NationsUniversity, also known as Nations University, is an unaccredited distance education

Distance education

Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...

 college affiliated with the Churches of Christ which offers certificate, bachelor's and master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

s in religious studies, and a master of divinity

Master of Divinity

In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...

 degree. All courses are offered online or through correspondence via mail. The institution is incorporated in Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 but has its offices in Brentwood, Tennessee

Brentwood, Tennessee

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...

.

Nations was incorporated in 1996 by Richard Ady, Mac Lynn, and Darrell Frazier. Ady and Lynn had been college classmates, Ady's career had been in church work and Lynn had worked in higher education

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 as a teacher and administrator. Ady had previously founded the World English Institute.

The institution describes its mission as the development of faith and the training of Christian leaders around the world using distance learning. Academic credentials awarded include a Certificate in Religious Studies, a Bachelor of Religious Studies, a Master of Religious Studies, and a Master of Divinity. As of July 31, 2010, the school reported 4,202 students in 136 countries.

Nations University is exempt from educational accreditation

Educational accreditation

Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...

 throughout the State of Louisiana and has legal authority under Louisiana law to grant degrees in religious studies. The university has applied to the Distance Education and Training Council

Distance Education and Training Council

The Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education institutions.- History :...

(DETC) for accreditation