General Studies

General Studies offers students several options for immersing themselves in SU’s curriculum. One option is to take single courses, either for credit or as an auditing student. Another option is to compose your own General Studies Certificate Program.

Individual Courses

For Credit

Summit University welcomes students who would like to take individual courses in General Studies. Taking a course for credit means you will complete all assignments, exercises and tests included in the course. Choose from a variety of 1-, 2- and 3-credit courses as they become available.

Complete credits simply for your own academic satisfaction, or pre-plan for a certificate program that you might want to enroll in at a future date.

If you are currently pursuing a degree, consider taking an SU course on a spiritual subject to supplement and deepen your program at your college or university.

For Audit

Are you interested in a particular subject offered by SU Online, yet do not need to receive a grade or earn credits? You may apply to audit General Studies courses each semester for a reduced tuition fee of $85 plus a $20 tech support fee, per credit hour. (See Tuition and Fees for more information.)

A student who audits a course has access to all course materials, interacts with the course instructor, and may participate in course forum discussions. Audit students are not required to complete assignments or take exams, and are not graded. Textbooks are optional. No Certificate of Completion and no credits are awarded for auditing courses.

To learn more about auditing courses, click here.

General Studies Certificate Program

Build your own General Studies certificate from a wide selection of courses. This 18-credit program has one required 3-credit course, RELS 1080 – Understanding the Teachings of the Ascended Masters. Students select their additional 15 credits of coursework according to their interests.  Almost any combination of courses is acceptable. Focus on a specific topic area or go broad for a well-balanced certificate. Read more here.

Available Courses for Credit or Audit*

Single Courses for Credit or Audit*

Select any course from the list below.

• COMS 1101 – Public Speaking (1 cr.)
• EDUC 1233 – Foundations of a Home-Centered Spiritual Culture (1 cr.)
• EDUC 1380 – Outreach Principles and Techniques in The Summit Lighthouse (1 cr.)
• ENGL 1225 – English Writing Skills (1 cr.)
• ENGL 1275 – Writing for Social Media (1 cr.)
• ENGL 1281 – Writers’ Guild Training – Fundamentals (2 cr.)
• LEAD 1101 – Principles and Practice of Servant Leadership (3 cr.)
• LEAD 1105 – Practical Leadership Skills 1 (1 cr.)
• LEAD 2105 – Practical Leadership Skills 2 (1 cr.)
• MINS 2380 – The Universal Principles of Spiritual Community (1 cr., only available for audit if not in MTC-A or MTC-B)
• MINS 2603 – Foundations of Family Ministry (1 cr.)
• MINS 2770 – The Holy Spirit: Fire from Heaven (1 cr.)
• POLI 1101 – Spiritual Principles of Government (3 cr.)
• PSYC 1201 – Spiritual Psychology 1 (3 cr.)
• PSYC 2201 – Spiritual Psychology 2 (3 cr.)
• RELS 1005 – Survey of the World Religions (2 cr.)
• RELS 1080 – Understanding the Teachings of the Ascended Masters (3 cr.)
• RELS 1085 – Survey of The Summit Lighthouse (1 cr.)
• RELS 1180 – Science of the Spoken Word (1 cr.)
• SOCW 2603 – Basics of Senior Care (1 cr.)
• SOCW 2605 – End-of-Life Care in The Summit Lighthouse (1 cr.)