeks long. 2) Some courses require live (synchronous) lectures; others require listening to recorded (asynchronous) lectures; still others do not require lectures, being led instead by an expert faculty member who guides each student personally through the course materials and writing assignments. This allows the student to focus on the crux of her or his education, which is reading, reflecting, writing, and adjusting one’s thoughts in response to the instructor’s frequent and direct feedback. 3) Each student can work anytime throughout the week to complete the respective assignments. 4) Multiple courses can be undertaken in those 8 weeks. All of our courses work through an online, user-friendly portal with easy, clear, and organized communication between faculty and students, and even between students themselves. This online university is guaranteed to suit your busy lifestyle no matter the situation!
What is the educational philosophy behind this University?
One of the dilemmas facing contemporary education and pedagogy is that students, even at the graduate level, ask, “What is the minimum amount of work I must do to get a good grade or to earn my degree?” At Holy Sophia, we believe that students should not attend lecture passively, but that the work begins with the student’s engagement. Reading, reflecting, writing, and modifying one’s thoughts in response to the instructor’s feedback is critical to the educational journey. As such, we guide our students closely along each step of this journey, aiming to yield work that is worthy of publication by the highest standards of western academia.
By when do I have to register for a course?
For any course, you must register at least two weeks prior to the course start date. Any exceptions must be approved by the Academic Director.
How many courses can I take at once?
You are allowed to take up to three courses in any given 8-week period, but this is considered a full-time load. As such, it is not recommended if you have other responsibilities. The recommended course load per 8-week module is 1-2 courses to ensure full attention to the readings, assignments, and faculty member’s feedback.
Will I need to be available a specific time each week?
Some courses require live lectures (synchronous), which can potentially be watched in a recorded format after permission from the faculty member. Other courses offer recorded lectures (asynchronous). Still, other courses follow the model mentioned above in which the student engages in high-ordered, rigorous reading, writing, and frequent evaluation by the professor. This latter model, again as mentioned above, ensures the production of critical thinking, reasoning, and reevaluation by the student—a process fundamental to a high standard of academic excellence.
When will Holy Sophia be accredited?
As mentioned on our accreditation page, the board at Holy Sophia Coptic Orthodox School of Theology is actively and diligently pursuing full accreditation. The board has been sure to follow all accreditation standards and will announce when full accreditation has been granted. We encourage all students to rest assured that the quality of education at this online institution is of the highest caliber.
Additionally, an institution must be running for some amount of time before accreditation is granted. Our board is working diligently to file for accreditation as quickly as possible, with frequent communications. In the meantime, our lack of accreditation in no way reflects the caliber of our educational standards, nor will they affect you as a student, unless you wish to apply to external teaching positions or doctoral studies in Theology immediately.