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QUICK OVERVIEW

Statement of Nondiscrimination

Dallas Baptist University complies with all applicable federal and state nondiscrimination laws and does not engage in unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, biological sex, disability, veteran status, genetic information, race, color, national origin in any employment practice, admissions, education program, or educational activity. Under state and federal law, the University may discriminate on the basis of religion in order to fulfill its purposes.

Visit the Campus!

Students who are considering becoming a part of the DBU Family are encouraged to visit our beautiful campus at any time. The Office of Admissions can arrange an information session with an academic counselor, a guided campus tour, or a class visit. During your stay in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we will also be glad to provide any information on nearby hotels and restaurants.

Although Dallas Baptist University is located in the thriving urban area of Dallas/Fort Worth, with a population of more than seven million people, the 368-acre campus seems secluded in its picturesque, hill-country location and offers a small community atmosphere. The campus conveniently sits only 13 miles from downtown Dallas, 29 miles from Fort Worth, and is centrally located near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Love Field. DBU is an excellent place to enjoy your university years.

Sitting atop University Hill overlooking Mountain Creek Lake, the Dallas Baptist University campus is located at 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway in Dallas, Texas. The Office of Admissions is housed in the Tom & Alicia Landry Welcome Center on the lower level of the John G. Mahler Student Center, a replica of Philadelphia's Independence Hall. 

For those who plan to drive to Dallas Baptist University, two easy, direct routes lead to the University campus. From Dallas, take I-30 west to Loop 12 south to Spur 408 Patriot Parkway. Turn right on Kiest Boulevard, and you will see the school atop a hill on your right. From Fort Worth, take I-20 east to Mountain Creek Parkway. Turn left heading north on Mountain Creek Parkway. Cross Kiest Boulevard and enter the campus from the west. After passing our white Pilgrim Chapel building, turn left to go up the hill to the Landry Welcome Center. Parking for Future Patriots is designated to the south of the Landry Welcome Center. 

We trust that the uniqueness of our University will be evident to all who plan to meet with us. We look forward to your visit soon. Please contact the Office of Admissions at (214) 333-5360.

Mission Statement

The mission of Dallas Baptist University is to provide Christ-centered quality higher education in the arts, sciences, and professional studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to traditional age and adult students in order to produce servant leaders who have the ability to integrate faith and learning through their respective callings.

Institutional Goals

Dallas Baptist University is a distinctly Christian institution of higher education committed to the following Goals:

  • Pursue uncompromising quality and excellence in all of its educational and administrative undertakings

  • Serve traditional and adult students, in both undergraduate and graduate programs, in all areas of academic study

  • Commit as a community of faith and learning to the integration of both in the proclamation and practice of the essential tenets of Christianity

  • Study and teach academic disciplines within the framework of the fundamental doctrines of biblical faith

  • Integrate personal and professional callings as servant leaders

  • Pattern its service and leadership after that supremely exemplified in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

History of the University

Dallas Baptist University was originally founded as Decatur Baptist College in 1898 and was the first two-year institution of higher education in Texas. After moving to Dallas in 1965, DBU has maintained its ties to Decatur and its commitment to a Baptist heritage.

Location

Dallas Baptist University sits on 368 acres atop the hills of Southwest Dallas overlooking Mountain Creek Lake. The University address is 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75211-9299.

Governance

Dallas Baptist University is governed by a forty-member Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees is self-perpetuating with the majority appointed by the sponsoring denomination and the remainder appointed by the University Board membership.

Affiliation

Dallas Baptist University is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Enrollment

As of Fall 2023, total University enrollment stood at 4,201 students, including 2,850 undergraduate students, 1,144 master’s students, and 207 doctoral students.

Academic Programs

Dallas Baptist University offers 79 undergraduate majors as well as 37 master's programs, including 29 dual master’s degree programs, two doctoral degree programs, and 59 accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and encompasses the following academic divisions: College of Business, Mary C. Crowley College of Christian Faith, Dorothy M. Bush College of Education, College of Fine Arts, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Gary Cook School of Leadership, and Graduate School of Ministry. Two doctoral degrees in Leadership Studies and Educational Leadership are also available. Institutional Undergraduate Core Competencies/Learner-Centered Outcomes can be found at this link https://www.dbu.edu/institutional-effectiveness-and-research/outcomes.html.

Faculty 

DBU employs 123 full-time faculty members. The percentage of faculty who hold doctoral or terminal degrees is 83.7 percent. The student/faculty ratio is 16:1.

Class Size

The average class size is 16 students.

Accreditation

Dallas Baptist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Dallas Baptist University also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Dallas Baptist University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC's website (www.sacscoc.org).

Dallas Baptist University holds applicant status with the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation (5850 T. G. Lee Blvd., Ste. 130, Orlando, FL 32822, 407.207.0808). Applicant status is a pre-membership status granted to those institutions that meet the ABHE Conditions of Eligibility and that possess such qualities as may provide a basis for achieving candidate status within five years.

Dallas Baptist University’s Dorothy M. Bush College of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), a national accrediting body for educator preparation providers having programs leading to certification/licensure, bachelor’s, master’s, post-baccalaureate, and doctoral degrees in the United States and internationally. CAEP accreditation confirms that DBU’s undergraduate educator program has demonstrated that it meets standards set by organizations representing the academic community, professionals, and other stakeholders.

The Educator Preparation Program at Dallas Baptist University is also accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and approved by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to prepare, train, and recommend teacher, school counselor, diagnostician, reading specialist, principal, and superintendent candidates for certification.

Dallas Baptist University is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) to offer the following business degrees:  Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Master of Arts in Management (MAM), Master of Science in Management (MSM), and Master of Science in Information Technology and Management (MSITM) degrees. The Department of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

Dallas Baptist University Intensive English Program is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation for the period August 2023 through August 2032 and agrees to uphold the CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions. CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. For further information about this accreditation, please contact CEA, 1001 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 630, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 665-3400, www.cea-accredit.org

The Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation (5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Ste. 130, Orlando, FL 32822, 407.207.0808) accredits the following programs: Mary C. Crowley College of Christian Faith, Graduate School of Ministry, and Gary Cook School of Leadership.

Memberships

  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)

  • American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)

  • American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA)

  • American Council on Education (ACE)

  • American Kinesiology Association (AKA)

  • American Society of Church History

  • American Society of Missiology (ASM)

  • AMIGOS Library Services

  • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

  • Association for Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)

  • Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)

  • Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)

  • Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP)

  • Association of International Educators (NAFSA)

  • Association of Ministry Guidance Professionals

  • Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)

  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB Business Education Alliance)

  • Baptist Association of Christian Educators (BACE)

  • Baptist Church Music Conference (BCMC)

  • Baptist History and Heritage Society

  • Campus Compact

  • Christian Library Consortium (CLC)

  • College Music Society (CMS)

  • College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA)

  • Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA)

  • Consortium for Global Education (CGE)

  • Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education (CSOTTE)

  • Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU)

  • Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

  • Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

  • EDUCAUSE

  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)

  • Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT)

  • Institute of International Education (IIE)

  • International Alliance for Christian Education (IACE) 

  • International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities (IABCU)

  • International Dyslexia Association (IDA)

  • Music Educators National Conference (MENC)

  • National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

  • National Association of Athletics Compliance (NAAC)

  • National Association of Baptist Enrollment for Professionals (NABEP)

  • National Association of Christian Colleges Admission Professionals (NACCAP)

  • National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA)

  • National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)

  • National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)

  • National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)

  • National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

  • National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration (NASFAA)

  • National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA)

  • National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – Division I (Conference USA)

  • National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – Division II (Lone Star Conference)

  • National Communication Association (NCA)

  • National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) 

  • North Texas Crime Commission (NTCC) 

  • North Texas Council of College and University Registrars and Admissions Officers (NTCCURAO)

  • Online Learning Consortium

  • State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC)

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

  • Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO)

  • Southern Regional Education Board’s Electronic Campus

  • Southwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SWASFAA)

  • Southwest Commission on Religious Studies (SWCRS)

  • Texas Alternative Certification Association (TACA)

  • Texas Association of Certification Officers (TACO)

  • Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (TACTE)

  • Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (TACRAO)

  • Texas Association of Collegiate Veterans Program Officials (TACVPO)

  • Texas Association of Music Schools (TAMS)

  • Texas Association of Schools of Art (TASA)

  • Texas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (TASFAA)

  • Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS)

  • Texas Council of Academic Libraries

  • Texas Distance Learning Association (TxDLA)

  • Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA)

  • Texas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TexTESOL)

  • The Association of Christian Distance Education (ACCESS)

  • Western Association of Veterans Education Specialists (WAVES)

Traditions

Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University embraces the legacy of more than 100 years of quality academics and vibrant University life. As the Patriots, the DBU family exemplifies the qualities of integrity, honor, and Christ-centered character along with a love and enthusiasm for DBU. Athletic traditions such as the Regiment firing the cannon after a soccer goal or a baseball home run and ringing the bell after a basketball victory provide energy to the "Blue Brigade" student section that creates an exciting environment for all Patriot Athletics home games. The Patriot Cheerleaders and Patriettes Dance Team promote the Patriot spirit and lead the crowd in cheers, chants, and the DBU Fight Song to support all Patriot athletic teams. Other University-wide traditions take place with athletic events such as Battle at the Burg that begins basketball season and Homecoming Week with float building, Mr. Patriot, Tailgate Party, and the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen. The Homecoming Week activities were founded in the early years of Decatur Baptist College and remain an important part of every fall semester. 

First-year students participate in University traditions as soon as they register for classes when they ring the replica Liberty Bell in the Mahler Student Center. First-year students also learn the core University value of Christ-centered servant leadership as they serve together on the final day of SWAT, an annual University welcome week for new students. Students have the opportunity to participate in other University campus life traditions such as University chapel services, Student Life events, RecLife activities, Greek Life, global missions, and local service.  

The Official DBU Cross Ring serves as a symbol of the Christ-centered education students experience at DBU. Through the University hymn, “To God Be the Glory,” the DBU family thanks God for all of His blessings and His guidance throughout the history of the school.

Financial Assistance  

Eighty-seven percent (87.0%) of our undergraduate students receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid. Over seventy-four percent (74.7%) of master's students and over sixty-seven percent (67.9%) of doctoral students receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid. (Institutional aid includes academic, athletic, music performance, and Christian leadership scholarships.) Students who may qualify for state and federal financial assistance programs can request specific information by contacting the Office of Financial Aid at (214) 333-5363.