Bachelor of Classical Christian Studies

The Bachelor of Classical Christian Studies is the crowning award of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy: a degree conferred upon students who complete the full course of studies that formed the saints and scholars of Christendom. The degree program is authorized by the State of North Carolina and comprises the study the ancients called Philosophia — the seven liberal arts of the Trivium and Quadrivium, the moral and natural philosophy of Aristotle and the Schoolmen, and the study of Sacred Scripture and Catholic doctrine drawn from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Unlike modern degree programs, which gather elective credits around a narrow specialty, the Bachelor of Classical Christian Studies is an ordered whole. The student begins with the arts of language — Grammar, Reasoning, and Rhetoric — by which the mind is disciplined to read, define, argue, and communicate truly. He proceeds through the mathematical arts — Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy — by which the mind is raised from sensible things to intelligible ones. Thus prepared, he enters philosophy itself, studying the actual works of Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the classical Catholic tradition — not summaries or textbooks about them, but the texts themselves, mastered lesson by lesson. Throughout, the study of Sacred Scripture and sacred doctrine directs all learning to its true end: the knowledge of Wisdom and the practice of virtue. The degree is earned by demonstrated mastery of studies, not mere participation in classes. Every requirement is published; progress is measured by demonstrated mastery, not by hours in a seat; and the degree is conferred by the Headmaster's own hand only when the full standard has been met. Candidates may declare for the degree and follow their progress through its requirements as they advance through the curriculum. For adult students seeking the education that modern institutions no longer provide — and for families desiring that their children's studies culminate in a true liberal education — the Bachelor of Classical Christian Studies offers what no accumulation of modern credits can: a mind formed by the classical Catholic tradition, whole.