Hartland’s Unique Educational System
Hartland College offers a unique curriculum that is distinct from what is offered at other colleges and universities.
It is important to be familiar with these distinctions and to be comfortable attending a college that offers a unique educational experience. The faculty at Hartland College spent several years developing a structured core curriculum that provides in-depth training for 21st century missionaries and students seeking to develop their own ministries. We are excited to share this unique educational product with our prospective students!
Every student at Hartland College, regardless of their major, will develop skills and knowledge in a wide range of areas. We believe that every class we teach should be rooted in real-life application, so our entire curriculum is designed to be overtly practical. Our Madison 2.0 initiative, for example, will teach every student the basics of entrepreneurial thinking with indepth instruction on how to develop their own financially self-supporting ministries. Starting in their first year, students will develop business plans that will help motivated students pay their tuition bills. Every student will learn strategies for being an effective entrepreneurial leader and explore ways to create and finance their mission-oriented business and ministry endeavors.
In addition, all students will study the basics of medical missionary work including wilderness first aid, the selection and use of natural remedies, hydrotherapy, massage, the basics of human anatomy and physiology, and how to adopt a healthy, active, productive lifestyle. All our students will receive extensive training towards leading people to Christ through our intensive Bible school experience, religion classes, innovative worships, canvassing programs, and weekly outreach activities.
Our agriculture curriculum teaches students how to sustain themselves by growing their own food in a wide variety of environments. Hartland’s innovative physical education program instructs students how to appreciate God’s second book of nature by learning outdoor skills that can be used throughout life. This includes a personalized physical fitness program as well as training in wilderness survival, backpacking basics, canoeing, hiking, and many other enjoyable outdoor activities. In addition, every student will be able to add practical work-related skills to their resume via our structured work education program. Finally, Hartland students will be involved in our music program by learning how to use music as a witnessing tool.
As a result of this expansive core curriculum, Hartland College has opted to create a more structured “cohort” based educational system that uses few elective classes. This means that students will move through all their classes as a group depending on their major. Therefore, it is important for students to stay in sync as much as possible.
There are a few more things you should keep in mind as you consider Hartland College.
Our school year begins in early June with the Summer Outreach Training School* experience that is required for all incoming first-year and transfer students. This intensive course gives missionaries-in-training a chance to bond with the members of their cohort while learning the basic Bible doctrines and soul-winning techniques that they will use throughout their outreach experiences at Hartland College.
*The summer outreach training program can also be taken during the sophomore year if needed.
Students will need to choose a major by their second quarter when major-specific courses begin. We encourage incoming students to take time during their first quarter of attendance to visit with our various department chairs and explore how each department might contribute to a student’s goals for entrepreneurial mission. Each department offers several unique majors and minors, practical classes and internships specifically tailored to the department’s area of expertise in entrepreneurial ministry. You will also notice that each academic department brings their own unique approach to program design and implementation specifically tailored to their needs and goals. We have intentionally allowed for this departmental flexibility so that our students can experience a wide range of instructional methods, teaching styles, and program structure—all within the overarching context of the college’s mission and vision.
We have focused on offering just five major fields of study—all designed explicitly for entrepreneurial mission service. As such, most of our programs lead to four-year baccalaureate degrees which enables us to thoroughly prepare our graduates for their chosen field of mission, even if that eventually includes graduate school or seminary studies. We want all our graduates to be well-prepared for wherever the Lord might lead them.
All our classes are very practical in orientation. You will practice skills and study basic content in the classroom, but the emphasis of our classes will be on applying the skills and content you are learning in realworld settings. This means that even though you are enrolled in school, you will still be actively engaged in mission, outreach, entrepreneurial projects, work education, and church assignments while interacting with society in real-life settings outside of the classroom. Classroom instruction is only one part of the Hartland College curriculum experience.
All our classes are taught from a wholistic, Seventh-day Adventist perspective that celebrates the Bible’s role in our lives and the prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White, the primary architect of Seventh-day Adventist education. We overtly integrate faith and learning concepts into every class that we teach.
Hartland College has chosen to adopt an on-campus dress code, social relations policy, and several other standards that we believe help maintain an exceptional learning environment for students, while maintaining the professional and spiritual atmosphere that we desire on our campus. Be sure to review these sections of the student handbook and ask yourself if you are comfortable following these standards before you apply