BELMONT — Home to more than 1,500 students, Belmont Abbey College is a Benedictine liberal arts college that believes in the development of the whole person – mind, body and spirit – so that “in all things God may be glorified.”
Its mission is to provide an education that will enable students to lead lives of integrity, succeed professionally, become responsible citizens and be a blessing to themselves and others.
Belmont Abbey College is the only Catholic college between northern Virginia and Florida, and with its intimate, historic setting and low student/teacher ratio, enrollment continues to grow.
Incoming enrollment this fall in all the college’s various degree programs is expected to be more than 500 students – a record for the college.
In an Aug. 6 video update, Belmont Abbey College’s president Dr. William Thierfelder credited the college’s Catholic mission and Benedictine values for the college thriving despite the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past year and a half.
Founded in 1876, the college began as a small monastery and school that has grown to become the pride of the local Catholic community for its commitment to high academic standards and its Benedictine heritage.
The monks of Belmont Abbey are a constant presence on the beautiful campus, located only about 10 minutes from Charlotte, and it is this unique combination of liberal arts education coupled with a monastic connection that is so appealing to Catholic students in the region, across the nation and around the world. Though it is founded on
Benedictine traditions, the college welcomes a diverse body of students regardless of religious affiliation.
Besides its traditional undergraduate and graduate degree programs of study, the college recently announced a vibrant Abbey Online program which is a major draw for those wishing to change careers or continue their education.
With courses designed for flexibility while retaining the college’s Catholic identity, Abbey Online offers majors such as interdisciplinary studies, accounting, and business management. These degree programs – already leading programs for residential and commuter students – are completely accessible online.
Two eight-week sessions are offered each semester and one during the summer. Students are able to start in the summer, fall or spring. Applications may be submitted anytime. Classes are available on five start dates, with the first approximate start date this fall set for Aug. 17.
The Abbey Online degree programs are significantly less than in-person instruction at $349 per credit hour, and the online aspect gives those students the ability to manage their degree and their studies as they wish. For details, go online to www.bac.edu/abbeyonline.
In 2020, the college launched a partnership with CaroMont Health Inc. to build a hospital adjacent to campus.
CaroMont Regional Medical Center-Belmont will complement the college’s new healthcare degree programs, in which students pursuing degrees in nursing will have an opportunity to do their practicals. CaroMont partnered with the college to help design degrees in Health Information Management and Analytics, and the college’s first master’s level program, the Master in Health Administration, which launches this fall.
The hospital construction is underway with an estimated completion in the summer of 2023.
— Catholic News Herald
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At www.bac.edu: Learn more about Belmont Abbey College