Bible

[MSC290]

Earning Ministry degrees in prison

The article about the Louisiana prison program was also presented with more detail and a few photos at USA Today online 1-6-2010:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-01-06-louisiana-prison-ministry_N.htm

Sounds like a great program that is doing some good things but, to earn a Bachelor of Arts Ministry degree from The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (the same program students at the seminary take) by only putting in 126 hours of time appears to be a low requirement. It is the equivalent in hours of someone who has a regular job, working a 40 hour week, getting a Bachelor of Arts degree in three weeks.

USA Today ran another article on 6-11-2009 about the same program at Mississippi's only maximum security prison.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-06-11-prison-seminary_N.htm

Excerpt from that article:

Several religiously based schools offer educational programs in prison.

Liberty University in Virginia, New York Theological Seminary and Mercy College are among them, according to Mark Early, president of Prison Fellowship, a national prison ministry.

Columbia International University, a conservative Christian school, operates a degree program in South Carolina, graduating 15 inmates in December. At New York's Sing Sing Prison, more than 100 convicts have completed the Mercy College program.