Academics & the Arts

Grand View engages, equips, and empowers students to fulfill their individual potential and serve society. Committed to the development of the whole person – mind, body and spirit – and to preparing students for successful careers and responsible citizenship both in their communities and in a diverse and changing world, Grand View offers a liberal arts education that:

• Challenges students to inquire with a disciplined and critical mind, communicate effectively, and display an awareness of the global issues that affect us all.
• Creates a community of learners where differing perspectives are welcome, where friendly interaction is the norm, and where intellectual and personal integrity is expected and modeled.
• Offers a supportive environment where students can engage in community with others, discern life purpose, and grow in leadership.
• Affirms Christian faith and ethics as a vision for life, a vision that enhances our respect for the diversity and dignity of all people, for relating to others, and for the pursuit of lifelong learning.

Informed by its Danish Lutheran heritage, Grand View is a School for Life.

Grand View is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Because of our Lutheran heritage and ties to the Church, we help prepare students for vocation and service in their careers and in their communities. They learn to think critically, informed by both faith and reason, learning about God and themselves through a variety of ways of knowing. Collectively we embrace our common humanity and live out our calling in community with others.

Our campus ministry is open and inclusive, acknowledging and affirming a diversity of religious traditions, values and expressions. Campus pastors and our student Campus Ministries Coordinators support a variety of faith-based activities. All are welcome.

The Center for Renewal, an outreach ministry of Grand View University, supports congregational renewal, fostering education, dialog, and support for individuals and congregations who wish to pursue renewal. 

FAITH FOUNDATIONS
Core values informed by our Lutheran heritage
Grand View’s core values emerge from our Lutheran heritage and our Danish roots.  These bedrock values shape academic life, student life, and faith life at Grand View.

Academic Life 

Excellence.  Believing we are all called to be co-creators with God in perfecting and preserving the world, Grand View encourages faculty, staff, and students to give their best effort in all they do.

Critical Inquiry. Grand View supports its faculty by providing the academic freedom to pursue truth, to critique what is, and to discover a deeper understanding of our place in the world.  Students are also encouraged to develop these skills.

Dialogue between Faith and Reason. Grand View believes wisdom emerges when faith perspectives inform reason and vice versa.  Questions of faith and religious beliefs are welcomed in all classrooms. 

Liberal (liberating) Arts. Believing that ignorance enslaves and truth frees, Grand View is committed to the liberal arts as the primary means of cultivating wisdom that frees us for the service to others.

Vocation. Grand View encourages faculty, staff, and students to put their personal gifts and knowledge to work in order to serve others and the and world.
 
Student Life & Work Life 

Community defined by Christ and Creation. Grand View affirms the lordship of Jesus Christ and his preeminence in creating and defining Christian community. Grand View also celebrates the universal bond that human beings are all made in the image of God, equal in dignity, sharing a humanity in which God shows no partiality. 

Promotion of Individual Freedom. Grand View is dedicated to individual freedom as an opportunity to make moral decisions, act ethically, and serve others.     

Respect for the Law. Believing that laws inform us of right and wrong, Grand View abides by civil laws and governing structures that themselves are established by God. 

Civic Engagement. Grand View emphasizes civic engagement through community service by its students, faculty, and staff. 

Commitment to Wellness. Grand View is committed to health and wellness so that all community members have an opportunity to balance and nurture mind, body, and spirit. 

Faith Life   

Worship. Believing that we experience God in Word and Sacrament, Grand View is dedicated to the worship of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel. 

Ecumenism. Grand View recognizes God’s work across denominational lines and religious boundaries and thus supports all students — as well as faculty and staff — in their faith journey. 

Pastoral Care. Grand View provides the office of Campus Pastor to serve the entire campus community through pastoral guidance and care. 

Student Ministries. Grand View makes various ministry activities available to all students and  encourages participation.

Theological Literacy. Grand View provides students with the tools to understand their own faith and engage in questions of faith and meaning in the world; it encourages the same understanding and engagement in faculty and staff.

Grand View is a university of the church (shaped and informed by our “faith foundations”) for the world (called, as an institution, to serve society).

VISION STATEMENT
With boldness and confidence, we will…

• Provide a rigorous education that prepares students for successful careers and inspired lives;
• Afford this opportunity to all qualified students, including those who have been under-represented in college populations;
• Preserve the virtues of independent, residential, church-related, liberal arts education for future generations;
• Blend the strengths of engaging and interactive in-class experiences with appropriate technologies to enrich learning and extend our reach;
• Build community ties that enhance life in the region and add value for our students.

By doing these things well, we can emerge as a leader within the higher education community.

Grand View provides a learning and working environment that promotes and values diversity through respectful dialogue and enriching opportunities, leading to a vibrant community whose members are strengthened by their unique combination of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. 

The Multicultural and Community Outreach Office offers opportunities for all students to explore diverse experiences, foster understanding, and support one another.

Student athletes compete in men's baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling, and women's basketball, bowling, cheer, competitive dance, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Grand View is a member of the Midwest Collegiate Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Mid-States Football League. Athletic scholarships are available for qualified athletes.

Visit our athletics website for rosters, scores and all the latest news. 

Two locations offer Grand View students convenient scheduling options for their program of study. Weekend and evening classes are offered at the 50-acre main campus in Des Moines and at Grand View's Camp Dodge Campus in Johnston, Iowa.

Grand View is located in Des Moines, with a metropolitan area exceeding half a million people in central Iowa. Des Moines is the state capital and serves as the communications hub for Iowa. Nationally recognized organizations that have their corporate offices in Des Moines include Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; the Principal Financial Group; Meredith Corporation; and The Des Moines Register.

Grand View's campus is in the heart of Des Moines—and as part of the Grand View community -  students are not limited by the confines of a small school or small town. On a given day, students can catch an Iowa Cubs professional baseball doubleheader, head down to the Court Avenue district for great food and nightlife, or take in a concert at the Civic Center.

A thriving arts program in Des Moines features the Des Moines Metro Opera, Ballet Iowa, the Des Moines Symphony, the Des Moines Art Center, annual Des Moines Art Festival and the Des Moines Playhouse.

Des Moines features four distinct and beautiful seasons. Except for a few months of bundle-up, see-your-breath weather, the climate is ideal for outdoor activities. Grand View students can take advantage of terrific recreational opportunities, including several golf courses, Saylorville Lake, and many city parks and state forests. Easily accessible from Interstates 35 and 80, Grand View is 4 hours from Minneapolis, 6 hours from Chicago, and 3 hours from Kansas City.

Grand View offers 40 undergraduate majors, 29 minors, nine certificate programs, two post-baccalaureate certificates and five pre-professional preparation programs.  There are eight undergraduate majors that offer more than one area of emphasis.  Grand View's School of Graduate Studies offers the MS in Innovative Leadership, with tracks in business, education and nursing. 

Academic Programs
Grand View operates on a 4-4-1 academic calendar. The first semester runs from August to December. The second semester begins in early January and ends in April. Three 1-month summer sessions are offered in May, June, and July, as well as a summer trimester evening program.

Grand View has adopted a competency-based General Education Core. Requirements for the core are defined in student learning goals. Completion of the educational core enables students to achieve a measurable level of competency in key skill and knowledge areas, such as writing, critical analysis, oral communication, and computer proficiency. 

We have two honors programs: LOGOS and ALT Magazine. Logos is an alternative learning program by invitation only to select students whose high school accomplishments make them candidates for this fast-paced and challenging curriculum. ALT Magazine is a joint effort by the Communication and Art departments.  It is a student-run magazine published once a year, is by invitation only, and generally for juniors and seniors. 

The Grand View academic mission is to serve a diverse student body by providing a variety of learning environments and teaching techniques. In order to meet this commitment, Grand View provides academic support programs and services designed to enable students to master skills essential for success in college-level courses. Grand View’s academic success programs were lauded as a “national model” by the examining team from the North Central Association during re-accreditation in 2005, when Grand View received complete ten-year accreditation with no follow-up required.

Grand View and its programs are accredited or licensed by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  Click the graphic to view Grand View's accreditation details.

The baccalaureate and master's nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 887-6791, and by the Iowa State Board of Nursing. In the fall of 2010 the program was awarded full six-year approval by the IBON, with provisional status in the spring of 2012. The programs's first quarter 2013 NCLEX-RN pass rate was 95.24%. The Grand View teacher education program is approved by the Iowa Department of Education. 

Undergraduate applicants' files are reviewed to determine their preparedness for a Grand View education. Official high school transcripts and submission of ACT or SAT I scores are required for applicants with less than 24 semester hours of college credit. Applicants transferring from another institution are required to submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities previously attended.  Admission to the School of Graduate Studies is specific to the degree pursued. 

The full-time undergraduate application is available online here.  The evening/part-time undergraduate application is available online here.  There is no fee for applying online. For more information about Grand View, prospective undergraduate students should contact:

Admissions Office
Grand View University
1200 Grandview Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50316-1599
United States

Telephone: 515-263-2810
800-444-6083, Ext. 2810 (toll-free)
Fax: 515-263-2974
E-mail: admissions@grandview.edu

For graduate admissions, please contact the School of Graduate Studies at 515-263-2830 or email gradadmissions@grandview.edu.  The graduate application is available online here. There is a $40 nonrefundable fee.