Criswell College

Criswell is a Christian college in Dallas, Texas, offering degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Since its establishment in 1970, the college has played a unique and important role in Baptist and church life. Thankful for that legacy, we continue to build an institution of higher learning, with a diverse community of Christian, evangelical believers, that is devoted to academic excellence and spiritual vitality.

Criswell maintains a credentialed and experienced faculty who are dedicated to ministry and to the church. The college’s relatively small size enables professors not only to instruct but also to mentor, providing students the opportunity to explore theological issues both safely and deeply, and obtain the skills necessary to influence society.

The college is devoted to student development, seeking to shape a student’s character and knowledge in many ways. At the same time our students shape our community with their presence as they test their ideas and challenge and learn from their peers and mentors. We, therefore, choose our students carefully, for we are invested in their academic and spiritual development and the contributions they will offer to society.

Your interest in Criswell College is important to us. Our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and supporters all play a vital role in the mission of providing ministerial and professional higher education for men and women preparing to serve as Christian leaders throughout society, while maintaining an institutional commitment to biblical inerrancy.

Since its inception in 1970 as the Criswell Center for Biblical Studies, the college has produced some of the most important leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention, a disproportionate accomplishment for such a small college, but an intentional one. Based on that experience, we now intend to extend our influence into the culture more broadly. The college’s mission statement drives our institutional planning, affecting both curricular and co-curricular activities. It shapes everything from our financial goals and plans, to our hiring decisions, and our marketing strategies, and provides purpose and vision to our everyday tasks. Most importantly, however, it shapes the Criswell student experience, equipping all our students – whether their plans are to serve in traditional paid ministry, in some other career, or a combination of both – to influence the culture for Christ.

The mission of Criswell College is to provide ministerial and professional higher education for men and women preparing to serve as Christian leaders throughout society, while maintaining an institutional commitment to biblical inerrancy.

Criswell College is committed to helping you pursue God’s calling for your life. Through our distinctively Christian curriculum and devoted faculty, you will be equipped for further study and poised to meet challenges in the field you choose to pursue. At Criswell, you will be surrounded by an intimate community of faculty and students committed to engaging ideas with academic rigor for the sake of transforming culture. You will be prepared to join the many graduates who have gone on to successfully lead in a variety of roles, including college presidents, business owners, pastors, missionaries, counselors, and professors across the United States and throughout the world. Regardless of your field of study, you will receive at least a major’s worth of Biblical and theological studies. This core curriculum will help to ground your studies in a Biblical worldview and prepare you to connect the gospel to all that you learn.

The vast majority of our classes are taught by full-time faculty members. Our faculty members are highly credentialed to teach in their fields and also committed to the ministry of the church. The college’s small size enables professors not only to instruct but also mentor, providing you with an opportunity to explore ideas with depth and guidance.

You will not get lost in the crowd at Criswell. The college’s small size provides you with opportunities for deep and lasting relationships with faculty, staff, and fellow students. Additionally, the college’s location in the heart of Dallas enables you to connect with the broader community for leisure and, more importantly, for missions.

Criswell has much to offer you as a student. But we also believe you have much to offer Criswell. As a student, you will add your unique personality, interests, and gifts to the Criswell community. Not only will you be trained to transform culture once you leave campus, you will actively be transforming the culture here as you learn. We look forward to you joining us.

Christ commanded us to love God with both heart and mind, and formal study is one way to do this. Academic rigor and spiritual vitality are the hallmarks of Criswell College coursework. Our professors are experts in their fields and often become mentors and lifelong friends to students. You can earn an associate degree, choose from five majors at the bachelor level, and five programs at the graduate level. No matter which program you choose you will be challenged and changed by what you learn and experience. You will gain a deep love of learning at Criswell College, as well as the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in whatever field you choose to serve Christ. Criswell students are constantly improving their ability to see all of life – church, government, media, business, education, etc. – from a biblical, Christian perspective.