Arizona Christian University

What is the history of Arizona Christian University?

Arizona Christian University is a private Christian university founded in 1960. It began as Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College, later became Southwestern College, and adopted the Arizona Christian University name in 2011. Those changes reflect its development from a Bible college into an institution offering a broader range of undergraduate and graduate study.

A major physical change came in 2019, when the university moved from Phoenix to its current Glendale campus, formerly occupied by the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Its religious identity remains central even as its programs now include fields such as business, education, psychology, and the sciences.

What are the faculties and departments at Arizona Christian University?

Arizona Christian University offers undergraduate programs across the liberal arts, sciences, professional fields, and Christian ministry, as well as graduate study. Its program offerings include business administration, biology, communication, education, psychology, biblical studies, and music-related fields.

Prospective students should use the current academic catalog to distinguish a major from a concentration, minor, or preprofessional pathway. That distinction matters especially for students considering teaching, counseling, or another licensed profession: an undergraduate major alone does not necessarily meet a state's certification or licensing requirements. The catalog is also the place to check whether required courses are offered on campus, online, or in a particular sequence.

What is the location of Arizona Christian University?

Arizona Christian University is in Glendale, Arizona, in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Its campus is at 1 W. Firestorm Way, near employment, shopping, and other institutions across the West Valley.

The setting gives students access to a large metropolitan job market, but travel time can vary substantially across the region. Commuters and students arranging internships should check routes and transportation costs rather than assuming a nearby destination is easy to reach without a car. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the principal airport serving the area.

What is the mission and vision of Arizona Christian University?

Arizona Christian University states that its purpose is to educate and equip followers of Christ to engage and influence culture through a Christian worldview. Its educational approach integrates that perspective into both general education and students' chosen fields of study.

This is a substantive feature of the academic experience, not simply a statement about the university's history. Applicants should review the current catalog's general education requirements and the university's student-life policies to understand how its religious commitments shape coursework and campus expectations. The stated mission describes the institution's aims; it is not, by itself, evidence of any particular student outcome.