There are several factors that determine the time you’ll invest in completing your degree program. First, the number of courses—thus, the number of semester credit hours (SCH)—in your program will vary depending on things like transfer and portfolio (equivalent) credit. [Example: If, after transfer and equivalent credit are applied, you need 24 SCH (8 courses) to complete a masters program, then it may be possible for you to complete that work in as little as 6 months. However, your active registration period for such a program will be at least two years, giving you plenty of time to work at a much slower pace, if that’s what you want to do. So, the speed of your program is up to you!]

A second factor in the time it takes to complete a degree program is the integration of your studies into your life. The modular nature of TSU courses (see below) allows you, in significant ways, to “do what you study, and study what you do.” This can save you huge amounts of time. [Here’s a homely little analogy that captures the concept: Think of your life as a bucket of stones—a very full bucket of stones. The stones represent the responsibilities and activities of your life. And there doesn’t seem to be any room in the bucket for another stone, especially one as bulky as a degree program. But what TSU has done is to take a sledgehammer (creativity!) and smash that stone into small pieces, even into sand, if necessary. So, whereas the whole stone was too big to fit into the bucket, now it can be poured over, into and around the other stones with ease!] The nontraditional, self-paced, modular flexibility of a TSU degree program doesn’t have to disrupt your life the way a traditional degree program would. Be creative!

A third factor is the fact of life’s unforeseen difficulties. If you were in a traditional school, and a life-crisis arose mid-semester causing you to have to suspend your schoolwork, you’d have to arrange to take “incompletes” in those courses. Then you’d have to complete that coursework within a specified timeframe, or convert them to “withdrew passing,” or receive failing grades (with no tuition refund!). At TSU, the time to complete your active registration is at least two years, not a mere semester. If you need some time off, you can take it. It is your decision. If you need an extension beyond the two (or five) years, you can get it by paying a modest fee. We’ll work with you every step of the way in order to help you complete your degree!

The average TSU course is 3 semester credit hours (SCH). The average time-investment for one SCH (in both traditional and nontraditional contexts) is about 50 clock hours. Thus, a 3 SCH course takes about 150 clock hours to complete. At TSU, each 3 SCH course consists of six learning modules (two foundational modules, followed by four modules selected from a wide range of options). On average, it takes about 150 clock hours to complete all six modules. You’ll realize the tremendous flexibility of TSU courses when you begin to select your assignment modules from a long list of options—you can even create modules yourself! (Example: If you already preach or teach a Bible study on a regular basis, you might want to select a preaching or teaching module. In this way, you’ll integrate what you’re learning in your TSU course by preaching or teaching on it. And you’ll get credit for it in the process!) TSU is big on the practical application of everything you’re learning. So, by selecting course modules that merge with what you’re already doing, clock hours of life double as clock hours toward your degree. TSU not only allows you to pursue your degree goals at the speed of life, but your life itself becomes an exciting classroom!

You will have an Academic Advisor who is only an E-mail or a phone call away. You will also have the same kind of access to the professors who evaluate your coursework. TSU also offers a full slate of on-campus lectures, seminars, and symposia where you can interact with faculty members and other students. We also offer vacation seminars and study tours where you can enjoy lots of personal attention and instruction. And all these things can be done for credit as course modules!

You can refer to the Tuition & Fees Fact Sheet for this information. But you can rest assured that no matter what TSU degree program you choose, it will probably cost less than the price of a reasonably good used car. It will probably cost less than re-carpeting an average-sized home. It will probably cost less than commuting to work 10 miles (each way) for 3 years. It will probably cost less than eating a fast-food breakfast every weekday for 3 years. Studying at a traditional private school can typically cost from $10,000 to $40,000 per year. By comparison, TSU is very affordable.

Trinity Southwest University strives to maintain excellent academic standards and procedures as generally established within the larger international academic community. TSU operates as an exempt religious institution, as provided by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education. TSU reports to the Commission annually for the retention of that status, as required by law. TSU is approved by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) as a provider of continuing education in the areas of Biblical Studies, Theology and Apologetics, and by the New Mexico Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.

At this time, TSU has chosen to remain non-aligned with respect to accreditation accrediting agencies. One must understand that throughout the history of our country – up to and including the present – accreditation by self-appointed or governmentally-appointed agencies has always been optional for educational institutions. Whereas the concept of accreditation is intended to be a safeguard for quality education, the fact remains that accrediting requirements are most often compatible with traditional education, and rarely acknowledge the flexible, non-traditional nature of TSU. Furthermore, it is clear
that accreditation does not guarantee the quality of education related to the learning process as a whole. There are
excellent accredited and non-accredited schools, and there are accredited schools of poor quality. The recognition
of these facts has led most colleges, Universities and seminaries to accept credits and degrees from non-
accredited institutions on a case-by-case basis (sometimes up to a certain percentage of their admissions as
allowed by their accrediting associations). We are always ready to assist our students who wish to pursue transfer
of their TSU credits and/or degrees to other institutions.