EXTERNAL STUDIES

Scott Matscherz
Director of External Studies

Welcome to VES external studies! We are delighted you chose to explore Veritas Evangelical Seminary when deciding which graduate school would best equip you to understand and confront the modern (and some ancient) challenges to the Christian faith. Our mission at VES is simple, to teach our students how to winsomely and efficiently proclaim the gospel, equip the saints, and defend the faith through conservative biblical, theological, and philosophical study! This flexible external program is a non-traditional way for students to receive a seminary education with an apologetic emphasis from anywhere in the world without attending our southern California campus. Any one of our graduate or certificate programs may be fulfilled by listening to and engaging the ideas conveyed in provocative video (or audio) lectures and fulfilling assignments from the comfort of your own home. Though there is nothing better than attending live courses, each external course is identical to those offered in our residence programs.

Your learning experience will be like no other, this once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from Veritas Evangelical professors who are among the top evangelical scholars in their fields of study and who are committed to a classical theological perspective grounded in the inerrant Scriptures.  Our faculty is led by our distinguished professor of theology and apologetics, Dr. Norman Geisler, and complimented by Drs. Ron Rhodes, J. Randall Price, H. Wayne House, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, William Nix, Thomas Ice, Ed Bulkley, Steven Collins, Fred Field, Sasan Tavassoli, Ergun Caner, and others. This extraordinary faculty will lead you through a host of topics related to the fields of apologetics, theology, Bible, philosophy, cults, ministry, counseling, archaeology, biblical languages, missions, and pastoral studies.   
 
Though there are many good reasons why you should consider a Veritas education, the most important reason is, and always has been, our philosophy of education and ministry. We refuse to build a lopsided Christian who trusts only in knowledge and the promise of academic credentials to accomplish ministry, rather, we prefer to rely on the inspiration, inerrancy, and sufficiency of God's Word to spiritually transform the student into Christ's image (Jn. 17:17).
 
During your time at Veritas you should expect to grow in several areas. You will deepen your knowledge and understanding of difficult issues that confront the church and society. You will develop an answer for those who ask of the hope that is within you and for those who challenge your faith (1 Peter 3:15). You will foster a greater dependency and appreciation for the wisdom of Christ’s teaching as the solution for the many dilemmas that confront our modern age. You will grow in dependency on the enabling work of the Holy Spirit in your life and ministry. You will increase your awareness of and involvement in evangelism and world missions. You will develop an appreciation for the classical Christian perspective on theological, moral, and practical issues.
 
If you desire to discover what the Lord has planned for your life, and sense God’s leading you to deeper study in a flexible and convenient atmosphere, then Veritas Evangelical Seminary is for you!
 

 

External Studies Program (Non-Resident)

The external studies program consists of courses taken through video and/or audio lectures taught by VES faculty which correspond to the courses offered in the resident program. The external program does not follow an academic calendar, and therefore, courses may be taken at any time and in any sequence unless there are stated prerequisites. All admission requirements are the same as other Seminary resident programs as well as degree program course requirements. The external studies program is open to foreign and U.S. citizens without a residency requirement in order to graduate.

After you are admitted to the seminary, external students may complete their chosen major without a residency requirement. Each course will be offered via DVD (or in some cases audio) lectures which may be completed at your own pace over a period of four (4) calendar months. For instance, a course begun on January 1st will be due (postmarked) no later than April 30th.

 Each course packet will contain the following materials:

♦ Course syllabus which contains course assignments with start and due date
♦ Course instructions that offer special guidance
♦ DVD video (or audio on occasion) lectures taught by VES professors
♦ Course textbook(s) (if ordered)
♦ Exam/quiz Proctor Form: (the students recruits a proctor for the administration of exams)

On occasion, your professor will require you to take a quiz or an exam. In order to fulfill exam assignments you will first need to submit to VES your enclosed Proctor Form which identifies a qualified individual (e.g. professor, pastor, counselor, librarian, teacher, educational administrator, or an individual employed by a professional learning center) who is a non-family member that will ensure accountability and administer and return your exam/quiz to VES for grading.

External Studies Online (VESO)

Students may complete their external studies through Veritas Evangelical Seminary Online (VESO) from anywhere in the world. Each course homepage will contain course syllabus, course lecture videos, proctor exam request form, and any handout or powerpoints given by the professor. To register for online courses visit www.VeritasSeminaryonline.com.

Tuition and Fees

External studies graduate tuition is among the most affordable in the country, and is identical to
live on-campus credit courses. The tuition and fees for external courses are as follows:

♦ Graduate credit Tuition is $215.00 per unit ($645.00 per course); certificate tuition is
$175.00 per unit ($525.00 per course); and audit courses are $200 per course. There are no
refunds for external courses.
♦ Registration fee is $10.00 per course.
♦ Technology fee is $25.00 per course.
♦ Annual Administrative fee is a one-time $25.00 assessed to your first course of the year.
♦ Textbook prices usually fluctuate between $13.00 and $40.00 each (c. $75 per course total).
♦ Flat fee of $6.00 for postage/shipping/handling per course if shipped to a destination within the continental United States. A $50.00 shipping charge will be assessed for courses shipped outside the United States.

Beginning Your External Courses

A new student desiring to begin taking classes through external studies must complete the following:

♦ Complete and submit the Application for Admission to Veritas Evangelical Seminary. The application may be downloaded from the Seminary website. Admission to the external studies program does not constitute admission to the residence program.
♦ Once you receive your acceptance letter, you may register for courses by either calling in your course selections to the Seminary toll free at 888.JOHN.17.17 or locally at 951.698.6389, or faxing your completed registration form to 951.696.5634, or by emailing your form to VES as an attachment.
♦ When completing the registration form, it is the student’s responsibility to complete the textbook and shipping cost listed on the registration form. The costs of textbooks are listed with the course offerings on the Seminary website and the shipping is always $6.00 if the destination is within the continental United States.
♦CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR COURSES ONLINE

Tuition and fee payments must be paid in full at the time of registering. If payments are made by check mail to:

Veritas Evangelical Seminary
ATTN: External Studies
30407 Murrieta Hot Springs Road
Murrieta, California 92563

After the payment of all tuition and fees, your course will be shipped to you.

Time to Complete External Programs

The Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) must be completed in six (6) years from the date of first enrollment. The Master of Christian Apologetics (M.C.A.) must be completed within eight (8) years from the date of first enrollment. The Master of Biblical Studies (M.B.S.) must be completed eight (8) years from the date of first enrollment. The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) must be completed within twelve (12) years from the date of first enrollment. If more time is needed, you may be asked to complete aditional requirements in order to conform to the updated catalog.

Individual external courses must be completed (as evidenced by a postmark on or prior to the course due date) by the end of the four calendar month period. If you need a 30 day extension, you may request one in writing  prior to the expiration date. A second 30 day extension may be granted for $50, with no further extensions possible. There are no extensions to this timeframe. The start date of all courses will be the 1st and the 15th of every month. For example, if you register for your course on or after the 1st of the month and before the 15th of the month your start date will automatically be January 15th. If you register on or after January 15th and before the 1st of the next month your start date will be calculated from February 1st. All start dates that land on the first of the month will be due no later than the final day of the fourth month. All start dates that are calculated from the 15th day of the month will be due no later than the 15th day of the fourth month. For instance, if you register on January 10, your start date would be January 15, and your due date would be May 15.

The student’s course syllabus will contain your start and due date which must be strictly adhered too. The student should allow seven (7) business days for shipping.

Resident Students Taking External Courses

Resident students may complete a portion of their program requirements through external studies up to a maximum of four (4) courses, M.Div. students may take a maximum of five (5) courses.

External Studies Contact Information

Toll Free: 888.JOHN.1717

Local: 951.698.6389

Technology Requirements

External students must have an operational DVD player, MP3 player, email access, and word processing capabilities.

Textbooks

External studies students are responsible for obtaining their own textbooks for each course either through VES external studies department (when in stock), Springs of Life Bookstore located on campus, your local Christian bookstore, or online used book store. Textbooks titles and prices are listed on the external studies page of the Seminary website. In some cases used or out of print books are assigned. These may be purchased through VES, or other online used/new book search engines such as:

www.Amazon.com
www.ArchivesBookshop.com
www.AbeBooks.com
www.BookFinder.com.
www.Cbd.com
www.TheChapelStore.com
www.Internationallegacy.org

VES Students May Purchase Courses Without Enrolling

All VES students may purchase courses without enrollment for $150 per course.