Twenty-one percent of colleges have adopted a hybrid model of learning, with 95 percent of students agreeing that online education is satisfying, more fun, and helps them retain information. It’s fair to say that hybrid learning has become popular. So, with this information, you may be wondering if a hybrid program is best for you. Continue reading to learn more.
What Are Some Benefits of Hybrid Learning?
There are many benefits that come along with hybrid learning. To start, hybrid programs allow flexibility for the multitasking student. Not everyone has the luxury to pick up and move to another location where they will dedicate many years learning at school. With a hybrid model, you do not have to meet in person for every class, and, on average, typically only have to meet in person a few times. This means that the rest of your time learning can be done from the comfort of your own choice, which allows major flexibility for you, especially if you need to maintain other responsibilities. You may have a full-time job or family obligations that make relocating or a regimented class schedule difficult to maintain.
If enrolled in a hybrid model, you also will have the ability to manage your time better, as you will typically be able to schedule your classes and school work around your personal or professional schedule.
Depending on the school and classes taken, hybrid learning can also be more cost-effective than traditional on-campus opportunities. For starters, by avoiding a daily commute, money can be saved in gas, which adds up. Hybrid courses also provide the chance to save on room and board or rent, depending on where you are located. Some schools also discount or eliminate the typical university and campus fees that fall into your tuition costs.
How Do I Know if a Hybrid Program Is Right for Me?
While we all have different preferences and learning styles, it’s important to acknowledge what type of learning modality fits all of your personal and professional needs. View our hybrid learning checklist below to see if a hybrid program is best for you.
✅ Is it currently too difficult for you to relocate for school?
✅ Do you have outside responsibilities, such as taking care of a family, employment or other?
✅ Do you value a work-life balance and feel that on campus learning and a strict regime would conflict too much with your current schedule?
✅ Are you looking to reduce degree-program costs?
✅ Are you okay with not gaining the full “on-campus” university experience that students living in dorms or on campus may experience?
✅ Are you comfortable communicating from a laptop instead of in person in order to connect with professors and other students?
✅ Can you work efficiently on your own schedule, ensuring all work and learning is complete on time?
If you answered “yes” to most or all of the questions above, a hybrid program might be a great option for you and your learning style.
Continue Your Journey With Perkins’ Hybrid Program
Perkins School of Theology meets you where you are, both spiritually and geographically, through our flexible hybrid program.
Our program offers students in the Houston-Galveston region, and others willing to travel to Houston, the opportunity to complete two different master's degrees in theology: the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and the Master of Arts in Ministry (M.A.M.). Both of these degrees have the same degree requirements as do the face-to-face in-person programs, while still allowing students the accessibility of a hybrid program. In fact, a large number of current students are from out of the state of Texas.
All courses within the hybrid program are offered in either hybrid or one-week intensive formats. Each hybrid course meets for 10 hours face-to-face (student-professor) at the beginning of the semester and for an additional 10 hours at the end of the semester. The remainder of the class is taught online. One-week intensive courses usually will be offered during the spring and summer terms. Students who successfully complete each of these courses in the regular sequence will earn the M.Div. degree in three years and the M.A.M. degree in two years.
Just as there are many benefits to earning your M.Div. or M.A.M. on-campus at Perkins, those benefits remain if you enroll in the hybrid program, such as mailing books from our Bridwell Library to use remotely.
Perkins School of Theology welcomes you whether you are near or far, and we are happy to bring you the opportunity to learn and grow with us while working from the convenience of your own space.
We invite you to learn more so that you can truly experience the connection we bring to our hybrid students even when they are not in-person learning with us. Download our interactive eBook, Explore Perkins’ Flexible Hybrid Program: A Program That Meets Students Where They Are, to learn more!
