Academics
By providing students with field based academic learning opportunities in professional ministry service environments, the programs also enriches the overall educational experience, with the intention of facilitating spiritual and professional growth in preparation for ministry service.
Offerings from the Olivet University Business as Mission Center are integrated with the Olivet Business School and Olivet Theological College and Seminary. Advanced business undergraduate students, MBA students, and M.Div. Marketplace Concentration students are qualified to enroll into Business as Mission courses and internships.
Olivet Business Students
Olivet School of Business students take courses that integrate hands-on practical learning through real-life business experience. Second-year BA business students and MBA students may enroll into the MINS640 Business as Mission and BSPT501-803 Business Practical Training courses. The courses examine emergent roles of business in Christian missions while covering themes in:
1) the theology of business as missions;
2) practical issues concerning the use of business as a vehicle for cross-cultural missions, and
3) specific for-profit business models and case studies.
By the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating business and missions.
Marketplace Ministry Concentration
Olivet Theological School and Seminary students take courses that integrate experiential learning into its Marketplace Ministry Concentration program. Master of Divinity students may enroll into PRAC501-803 Curricular Practical Experience courses. The objective of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to gain work experience that will enhance and complement their academic learning.
The PRAC501-803 Curricular Practical Experience course requirements are designed to provide a structure that will enable students to make connections between what they learn in the classroom and on the job, to apply Biblical principles to real life problems, to recognize the importance of self-discipline and service, to further develop analytical and interpersonal skills, and to practice business writing skills. Weekly required interaction with faculty facilitates incorporation of on the job experiences into the learning process and challenges students to draw connections to courses in subjects across the curriculum.
Academic Internships
Olivet Business School and Master of Divinity students have internship opportunities to work alongside entrepreneurs and business ministers in the professional field. While earning academic credit, students are immersed with hands-on experience through engaging real-world business operations both at a local and global level.
Graduate students participate in supervised ministry within a church or specialized ministry. Interns must have a total 120 hours of site contact hours to receive 4 quarter units. Emphasis is placed on the development of practical ministry skills with the integration of Biblical and theological studies.
The purpose of the internship program is to equip students for effective ministry in their specialized areas of study. The program matches students’ talents and interests with productive ministry work, supplementing classroom instruction with fieldwork guided by faculty and site supervisor.