Overview
You sense God's leading to engage the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. You are comfortable and very much at home among people of different cultures and ethnicities. You are stirred and burdened by human need around the world. For you, it is not enough just to advocate for relief and provision; you want to participate in being part of the solution. You tend to read the Scriptures, and to view current events, with an eye to the biblical message of missions. You are always the first to volunteer for mission projects and travel. When you think about your future, cross-cultural ministry is always your first thought.
If this describes you, then the intercultural studies degree at North Greenville University may be the best option for you. Here, NGU's Intercultural Studies Department faculty members are prepared and willing to help you begin a successful career as a missionary.
Major Description
As an intercultural studies major at NGU, you will spend much of your time involved with volunteer mission projects, international field immersion experiences, mission research, NGU's annual Global Missions Conference, and guided local community outreach. You will learn about cross-cultural communication, mission strategies, biblical teaching and application, critical thinking and communication through writing, and cultural immersion and adaptation, as well as how to apply this knowledge in your own missionary work.
By your senior year, you will have developed categories for thinking about and engaging with the world both theologically and cross-culturally.
Ultimately, the intercultural studies degree will provide a strong education based on a biblical worldview that will prepare you for a variety of missions-related pursuits.
Curriculum
The curriculum within the Intercultural Studies Department at NGU will prepare you for excellence in global missionary service. You will begin with foundational courses in mission theology, history, strategy, and methodology. You will then progress to studies in cross-cultural communication, cultural anthropology, evangelism, and church planting. You will also put your training into practical field experience through a month-long, international mission practicum.
As you continue through the program, you will develop a clear understanding of the biblical mandate to go and encounter the nations with the gospel. Furthermore, you will gain the tools necessary to serve cross-culturally with greater understanding of the Bible and culture, along with personal and spiritual convention.
Faculty Strengths
Each of the Intercultural Studies Department faculty members trained at some of the finest educational institutions in America, where they earned one or more postgraduate degrees. Additionally, each faculty member brings several years of prior mission ministry field experience to the classroom. Together, excellent formal training and the wisdom born of field service combine to make the Intercultural Studies Department's faculty of the highest quality.
Tracks / Concentrations
There are no tracks or concentrations for this major available at this time.
Minors
At NGU, we offer minors to complement your major. Each minor requires a minimum of 18 semester hours, which in some cases may even be used to meet the elective requirements for your major. View the full list of minors.
Electives
- Arabic, as well as other foreign languages
- Biblical language courses
- Church-Planting
- English as a Second Language
- International Cross-Cultural Church-Planting
- Introduction to Language/Linguistics
- Jesus and the Missionary Task
- Paul the Missionary
Success

"I love being an intercultural studies major, because my professors genuinely care about me as a person before they care about me as a student. Over the past four years, I've been taught how to effectively communicate the gospel. My professors have intentionally poured into my life and have modeled the gospel in the classroom and in cultural immersion experiences."

"My studies prepared me for my career in communicating, sharing the gospel, and working with other students, staff, and faculty."

"The program prepares you and equips you to live out your faith whether you are overseas or stateside, in a clergy or a secular position."
Future
Career Opportunities
- ESL Teacher
- Humanitarian Organization Worker
- Ministry Worker
- Missionary
- Missions Agency Worker
- Pastor
Postgraduate Studies
- North Greenville University
- Fuller Theological Seminary
- Golden Gate Theological Seminary
- Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
- Midwestern Theological Seminary
- New Orleans Theological Seminary
- Southeastern Theological Seminary
- Southwestern Theological Seminary
- The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Potential Employers
- Avant Missions
- Baptist Convention of New England
- Black Forest International School in Germany
- Connecticut Church Planters Network
- Innovo Publishing LLC
- International Mission Board
- North American Mission Board
- SEND International
- Three Rivers Baptist Association
- U.S. Government
- Wycliffe Bible Translators
Learning Experience

International Field Immersion Experience
Each student will complete a required, one-month-long service on an international field under supervision of university personnel and qualified field missionaries.
NGU L.I.G.H.T. Teams
Every year, NGU hosts several global, cross-cultural mission trips. Under the supervision of the Center for Cross-Cultural Engagement and Global Leadership, a variety of international mission trips are available during the break periods both between and during semesters.
Internships
The Intercultural Studies Department works closely with students to secure meaningful internships within churches, mission agencies, and field-based mission sites.
Faculty Biographies
Courses
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
First-Year Experience or Honors Seminar (1 to 2
hours)
Composition and Rhetoric (3 hours)
English Composition and Literature (3 hours)
Fine arts appreciation course (3 hours)
Foreign language course (3 hours)
Computer Science (3 hours)
Western Civilization I (3 hours)
College Algebra or higher math course (3 hours)
Spiritual Formations for the Christian Minister (1 hour)
Old Testament Survey (3 hours)
New Testament Survey (3 hours)
Physical Education (2 hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
Western Civilization II (3 hours)
Biological science course (4 hours)
Physical science course (4 hours)
Humanities course (3 hours)
Foreign language course (3 hours)
Oral Communication or Homiletics (3 hours)
Social science course (3 hours)
2000-level English course (3 hours)
Principles of Theological Research and Writing (3 hours)
Open elective (4 hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
Foreign language course (3 hours)
Hermeneutics (3 hours)
Introduction to Missions (3 hours)
Principles of Evangelism (3 hours)
World Religions (3 hours)
Principles and Practice of Missions (3 hours)
Social science course (3 hours)
Biblical studies course (3 hours)
The Gospel Across Cultures (3 hours)
Biblical and Historical Bases for Missions (3 hours)
Open elective (4 hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
Open elective (3 hours)
Foreign language course (3 hours)
Vocational elective (3 hours)
Missions Practicum I (3 hours)
Missions Practicum II (3 hours)
Systematic Theology I (3 hours)
Systematic Theology II (3 hours)
Biblical studies course (3 hours)
Anthropology for Missions (3 hours)
Intercultural Studies Senior Seminar (3 hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
Program Objectives
- Serve in cross-cultural ministry with an unsurpassed level of biblical integrity and cultural intelligence.
- Think critically about issues of mission strategy and contextual methodologies.
- Adapt more readily to a variety of geographic and cultural challenges inherent to the process of acculturation
- Offer reputable mission-sending agencies a highly informed and intelligent mission practitioner.