ACU Viewbook 2023-24

IGNITE YOUR PASSION

College shapes you into the person you dream of becoming. Whatever excites you, gives you meaning and pulls you forward, we want to foster that passion to its full potential.

At Abilene Christian University, you’ll be challenged with rigorous academics. You’ll also build solid relationships with professors who will engage with you and inspire you to ask questions, try new things and lean into your gifts and interests.

The impact you want to make through your life? It begins here, as part of a lively community of scholars, dreamers and achievers who believe we need courageous leaders and creative thinkers, risk takers and game changers — like you — to set the world on fire.

MOVE TOWARD YOUR GOALS

Our comprehensive offering of majors and their numerous concentrations allow you to focus on what matters to you. Be inspired by faculty who share your excitement for the future, work alongside other students in meaningful research, and begin applying your learning through internships and projects specific to your degree!

Accomplish More

ACU currently offers 18 accelerated degree programs that allow you to make the most of your time on campus. Work toward your graduate degree while completing your bachelor’s at the same time.

7

colleges

79 164 18 25

majors areas of study

13:1

accelerated degree programs

master ʼs degree programs

5,700

student to faculty ratio students enrolled

4

doctoral degree programs

46

52

nations represented by ACU students states and territories represented

2023-24 Majors |

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Art and Design

Art*

• All-Level Teaching

• Graphic Design

• Painting

• Sculpture

Art Therapy

Graphic Design

• Advertising

• User Experience

Interior Architecture and Design

• Art and Design

• Business

Communication and Sociology

Communication

• Communication Studies

• Corporate and Nonprofit

• Persuasion and Advocacy

Sociology

History and Global Studies

History*

• Public History

Global Studies

Interdisciplinary Degrees and Majors

Liberal Studies

Journalism and Mass Communication

Advertising/Public Relations

Journalism*

Multimedia

• Film

• Media Ministry

Language and Literature

English*

Spanish*

Music

Music*

Vocal Performance

Political Science and Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Political Science

• International Relations and Comparative Politics

School of Education

Early Childhood/Elementary

Tracks and concentrations outlined beneath majors

Middle School

• Language Arts

• Mathematics

• Science

• Social Studies

Special Education with Early Childhood and Elementary

Theatre

Theatre*

• Acting

• Dance

• Design/Technical

• Directing

• Musical Theatre

• Theatre Ministry

Biblical Studies

Bible, Missions and Ministry

Bible & Ministry

• Biblical Languages

• Biblical Text

• Christian Ministry

• Missions

Ministry and Vocation

• Children & Family Ministry

• Vocational Missions

• Worship Ministry

• Youth and Family Ministry

Marriage and Family Studies

Child and Family Services

• Child Life

Business Administration

Accounting Accounting

• Analytics and Reporting

• General Accounting

Dukes School of Finance

Finance

• Financial Analysis

• Financial Management

• Fintech and Analytics

• Wealth Management

Management Sciences

Information Systems

• Accounting Systems

• Analytics

• Application Development

Management

• Analytics

• Business Leadership

• Entrepreneurship

• Human Resource Management

• Interdisciplinary

• Operations

Marketing

• Analytics

• Digital Marketing

School of Information Technology and Computing

Computer Science*

• Computing Theory

• Game Development

• Software Engineering

Digital Entertainment Technology

• Game Development

• Virtual Production

Health and Behavioral Sciences

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Kinesiology

• Generalist

• Health Promotion

• Sport and Recreation Management

• Pre-Athletic Training

• Pre-Occupational Therapy

• Pre-Physical Therapy

Nutrition

• Community Concentration

• Didactic Program in Dietetics

• Exercise Science

• Food Service

• Generalist

Psychology Psychology

School of Nursing

Nursing

School of Social Work

Social Work

Science and Engineering

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Agribusiness

Animal Health Professions Cooperative

Animal Science

• Livestock Production

• Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Health

Environmental Science

• Environmental Sustainability

• Wildlife and Natural Resource Management

Biology

Biology*

• Cellular/Molecular Biology

• General Biology

• Health Professions

• Organismal Biology

• Pre-Veterinary Medicine

• Wildlife Biology

Health Professions Cooperative–Biology

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Biochemistry

• American Chemical Society

• Biomedical Science

• Pre-Vet

Health Professions Cooperative–Biochemisty Chemistry*

Engineering and Physics

Engineering

• Civil Engineering

• Electrical Engineering

• General Engineering

• Industrial Engineering

• Mechanical Engineering

Physics*

• Computational Physics

• Engineering Physics

• Engineering Science Technology

• Medical Physics

Mathematics

Mathematics*

• Actuarial Science

• Applied Mathematics

• Pure Mathematics

*Teacher Certification available

Scan for a complete list of majors, minors and pre-professional programs

LET YOUR FUTURE TAKE FIRE

“With a smaller campus, you can feel like you’re really impacting the people around you. You get to know everybody, and it’s easy to get plugged in. That’s where ACU really shines.”

Hayden Poorman has big plans for his future as an investment banker, perhaps on Wall Street, with his eyes on someday creating his own firm to handle wealth management and financial advising.

He has found ACU the perfect place to gain the skills he’ll need for a successful career.

Along the way, Hayden has also discovered a passion for serving others through leadership positions with Wildcat Week, Student Government Association and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. He even co-founded a Real Estate and Banking Society that has helped several students obtain internships.

“If you want to leave a mark or be able to do anything you want, you’ve got to be active,” he says.

His business studies have opened doors for him through Leadership Summit, which allows students to network with Christian CEOs from around the country, and through classes such as Social Enterprise Consulting, which traveled to Costa Rica during spring break to advise local entrepreneurs.

“Business is a very person-to-person interaction, and if we treat each person like Christ calls us to, I think that’s the highest standard of business,” he says. “ACU is a good place to go after your goals in a Christ-centered environment with the support to make them happen.”

Hayden Poorman

Financial Management major/Entrepreneurship certificate, Buffalo Gap, Texas

Campus Activities: SGA treasurer, Real Estate & Banking Society co-founder, Galaxy fraternity secretary

Expand Your Horizons

Our community exists well beyond our campus. Take the opportunity to study abroad at one of our residential programs in Germany, Uruguay or England, immersing yourself in new cultures, new perspectives and new experiences. ACU Study Abroad will grow your connections, bring you closer to understanding your purpose, and help you discover the talents and interests God has given you.

30% of students participate in Study Abroad

ACUʼs Honors College

Committed to maximizing your educational experience, the Honors College gives talented students the best resources to positively affect the world around them through cutting-edge research, valuable internships and engaging courses.

Learn more at acu.edu/honors.

ENTERTAIN YOUR POSSIBILITIES

“I joined the leadership team for Freshman Follies and got hooked in right away with every leadership position imaginable on campus. I’ve met a lot of cool people through my experiences.”

From the moment she set foot on campus, Eboni Wescott has immersed herself in making the most of her college experience.

Whether encouraging students as their residence hall advisor, helping direct student productions like Sing Song or working as a counselor for ACU Leadership Camps, she has surrounded herself with the joy of helping others discover their place.

“I love being involved with college students,” she says. “It’s such a formative four years. You’re becoming who you are supposed to be, and you are trying to figure out what that looks like. It’s been a blessing to occupy spaces with students who are figuring that out.”

Her time at ACU has sparked a desire to work in higher education after she graduates. “I want to help connect students to a community where they experience a sense of belonging,” she says. That desire was solidified when she accompanied a group of 27 high school students to Oxford with ACU’s Rising Scholar’s program.

“We walked around Oxford, learning a lot about the history of the city,” she says. “We got to do cool things like see Wicked and Les Miserables at the West End in London. I experienced things I’d never done before. I also learned a lot about myself while getting to create a community of safety and belonging for those kids.”

Eboni is grateful for her own experience at ACU. “A lot of people here are dedicated to seeing you grow as a person, seeing your walk with Christ grow. I enjoy helping leave people better than they were before, but I’m also leaving better than I was.”

Eboni Westcott

Communication major/Spanish and Legal Studies minor, Dallas, Texas Campus Activities: Sing Song student director, Ko Jo Kai sorority secretary, residence hall RA

This Is Your Community

ACU’s vibrant student life offers more than 100 organizations, clubs and reasons to get together.

Greek life, club sports, academic honor societies, service groups, celebrations of diversity and more build a foundation for friendship, recreation and new experiences. Wherever you want to connect, there’s a place for you to belong.

1,800 of students involved in Greek Life sororities fraternities

students involved in 40+ intramural sports

35% 7 6

ELEVATE YOUR OPPORTUNITIES

“The biochemistry department has really emphasized that we are a family, and the professors have been incredible mentors.”

Aspen Malone first enrolled at ACU with thoughts of medical school, attracted by the university’s shadowing program, high acceptance rate into health professions schools and reputation for an exceptional pre-health advising program.

But once she got on campus and experienced the thrill of serving as a tutor and teaching assistant in science labs, she quickly realized teaching is her passion. “I’m a big nerd at heart,” she says. “I love the ‘aha’ moments when someone I’m teaching understands.”

She is especially interested in diversity and equity in higher education. A medical mission trip to Guatemala showed her firsthand the challenges of those living in poverty.

“That experience fueled my passion even more,” she says. “I want my focus as an educator to be on underrepresented groups and marginalized students.”

Aspen is well on her way to her goals with a summer research internship in chemistry education. She will be analyzing data from first-generation college students to discover the challenges they face in learning environments and will be using that knowledge to develop instructional support materials.

She’s also found stellar role models among ACU’s professors, who have inspired her desire to make a similar impact on a future generation of scientists and health professionals. “I’ve been to my professors’ homes. I have my professors’ phone numbers. I want to support my students like that and see them succeed.”

Aspen Malone

Biochemistry major/Health Humanities minor, Amarillo, Texas Campus Activities: Presidential Scholar, Honors College Council chair, Sanctify Hip-Hop president

Strengthen Your Future

Our students gain access to a variety of career opportunities as they achieve inside the classroom and beyond.

The offices of Academic Advising and Career Services connect with many well-known employers and prepare students to engage with them. It’s no wonder ACU students consistently find exciting internships that prepare them for success in their careers.

85%

85% 90%

of graduates were employed or enrolled in grad school within six months acceptance into medical and dental schools over past five years of ACU graduates accepted into law school

Prepare for Your Calling

Center for Pre-Health Professions(CPHP)

CPHP is an essential training ground for students of any major interested in a healthcare career. CPHP helps you build a strong portfolio through shadowing, surgery observation, medical missions and more to prepare for professional school. With small class sizes, we offer support from dedicated faculty. acu.edu/pre-health

Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Health

Our pre-vet program promotes your success through networking, veterinary admission preparation and even partnering with some veterinary medicine schools to offer a B.S. in animal science and one year of veterinary medicine.

Pre-Law

Our faculty are committed to your preparation for law school through phenomenal advisors and courses that cover constitutional law, the American judicial process and the intersection of religion and politics. A minor in legal studies is available.

Employers hiring ACU interns and graduates

LEAN IN TO YOUR PURPOSE

“I realized during high school that I wanted to be part of a faith environment and part of a place where I felt like I was being pushed closer to God by the people around me. So that made ACU such an appealing place for me.”

Jackson Kulp loves athletics but has been injury prone his entire life. As a high school football player, he struggled with back pain and knee issues that impacted his enjoyment of the sport.

From that struggle grew his desire to empower others by working as a physical therapist. “My dream job is working with high school athletes as a life coach who helps them physically but also with discovering their identity,” he says.

The kinesiology department at ACU has put him on the path to do just that. His degree is preparing him to enter physical therapy school after graduating from a university with one of the nation’s highest admission rates into health professions schools.

But just as importantly to Jackson, the culture at ACU has helped grow his faith. “Student life has been really impactful to me as far as living inside a faith environment – being welcoming to people of all different backgrounds but also pushing us to be better,” he says.

“Our department not only has professors who intellectually care about you and want you to succeed, we also get to connect with a community that encourages building relationships and keeps them centered on Christ. ACU is a great space for people who are driven to get their focus on the right things.”

Jackson Kulp Kinesiology/Pre-Physical Therapy, West Chester, Pennsylvania Campus Activities:

director

SGA senator, residence hall RA, Kinesiology Club chaplain, Gamma Sigma Phi fraternity intramural

Loving Our Neighbors

Wildcats answer the call to serve others in places near and far.

Whether it’s a school down the street or a medical clinic in a Honduran village, ACU students, faculty, staff and alumni are actively looking for ways to serve – providing a listening ear, building a source for clean water, addressing malnutrition and many more opportunities. Through service, we learn from the people around us about the meaning of being a neighbor.

LIGHT IT UP PURPLE

Abilene Christian teams have made headlines around the world for their athletic accomplishments.

The ACU Wildcats are quickly rising from hometown champions to national contenders. As a member of the NCAA Division I, Western Athletic Conference, our studentathletes and coaches are proving that determination, resiliency and desire to be their best earns titles and trophies. Wear your purple, and we’ll see you at the game!

Scan to see a full list of athletic events. Students attend home games for FREE!

TAKE IN ABILENEʼS CHARM

The campus of Abilene Christian and the city of Abilene provide a welcoming backdrop for your college experience.

Abilene will soon be your home away from home. This hospitable city of 125,000 is community-minded at heart with amenities and activities for everyone. The historic downtown area features a cultural district, arts, restaurants and entertainment. In addition to long-standing local favorites, new developments such as Allen Ridge near ACU’s campus continue to grow and expand. Three hours west of Dallas, easy transportation options are available, including the Abilene airport.

ACU’s beautiful 262-acre campus welcomes you. Whether you want to be in the heart of the action at the campus center or prefer to take a leisurely walk along the Lunsford Trail, our spaces provide the environment you need to study, play, connect and explore.

Experience ACU for yourself!

Schedule your visit today. acu.edu/visit

BECOME A WILDCAT

ACU’s undergraduate application was designed specifically for motivated students like you. Take your next steps to ACU:

Complete the application for admission* at acu.edu/wildcatapply** starting Aug. 1.

Submit your application for free before Sept. 1.** After Sept. 1, there is a $50 nonrefundable application fee.

Send your official high school and/or college transcript(s) to:

Mail:

ACU Office of Admissions

ACU Box 29000

Abilene, TX 79699

Email: info@admissions.acu.edu

Electronic: various sources through your high school counselor

Request your ACT, SAT or CLT scores be sent to ACU. If you do not intend to send your college placement scores, you can choose to apply test-optional. Test-optional students are not eligible for the Presidential Scholarship or Honors College.

Should you be granted admission, you will be given access to confirm your admission, pay your $600 nonrefundable enrollment deposit and submit your housing preferences.

The ACU enrollment deposit covers the cost of New Student Orientation, Wildcat Week and the First Year Experience.

*Some programs may have additional application deadlines and admissions requirements. **Students who apply through ApplyTexas and/or CommonApp have a $50 nonrefundable application fee.

PAYING FOR COLLEGE

At ACU, we understand education is a significant investment for our students and their families. We’re committed to making the ACU experience as affordable as possible for everyone. Our team of admissions and financial aid counselors will guide you through the process as you finance your education.

Your application for admission serves as your merit-based scholarship application. When you apply, you’ll be considered for academic-based scholarships, up to $20,000 per year. Explore additional resources for scholarships and external funding at acu.edu/scholarships

To ensure you have access to the full range of grants and loan options, complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which opens Dec. 1, by visiting studentaid.gov.

The Presidential Scholarship and Honors Fellow Award

These two awards are among ACU’s most prestigious scholarships and are awarded based upon a student’s application for admission and academic profile.

Block Tuition

ACU’s annual block tuition allows full-time undergraduate students to take up to 36 hours each school year for one price, with general fees included. Each student’s 36 hours per year can be taken during the fall, spring and summer terms, and either online, on campus or across the world through ACU’s Study Abroad program.

$25,000

Average total amount of scholarships and grants