Trinity Western University:
Established: 1962 (Originally known as Trinity Junior College it was renamed Trinity Western College in 1972 and Trinity Western University in 1985) Number of Students
TWU has over 2,800 students. Programs
Trinity Western University (TWU) has over 66 programs, taught from a Christian-faith perspective, from the undergraduate to graduate level, spanning the faculties of Business, Education, Human Kinetics, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural and Applied Sciences, and Professional Studies and Performing Arts and the graduate faculties of Graduate Studies, Linguistics, and Theological Studies. These programs include 50 undergraduate options, with 38 majors and 12 minors and/or concentrations, 13 graduate degrees, including 8 in seminary studies, and several diploma and study abroad opportunities. The University offers third year business, communications, computing science, history, international studies, and political studies students the chance to spend a semester at Trinity’s Ottawa campus, known as the Laurentian Leadership Centre, earning credit towards their respective degrees as well as real-life experiences, via internships, pertaining to their discipline. TWU also has “casual studies” offering various online, summer, and part-time courses and programs, a “travel studies” choice that enables students to travel abroad and learn through international experiences, and a “test drive” program designed for high school students wishing to experience university-type instruction. Interesting Facts
Founded by the Evangelical Free Churches of Canada and America, Trinity Western University is a private Christian University, located in Langley, BC, whose core belief is that the Bible is the direct, supreme Word of God and the ultimate Truth. This philosophy is evident in TWU’s educational goal of creating proselytizing disciples of God by integrating Christian beliefs, doctrines, and values with education, campus life, and student behaviour both on and off campus. The latter has arguably made TWU one of the more controversial post-secondary institutions in Canada because, in pursuit of regulating student behaviour, students are required to sign a pledge promising to abstain from specific activities deemed by the school to be immoral and againt God’s Will, including premarital sex and homosexuality. This requirement was the focal point of a 1995 court battle between TWU and the British Columbia College of Teachers (BCCT). The latter denied certification to the former’s education program stating that the TWU pledge students must sign is discriminatory and only teaches future educators that discrimination in certain cases is acceptable. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of TWU stating that there was no foundation for BCCT’s claim. |
