Practical Learning
Getting a degree is about getting prepared for the future.
It’s taking a look at your natural gifts, your passions, the topics you love to explore, the ideas that challenge you, and the problems you want to fix — and channeling them into a career you’ll love.
It’s also using the best tools available to do it. Each degree program at Liberty is developed with you — and what you’ll need to succeed — in mind.
So while you’ll discuss big ideas, read important works, and grow intellectually in the classroom, you’ll also be taught the things you can’t learn in books. You’ll learn about the tools and simulators that professionals use, and in many cases, learn from the pros themselves.
Learning here is like learning on the job — before you’re on the job.
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Do you want to…
- Start your own business? Check out our Center for Entrepreneurship.
- Record your own music? We’ve got a studio — and a record label — for that.
- Graduate with an IMDb credit or a professional theatre credit on your résumé? Opportunities to earn them come standard in our Cinematic Arts and Theatre curriculums.
Take a look at just a few of the opportunities you’ll have for practical learning and professional experience at Liberty University.
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“Liberty is telling me that they care about my education. To actually put this much money, resources, and staff time into a professional studio where students get to work — shows that they are willing to take that next step to prepare us for the job market.
It gives me the right to say, ‘Hey, I’ve used this equipment that you are using.’ I can go into job interviews at studios and say, ‘I’m familiar with this, I’ve worked with this in college, and I’ve run productions on it.’”
— Jason Johnson, digital media student
Aeronautics
Ready to fly? At Liberty, you’ll benefit from our airline hiring agreements with at least nine airlines — including ExpressJet and Piedmont Airlines — and you’ll learn to be a pilot, airplane mechanic, or drone operator using our:
- 27 aircraft (including 20 Cessna 172 SP Skyhawks, 5 Piper PA-44 Seminoles, and 2 Cessna 150s)
- 13 training devices (including an advanced jet training device)
- 6 unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)
We also have over 65 flight training affiliates across the country, so you can get your flight time and work on your B.S. in Aviation online no matter where you are.
“Adapting is always part of the drill. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, but that’s why it’s important for our students to be prepared to respond in a dynamic environment and be prepared if something goes wrong.”
— Andrew Walton, Liberty Aeronautics’ Director of Safety
The Arts
Ever dreamed of having your artwork displayed in a gallery? Or working on a film slated for national release? Or performing on stage in a professional musical? Liberty students enjoy these opportunities and more — every year.
Art Gallery
Featuring 13-foot ceilings, track lighting, and a professional hanging system to beautifully display student art, visiting artist exhibitions, and Liberty’s permanent art collection.
Alluvion Stage Company
A nonprofit, professional theater company where students have the opportunity to perform alongside seasoned stage professionals and perform in Liberty’s 640-seat Tower Theater.
The theater features a Broadway-style fly tower, a professional rigging system, catwalks, a balcony, and an orchestra pit.
Previous productions include Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Hello Dolly, and many other family favorites.
Cinematic Arts, Zaki Gordon Center
The Zaki Gordon Center not only holds its own film festival every year, but also invites industry professionals to regularly speak to students like…
Screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, Secretariat, Hacksaw Ridge),
Producer Rich Peluso (Courageous, Soul Surfer, Miracles from Heaven)
Cinematic Arts students work with…
Red cameras (like the kind Peter Jackson used to film The Lord of the Rings), Avid edit bays, THX-certified surround sound mixing equipment
Hybrid Learning
At Liberty University, we understand there are as many learning styles and preferences as there are students, and a one-size-fits-all education is an outdated model.
So while classes on campus will give you the real world experience and mentorship you want, you can also earn class credit through our easily accessible online courses.
- Online classes are 8 weeks long
- There are 8 online start dates per year
- Online courses run parallel to the residential academic calendar
Online classes meet the same rigorous academic standards as our residential courses, and taking courses online to supplement an on-campus program is a popular option for many students.
Doing so gives you the freedom to study interesting subjects outside your major, get ahead over the summer, work while you study, or simply earn your degree faster.
Please note: First-semester freshmen and transfer students are not eligible for online classes.
Communication
Do you see media in your future? Whether you want to be in front of the camera or behind it, you’ll gain real broadcast experience by working with Liberty’s professional event production team, covering live campus events, like Convocation. You’ll also benefit from:
Two broadcast studios, complete with:
Production control rooms connected via fiber-optic cable to a number of campus venues for live sports productions (some of which are covered by ESPN)
Professional-grade sets with digital backgrounds and a green screen
LFSN (Liberty Flames Sports Network)
Work with a broadcast team consisting of trained professionals who have worked for most of the major sports networks in the United States — including ESPN, ABC Sports, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, NASCAR, SportSouth, Comcast, and Fox Sports. Cover Liberty’s sporting events with a network that reaches into 40 million households coast-to-coast
90.9 The Light
90.9 The Light staffs 12 managers and gives hands-on experience to nearly 100 students. Liberty’s student-run radio station reaches up to 200,000 potential listeners in Lynchburg and surrounding counties. It broadcasts Christian music and Liberty University athletics.
Liberty Champion Newspaper
It’s published 11 times each semester and circulated through various community channels with 15,500 copies printed per issue. Build your portfolio as you enjoy interview opportunities with high-profile leaders, and learn how to meet real-story deadlines in news, sports, feature, and editorial writing. The Liberty Champion is one of the largest weekly community papers in Central Virginia.
“Having that hands-on experience, I’m able to show what I learned in textbooks in real-life situations. It (the classroom and LFSN experience) gives me a demo reel so I can actually show off my work. Instead of just telling people, ‘I know how to do it,’ I can say, ‘I used this equipment, and this is what I learned with that.’ … It makes me look better to a future employer, and it just gives me the confidence that I know what I’m doing.”
— Julie S., digital media student
Biology and Chemistry
Ready to make the next big scientific discovery?
At Liberty, you’ll be able to do research in 20 major-specific teaching labs and 6 research labs — including a forensic science lab, genetics lab, environmental biology lab, and cadaver lab (open to select undergraduate biomedical science students).
You’ll also learn on professional-level research equipment like these:
- A DNA gene sequencer
- Zeiss microscope
- Atomic absorption spectrometer
- Tissue culture facility
- Fluorescent microscope
- LICOR imager
And you can immerse yourself in engaging research projects where you could study algae biofuels, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, DNA analysis, crayfish parasites, and more.
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Disaster Simulations
Crisis situations are stressful enough — and navigating one for the first time as a professional can be nerve-wracking.
So, at Liberty, departments across disciplines collaborate with each other and with professionals to give students practice for real-world crises in controlled environments.
Just this year, students learned how to respond to a bioterrorism attack and a plane crash.
Simulated Bioterrorism Attack
SIMULATION: Fog was released inside Liberty’s Indoor Track & Field Complex to simulate the spread of deadly viruses and biological agents, such as anthrax and Ebola. Additionally, a fake laboratory was created for students to learn more about dangerous bacteria that terrorists manipulate in order to cause mass destruction.
Forensic science, criminal justice, biology, and nursing students worked together with the Virginia State Police, Lynchburg Fire Department, the Liberty University Police Department, and the U.S. Army National Guard 34th and 229th units to learn what roles the different law enforcement agencies play in the event of an attack.
“I didn’t expect to be doing stuff like this as a freshman, so it’s been really cool having all these opportunities presented to me right off the bat.”
— Faith S., student
“It’s not real, but it feels real. I’m glad that Liberty has the resources like this to put a drill together where we can gain experience.”
— Lauren E., exercise science student
Simulated Airplane Crash
SIMULATION: A small prop plane “crashed” into a crowd of people attending an airshow.
Nursing and aviation students played the roles of airport representatives, first responders, Red Cross representatives, and victims. Nursing students tended to the 12 crash victims, while aviation students worked to secure the scene and investigate the incident.
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