Whatever your future occupation may be, we want you to know that life is about God. That’s why we dedicate ourselves to the spiritual formation of our students.
At Welch College, you will be part of a community where students and professors know who you are.
Our students love it here, and you will too! You will have a great time making friendships that last a lifetime while learning in a safe, wholesome environment.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently announced an agreement with Volunteer State Community College that gives Welch students the opportunity to earn a Vol State associate’s degree in the fields of Accounting, Communications, Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Journalism, and Marketing, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Welch.
“It’s exciting that Welch students can now graduate with a four-year Welch bachelor’s degree in areas like Biblical Studies, Business, English, Math Education, or Psychology and, at the same time, complete another academic credential in Accounting, Communications, Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Journalism, or Marketing—all with no additional time for the four-year degree!” Ketteman said.
Students can complete the associate’s degree as an embedded component of a Welch College undergraduate degree in no more time than it would take to complete a regular four-year degree. “Students will take 15 to 19 credit hours at Vol State during their four-year bachelor’s program at Welch,” Ketteman said. “All other credit required for the degree will be earned through Welch courses already in their program of studies at Welch.”
Mitchell Moody, a 2023 Welch College graduate, first navigated this co-enrollment pathway at Volunteer State while he completed his bachelor’s degree at Welch. Moody said, “I was able to earn additional credit hours at Vol State while completing my bachelor’s degree at Welch. This helped make it possible for me to enter a graduate program in Mathematical Sciences at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Additionally, I’m able to work in a Missile Defense Agency while being active in various ministries at my local church.”
The Welch-Volunteer State agreement was approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents in March and is effective immediately. Prospective students who want to earn one of the degrees while they are earning their Welch bachelor’s degree should notify Mr. Daniel Webster at gotowelch@welch.edu. Current Welch students should notify their advisor.
Surveys of recent Welch graduates show that 95% are actively involved in local church ministry after graduation and 49% of them are actively involved in teaching ministries. A growing number of current and prospective students are interested in additional professional credentials as they plan for future bi-vocational ministry.
Ketteman said, “We pray that this new agreement illuminates a pathway that will support Welch graduates during lifetimes of ministry for Christ, His world, and His Church for many years to come.”
GALLATIN, TN—The Welch College Choir will conduct a four-state spring tour March 12-18, according to Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The 28-member choir, directed by Dr. James Stevens, dean of the Welch College School of Music, will minister in six churches and two Christian schools.
The tour program, Songs of Grace and Praise, will consist of sacred choral selections and gospel songs designed to edify, encourage, and evangelize.
“We ask youth groups and local churches to join us in worship and attend a service in their area,” Parrish said. “We ask people to pray for the health and safety of the choir as they travel and present the Gospel message through music. Join us in prayer that the Holy Spirit would be evident in every service.”
GALLATIN, TN—The School of Education at Welch College scored third in Overall Rating among teacher education programs in Tennessee colleges and universities on the annual Educator Preparation Report Card, according to Dr. Stephen Beck, Undergraduate Dean of Teacher Education.
The Report Card evaluated teacher education programs at 33 colleges and universities and six other teacher preparation programs in Tennessee. Welch was one of seven colleges and universities that “Exceeded Expectations,” joining Christian Brothers University, Union University, Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University, University of Tennessee—Knoxville, and Vanderbilt University in this designation. Other categories included “Meets Expectations” and “Does Not Meet Expectations.”
“Our students Exceeded Expectations on nation-wide pedagogical and content assessments,” Beck said. “Welch’s recent graduates scored among the highest in Tennessee on evaluations by their school principals. Based on Tennessee-standardized testing of pupils, Welch graduates are also among the highest in the state in enabling their students to grow beyond grade level expectations. We are extremely proud of our teacher education students and graduates.”
Welch College has offered a teacher education program since 1976 that now includes teaching licensure programs in Mathematics, Special Education, English as a Second Language, Biology, English, History, Music, Physical Education, Elementary Education, and Instructional Leadership. Hundreds of Welch graduates have taught not only in Tennessee but also across the nation, indeed, around the world.
For more information on bachelor’s and master’s degrees in teacher education at Welch, please contact Dr. Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—The fall 2024 semester at Welch College ended with 74 students receiving academic recognition, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. This honor list includes both online and Enriched Adult Studies students whose fall courses ended in December. “These students have exemplified faithfulness in their academic work here at Welch,” McAffee said. “We are thankful for their commitment to excellence in the classroom.”
Eighteen made all A’s and were placed on the President’s List—8 seniors, 5 juniors, 4 sophomores, and 1 freshman. Fifty-six earned a 3.25 GPA and all A’s and B’s and were placed on the Provost’s list—23 seniors, 11 juniors, 15 sophomores, and 7 freshmen.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College plans to unveil a new Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Psychology this fall, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Pending accreditor approval, the program is set to launch August 25, 2025.
This new program will be the sixth master’s degree available from Welch College, joining existing master’s programs in Humanities, Organizational Leadership, Teaching, Theology and Ministry, and the Master of Divinity degree.
The proposed 34-hour program will be available online and on-campus. Including a 16-hour psychology core with planned clinical and research tracks, the program builds on existing strengths in the B.S. in Psychology and will make use of a limited number of existing courses in other master’s programs.
“The M.A. in Psychology offers us an exciting opportunity to shape future practitioners in the social sciences with a distinctly Christian worldview approach to soul care,” McAffee said. “Under the able leadership of Dr. Sarah Bracey, we believe this program will garner success in drawing a unique set of students to graduate studies at Welch.”
The program is designed to provide a shorter, more general psychology master’s for students who are unsure of which specialty within psychology they wish to pursue.
Graduates of the proposed program would be well positioned to transfer coursework into more specialized programs at other institutions. Upon approval, Welch plans to pursue transfer agreements with other graduate programs in areas like clinical psychology, counseling, and social work.
The degree is also designed to meet the needs of pastors and ministry workers who may have an interest in pursuing coursework that will help them better serve their churches and communities. “This program has been designed not only to benefit students interested in an advanced degree from a Christian worldview,” Bracey said, “but the dividends of their training and skill sets will also spread to local churches and the communities they serve.”
Welch will begin enrolling students in the program after accreditor approval, yet prospective students interested in the degree may contact Dr. Bracey at sbracey@welch.edu for more information.
In other program news, Welch College intends to close its Associate of Science in Business Technology and Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood. The college will teach out these programs for any current students but will not enroll students in these programs after August 23, 2025.
The Associate of Science in Business Technology is being closed for a lack of interest. Individuals with questions related to this closure should contact Dr. Rebecca Deel at rdeel@welch.edu.
The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood is being closed because of recent changes in the Tennessee Department of Education. Welch will continue to offer the Associate of Science in Early Childhood (which has become the industry norm for daycare workers rather than the four-year degree).
Additionally, the college will continue to offer the Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Learning (K-5), which can be applied in preschool settings and has the added benefit of providing state licensure for elementary school teachers. Individuals with questions related to this closure should contact Dr. Stephen Beck at sbeck@welch.edu.
