I didn't want to do it. I had a plan. But now I'm glad I chose it.
Bethany Kunz
Touch the World
Read the Story →An ACU Student Experience
Associate of Science
Mission-Driven
Leadership.
Prepare for cross-cultural service through an online associate degree in mission-driven leadership. Develop servant leadership, consider the setting you will serve in, and build a thoughtful preparation plan.
What you'll develop
More than knowledge.
Capability you can show.
Develop practical capabilities for the people and places you serve.
Lead through service and character.
Develop servant leadership for cross-cultural ministry and frontline service.
Build readiness for demanding contexts.
Strengthen personal and team resilience, physical readiness, and recovery habits for challenging ministry environments.
Bring biblical wisdom to hard decisions.
Connect Scripture and gospel-driven ethics with the complexities of cross-cultural and frontline ministry.
Prepare for your next field of service.
Discern your calling and explore how applied skills and field-ready certifications can strengthen your ministry capacity.
How you learn
Your real-world context
becomes part of the course.
Online coursework connects with a relevant role in a church, camp, nonprofit, or other ministry setting. A volunteer or professional role can work. Admissions can help you confirm a context that fits your program.
Plan Your Course Load
A typical full-time undergraduate load is 6 credits per 8-week term. Taking courses in all five terms offers a pace of 30 credits per year. Partner schedules may use 8- or 16-week terms. Your completion time depends on your program, approved prior credits, and course plan.
01
Explore
Engage Scripture, research, and ideas relevant to your studies.
02
Reflect
Examine how those ideas relate to the challenges you encounter.
03
Apply
Create work that demonstrates what you are learning.
2026-27 Academic Catalog
Your curriculum.
60 credits, clearly mapped.
Explore the required courses and choices that shape your program. An advisor can help you connect these requirements with your goals and previous learning.
View official degree requirements ↗Requirements from the published 2026-27 catalog.
Arts & Sciences Core (27 Credits)
Christianity & Contexts (9 Credits)
BIB100 · Principles of Bible Study — 3 credits
BIB110 · Bible Survey — 3 credits
Formation: Choose One (3 Credits)
Select 1 of the following options.
COU209 · Spiritual Formation & Identity — 3 credits
THE120 · Foundations for Christian Living — 3 credits
Communication & Collaboration (3 Credits)
COM225 · Interpersonal and Group Communication — 3 credits
Critical Thinking & Creativity (3 Credits)
PHI120 · Contemporary Worldviews — 3 credits
Civic & Global Engagement (3 Credits)
CIV220 · Applied Civics & Community Impact — 3 credits
Computation -- Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits)
Select 3 credits from the eligible courses.
Eligible Courses (4 Courses)
- MAT121 · Problem-Solving Strategies — 3 credits
- STA210 · Statistics for Social Impact & Program Evaluation — 3 credits
- FIN230 · Budgeting, Supplies, & Resource Planning for Programs — 3 credits
- FIN131 · Personal Finance — 3 credits
Contextualization — Social & Scientific (3 Credits)
PSY130 · Human Performance & Resilience — 3 credits
HLP130 · Exercise, Health & Conditioning — 3 credits
Mission-Driven Leadership Core (12 Credits)
ETH230 · Service, Ethics & Civic Responsibility — 3 credits
LDR130 · Fundamentals of Leadership and Service — 3 credits
LDR230 · Personal & Team Leadership — 3 credits
SLS230 · Service Professions Seminar & Career Exploration — 3 credits
Applied Service Focus (12 Credits)
Applied Service Certificate Transfer Credit (9 Credits)
Complete 9 credits of free electives.
This block is fulfilled by transfer credit awarded for earned certificates in an area of service, such as EMT, dive/rescue, aviation, or another service field. Certificate learning is evaluated under the University’s applicable transfer and prior-learning policies; credit applies to this block only once.
LDR290 · Practicum in Mission-Driven Leadership — 3 credits
Free Electives (9 Credits)
Complete 9 credits of free electives.
Total degree credits60
Understand your investment
Your pace.
Your annual investment.
Explore a tuition estimate based on your expected credits and study pace. A credit review helps turn your estimate into a personal degree plan.
Estimated annual tuition
$7,500
$15,000 estimated remaining degree tuition
60 credits remaining · 2 years at this pace
Most ministry partners subsidize $100/credit or more in addition to the partner rate; not included above.
Tuition estimate only; credit approval required. See the catalog for details.
Make an informed decision
Your questions.
Clear answers.
What will set me apart when I take my next step?
Anchor's integrated approach helps you move forward with financial freedom, demonstrated ability, and relationships that matter.
A path toward a debt-free launch. Accessible tuition, partner discounts, and additional ministry subsidies can help you prepare for ministry or further study without carrying education debt into your next chapter.
A portfolio that shows what you can do. Real projects completed throughout your degree give you concrete evidence of your competencies—work you can put on your résumé, discuss in interviews, and share with future ministry leaders.
People who can champion your next step. Learning and serving alongside organizational leaders builds a network of people who know your name, have seen your work, and can offer references, introductions, and encouragement as you move forward.
Do I need to be serving in ministry already?
The program connects learning to a real organizational context. Talk with admissions about your current role or opportunities to establish an appropriate context.
Can previous study or experience count?
A transfer and prior-learning review can evaluate eligible learning against program requirements. Credit is determined through that review.
How do I take the next step?
Start with an admissions conversation about your goals, background, learning context, and degree plan.
Talk with admissions ↗Your next chapter
in mission-driven leadership.
Let's explore how this degree can prepare you for cross-cultural ministry and frontline service.