New Programs & Initiatives

By Matthew McAffee and Matthew Steven Bracey, Provost an

During the last three years, Welch College has experienced growth in programs and course offerings. We would like to highlight a few of these new programs and initiatives. We have also included contact information for each new initiative should you be interested in more specific information.

2 + 2 Nursing with Union University

In December 2017, Welch College president Dr. Matt Pinson and Union University president Dr. Dub Oliver signed an agreement creating a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree. In the arrangement with Union, Welch freshmen pursue an associate’s (A.S.) degree with a biology major at Welch. Students can take advantage of Tennessee Promise funding, as well as other federal and Welch-based financial aid. These students begin volunteering in a healthcare setting, primarily within the HighPoint Health System.

Upon completing the Welch A.S. degree, graduates transfer into the B.S.N. program at Union, living on the Welch campus and taking nursing courses at Union’s nearby Hendersonville campus. When appropriate, nursing students participate in clinical education settings in nearby Gallatin and throughout Sumner County. Welch students also are mentored and advised throughout the four-year academic process. The first cohort of nine students began their first year at Union University in fall 2019. Go to welch.edu/nursing for more information or contact Dr. Ian Hawkins at ihawkins@welch.edu.

Emphasis in Pre-counseling

Welch students interested in psychology and counseling can participate in the pre-counseling emphasis to the psychology program. This emphasis is designed for students preparing to pursue counseling studies at the graduate level and to meet professional organizational standards. For more information, contact program coordinator Sarah J. Bracey at sbracey@welch.edu.

Endorsement in Mathematics Education

During summer 2019, Welch College received approval for a secondary mathematics education endorsement from the Tennessee Department of Educator Licensing and Preparation. The program will enable middle and high school teachers to receive a licensed endorsement in mathematics education.

Welch College offers multiple pathways for mathematics secondary education endorsement. Pathways for teaching licensure include undergraduate and post-baccalaureate student teaching clinical practice, as well as post-baccalaureate job-embedded clinical practice programs. For inquiries about enrollment, contact Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.

Humanities and Arts Degree

The faculty recently voted to approve a humanities and arts program offered as an interdisciplinary approach to education that encourages students to integrate Christian truth with a variety of humanities and arts disciplines. Students choose three areas of emphasis from the fields of English, history, music, and psychology. Humanities and Arts degrees provide a solid foundation for graduate study in English, history, and psychology, as well as entry into such fields as counseling, law, journalism, and ministry, among others. For more information, contact the program coordinator for humanities and arts Phillip Morgan at pmorgan@welch.edu.

Emphasis in Political and Legal Foundations

Students can attach this emphasis to either English or history degrees. Students will receive an introduction to political philosophy, with courses in the conservative intellectual tradition, foundations of law, the United States founding era, as well as constitutional law, history, and interpretation. Students interested in law and politics will find this emphasis helpful. For more information, contact program coordinator for English, Frank Thornsbury, at frank.thornsbury@welch.edu, or the program coordinator for history Phillip Morgan at pmorgan@welch.edu.

Master of Arts in Teaching

In December 2018, Welch College became the first Free Will Baptist college to offer a second regionally-accredited credential on the graduate level. The thirty-three hour Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) features ten-week courses that meet once each week. Courses meet in the evenings from 6:00–9:30 p.m. CST and are available on the Gallatin campus as well as online via Zoom. The design of the M.A.T. program allows students wishing to complete the program in 18 months to do so by taking two courses at a time, although students may complete the degree based on the pace that best fits their schedule. Institutionally-funded scholarships and federally-guaranteed loans are available.

Information about the M.A.T. may be found at welch.edu/ma-teaching and online applications are at welch.edu/admissions/apply/ma-teaching-apply/. For questions or enrollment information, email Dr. Greg Ketteman at gketteman@welch.edu.

Endorsement in Special Education

The Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Educator Licensing and Preparation has approved Welch’s Special Education licensure program for pre-K through 5th grade and as an additional endorsement for licensed teachers.

Welch now offers special education degrees qualifying graduates to be licensed special education teachers. The licensure program is available to both undergraduate teacher education students and graduate students in the M.A.T. program. The Special Education track joins accredited M.A.T. tracks in Teaching and in Higher Education Pedagogy as a part of the 33-hour master’s program. Welch teacher education faculty are already seeking approval for newly developed M.A.T. tracks in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Instructional Leadership (IL) that will lead to licensure for classroom teachers and school leaders respectively. Enrollment in the M.A. (EL) track opened in the fall 2019 term and will be followed by M.A. (IL) track enrollment soon thereafter. For more information contact Dr. Greg Ketteman at gketteman@welch.edu or Dr. Etta Patterson at epatterson@welch.edu.

Computer Science Courses

Welch began offering select courses in computer science as part of its current business program. During the fall 2019 semester, Welch is offering CPS 1123 Introduction to Computer Science. This course takes students with little or no programming background and introduces them to the world of computers and the fundamentals of programming languages. A follow-up course, Computer Science I, will provide detailed exposure to the rapidly growing field of technology and topics such as structured problem solving, program design, 4th generation languages, debugging, and testing. To spearhead this initiative, Welch has secured the expertise of Dr. David Sayre, who will serve as computer science program liaison. For more information contact Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.