College of Professional Studies

Nina Morel, Dean

The College of Professional Studies addresses current workforce needs by offering professional, continuing and interdisciplinary studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The college was born out of the idea that education should keep pace with fluctuating market needs at the same time it develops timeless leadership skills. This bold approach to higher education allows Lipscomb to cultivate partnerships with businesses and professional associations in order to develop new certificate and degree programs for students who seek to advance their careers in growing industries.

The college provides a rich mix of on-campus, online and hybrid formats to increase convenience and enhance learning. Competency-based learning provides an opportunity for life and professional experience to be evaluated for credit, for curricula to be personalized for students, and for teaching styles to be tailored to the individual.

The College of Professional Studies houses Lipscomb’s Adult Degree Program . The Adult Degree Program is a multi-disciplinary program that offers working students the opportunity to earn a college degree in a unique way. Students can earn degrees in a variety of academic disciplines or choose from our customizable degrees. Evening and online courses are designed to accommodate busy schedules. Courses are offered in a compressed format during eight academic terms throughout the year. For select corporate partners, a subscription-based, competency-based program is also offered.

The College of Professional Studies oversees the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Professional Studies, or Bachelor of Science in an Integrated Studies program. This is a customizable degree that allows students to choose two concentrations of interest to create a customized undergrad degree. This major includes a group of required courses emphasizing integrated thought, vocation, personal development, career planning, global skills and other key topics.

The Bachelor of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership was the first competency-based degree approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). As part of this degree, students undergo an initial behavioral assessment of their demonstrated competencies. Students have the potential to earn college credit based on the results of this simulation assessment. Students then work with faculty coaches in online, self-paced modules to increase their levels of competency in key leadership areas. Students also choose a subject matter concentration as part of their course of study.

The College of Professional Studies also houses the LIFE (Lipscomb Initiative for Education) Program which selects courses from the university curriculum and relocates them from campus to the Tennessee Prison for Women in west Nashville.

The offerings of the College of Professional Studies evolve as we develop new certificate and degree offerings for students who seek to advance their careers in growing industries and emerging fields.

Adult Degree Program

Integrated Studies

Organizational Leadership

LIFE Program