Academic Resources
The Bluefield University website offers a robust list of academic resources to support prospective students, current students, faculty, and staff.
Bluefield University Academic Resources
The links below are a quick way to find the academic resources for success. Just click a link to download the PDF file. If you’re a prospective student, our On-Campus Admissions and Online Admissions pages have the answers you need. Check out our academic programs page to learn about our 40+ degree programs.
Academic Catalogs
Undergraduate 2022-2023
Graduate 2022-2023
Archives of previous Academic Catalogs are available on myBU. For access to or questions regarding any previous catalog, please email the Registrar’s Office.
Academic Handbooks
Additional Academic Resources
Advanced Placement Credit
Advanced placement and academic credit toward a degree may be granted to students who receive a grade of three, four, or five on the Advanced Placement Examinations of the College Entrance Examination Board. Students with a grade of three will receive a maximum of three semester hours of credit. Students receiving grades of four and five may receive up to six semester hours of credit. Credit is awarded only in those fields applicable to the Bluefield curriculum. Information about these examinations can be obtained from the College Board Advanced Placement Examination, P. O. Box 977, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
International Baccalaureate Program Credits
Credit and advanced placement may be awarded to students based on the results of the International Baccalaureate program. In every instance, the credit and advanced placement are subject to the recommendation of the academic department concerned and approved by the Vice President of Academic Affairs according to policies of the Council on Education. The student’s records and transcript of grades will be evaluated with scores of five, six, or seven on the Higher Level Examinations. The International Baccalaureate Program is available in selected high schools in the United States and numerous foreign countries.
The BU Honor Code
Bluefield University is committed to the pursuit of truth, the dissemination of knowledge, and the highest ideals of personal honor and respect for the rights of others.
We can achieve these goals only in a setting where intellectual honesty and personal integrity are highly valued and other individuals are respected. This academic code of conduct reflects our earnest desire to live lives of honor above reproach, based on Christian principles. Each member of our community is called to understand and agree to the following concepts and to operate within the spirit of this code.
- Honor is an ideal and an obligation. It exists in the human spirit and lives in the relations between human beings. An honorable person does not lie, cheat, or steal.
- In all scholarly work produced by community members, academic honesty is inherent and apparent. All of our work is the original work of the author unless credit is given through the proper use of citations and references.
- In all relationships, the University community expects respect and integrity between its members and toward all individuals and organizations.
- Honesty and civility are required elements of an effective learning environment. Truthfulness and respect for others are shared values of Bluefield University and are expected from every member of our community.
- Bluefield University students commit to the ideals of integrity, individual responsibility, and mutual respect when they sign the Honor Code during the President’s Convocation.
- The Honor Code affirms the core values of Bluefield University to “develop our students’ potential through academic excellence and the intentional integration of faith, the liberal arts, and professional studies.” Our goal is to “create a caring community characterized by respect, support, and encouragement for each member of our community.”
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Bluefield University seeks to develop students’ potential through academic excellence and the intentional integration of faith in liberal arts and professional studies.
We believe students leave college in two years or less because they struggle with written communication. Evidence suggests that students who can raise the level of their writing skills as sophomores and juniors are more academically successful and more likely to stay at Bluefield University for four years. Students who graduate demonstrate basic competence in writing skills based on CAAP test scores.
BU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), “The Confident Communicator,” was developed to help students succeed as Bluefield University students, which boosts retention and enrollment, and to prepare graduates more effectively for further education or the workforce. This is why the QEP is foundational and fundamental to student learning and the financial sustainability of our tuition-driven institution.
The hallmarks of “The Confident Communicator” QEP include:
Intentional assessment of writing skills from incoming students to graduating seniors
Enhanced sophomore- or junior-level courses in each department to model and instruct students in the fundamental components of writing in the discipline
Multiple opportunities for faculty development in the teaching of writing through workshops during the academic year and off-campus summer training opportunities
Read the Bluefield University Quality Enhancement Plan: The Confident Communicator.