The 2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog is currently under construction. You may review the catalog content with the understanding that it may change. The 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog can be reviewed in PDF format here. Please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@graceland.edu if you have any questions. Once the updates are complete this notation will be removed. Thank you.
The 2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog allows you to explore the vast amount of academic programs, financial aid, faculty and leadership, student life and special programs we have to offer here at Graceland University.
Take a moment to look through the catalog pages and see what opportunities lie ahead.
Graceland University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org, 800-621-7440.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, the master’s degree program in nursing, the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and the post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), http://www.ccneaccreditation.org/, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 887-6791. The master’s and doctoral degrees in nursing have full approval status with the Iowa State Board of Nursing. The baccalaureate degrees in nursing have full approval status with the Iowa State Board of Nursing and Missouri State Board of Nursing.
These academic standards ensure that a degree from Graceland University will be recognized by federal, educational, business and professional communities.
This catalog is an official document of Graceland University, and the programs and policies in it have been approved by the Board of Trustees or its duly authorized agents.
While these programs and policies may be subject to change without notice, the university publishes this catalog with the intention that students can expect reasonable continuity in academic areas.
Changes in other areas — such as cost, campus life, the housing arrangement — occur in an orderly fashion.
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Federal law requires institutions of higher education to comply with all state requirements for registration, licensure or authorization to deliver online or distance education to students residing in states other than the home state of the institution. Graceland University is registered by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission to operate in Iowa and to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. In addition to the grievance policy stated in the Student Rights and Code of Conduct section, students may contact the Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) at (877) 272-4456 or by using the following URL: https://iowacollegeaid.gov/StudentComplaintForm
Graceland is approved to operate in Missouri by the Missouri Department of Higher Education.
Graceland University is approved by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission to provide practice experiences in Washington State for RN to BSN, MSN/FNP, MSN/Nursing Education, MSN/AGACNP, Post Graduate MSN/FNP Certificate and DNP programs. See https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/nursing-commission/nursing-education/nursing-programs
Graceland is approved to operate in Kansas for the Doctorate in Physical Therapy: Kansas Board of Regents, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 520, Topeka, KS 66612; https://www.kansasregents.org/
Graceland University does not discriminate against any student or prospective student on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability or sexual orientation. We are a caring community dedicated to the physical, intellectual and spiritual well-being of each individual. Gracelanders join together to create an atmosphere of openness, mutual respect and diversity.
Graceland University is a nonsectarian institution of higher education open to students of all faiths that was founded in Lamoni, Iowa, in 1895 by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now Community of Christ. Graceland University continues its commitment to helping all students find their own path to success by providing a holistic liberal arts education that prepares students for contemporary careers and lifelong learning.
More than a century later, Graceland continues its commitment to providing a solid liberal arts education along with professional preparation to a diverse student population. Today, Graceland students represent more than 40 states and 35 countries and can choose from a variety of academic programs, and over 20 varsity sports.
Graceland began as a high school academy and a two-year college. In 1917 it became Iowa’s first accredited junior college. Graceland conferred its first bachelor’s degree in 1958 and became a four-year college in 1960.
Graceland College became Graceland University in 2000 and began offering a variety of master-level degrees. It now offers multiple master’s degrees, a doctor of nursing practice, and will begin offering a doctor of physical therapy in January of 2024.
Graceland granted its first bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1969. Graceland’s School of Nursing (SON) is located on the Independence, Missouri campus (founded in 1969) where students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and education, including a Doctor of Nursing Practice. The Graceland SON was among the first in the nation, in 1987, to offer accredited distance education programs.
Today, the Edmund J. Gleazer School of Education provides innovative undergraduate degrees, on-site from both the Lamoni and Independence campuses, which lead to nationally accredited teacher licensure in the state where the student plans to teach.
Graceland’s C.H. Sandage School of Business is home to the Sandage Center for the Study of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship and Graceland’s championship Enactus team, and offers undergraduate degrees in Accounting, Agricultural Business, Business Management, Finance, Marketing, Organizational Leadership, and Sport Management.
The Community of Christ Seminary at Graceland University was founded in 2002 and is based in Independence, MO, though all classes are administered online, with in-person focus sessions. Seminary students can receive a Master of Arts in Religion or a Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation.
In the fall of 2022, Graceland began offering a unique second major for all undergraduate students called Transformational Leadership. This unique approach to the liberal arts incorporates general education courses with annual life and leadership courses and strategic skills to prepare Graceland graduates with the skills that employers are seeking. Transformational Leadership is a first-of-its-kind program and gives all students a second major that quantifies marketable skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership.
Vision
Graceland University will become a recognized educational leader, inspiring and empowering persons for transformational service and leadership.
Mission
Graceland creates learning communities where students develop their potential for meaningful and productive lives.
Values
Graceland values learning, wholeness, and community. Graceland encourages the development of these values for the enrichment of lives and the betterment of the world.
Learning
We believe in the life long process of the open and free pursuit of truth.
Wholeness
We believe that the development of the intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of all persons is necessary for healthy and fulfilling lives.
Community
We appreciate and welcome diversity and, as an institution sponsored by the Community of Christ, believe in the inherent worth of all persons expressed through relationships built on the foundation of unconditional love and acceptance.
Graceland University educates students for advanced study, for productive careers and for rich lives. Its student body is a targeted, yet diverse group that includes persons of different ages, backgrounds and national origins who share a commitment to learning. Its curriculum, firmly rooted in the liberal arts tradition and enhanced by career-oriented practical experiences, affirms different styles of learning and prepares students to become competent professionals. Its highly qualified faculty excel in teaching and engage in scholarly, creative and professional activities. Together with the administration and staff, they care deeply about students.
Graceland offers a learning environment for the residential as well as the non-residential student that nurtures personal growth. Its challenging academic program stresses the joy of lifelong learning, the rigor of intellectual discipline and the relationship of both to a satisfying professional and personal life. Its size fosters genuine concern for the individual while providing fellowship and a sense of belonging. For the residential student, its rich co-curricular program of interest groups, athletics, student government, residential life and leisure activities provides opportunity to develop interpersonal skills, relationships, creativity and leadership.
Based on the Christian values of human dignity, mutual respect and social responsibility, Graceland University welcomes persons of all faiths. It actively supports the counsel of its sponsoring denomination, the Community of Christ, to “learn by study and by faith” and indeed offers tangible expression of the church’s commitment to the open and free pursuit of knowledge through higher education.
Graceland promotes opportunity, justice and world peace through practical and visionary action.
Graceland’s educational model is designed to lead to five learning outcomes which are critical for students to have the necessary skills and competencies to lead productive lives and be competitively employable in today’s work force.
Department of Visual and Performing Arts
Kimberly Manuel, Chair
Art (Studio & Graphic Design)
Performing Arts
C.H. Sandage Department of Business
Dr. Jeffery McElroy, Chair
Accounting
Agricultural Business
Business Management
Finance
Marketing
Organizational Leadership
Sport Management
Gleazer Department of Education
Dr. Tanya Coffelt, Chair
Elementary Education
Secondary Education
Department of Health and Movement Sciences
Dr. Melanie Mason, Chair
Allied Health
Physical Education and Health
Department of Humanities
Dr. Iqra Shagufta Cheema, Chair
Digital Content Creation
English
Social Change
Sustainability Studies
Department of Math, Computer Science, and Data Science
Dr. Arup Ghosh, Chair
Computer Science & Information Technology
Data Science
Department of Natural and Physical Sciences
Dr. Mary Shawgo, Chair
Biology
Chemistry
Department of Social Sciences
Dr. Steven Glazer, Chair
Criminal Justice
Forensic Psychology
History
Psychology
Data Science (Graduate)
Dr. Sean McMannamy, Director
Master of Science in Data Science and Analytics
C.H. Sandage Department of Business
Dr. Jeffery McElroy, Chair
Business Management
Organizational Leadership
Gleazer Department of Education
Dr. Tanya Coffelt, Chair
Elementary Education
Health and Movement Science (Graduate)
Dr. Robert Davidson, Director
Master of Science in Nutrition and Human Performance
School of Nursing
Dr. Sharon Little-Stoetzel, Interim Dean
Nursing
Family Nurse Practitioner (Graduate)
Adult & Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Graduate)
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Graduate)
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Physical Therapy (Graduate)
Dr. Leigh Murray, Director
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Community of Christ Seminary
Zac Harmon-McLaughlin, Dean
Religion (Graduate)
Peace and Social Transformation (Graduate)
Graceland University offers quality educational programs using various course delivery methods to provide opportunities for many students. Students may take Graceland University courses at two campuses and online.
The home campus, located in Lamoni, Iowa, provides education for many full- and part-time residential students, who seek the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts Honors, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Science Honors degrees. Courses are available for non-degree-seeking students interested in enrolling for personal enrichment.
Independence Campus
The Graceland University Independence Campus located at 1401 W. Truman Road, Independence, MO, provides on-campus education for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or a Bachelor of Arts in Education. The Independence Campus is also home to online programs which allow students the flexibility to earn an RN to BSN, a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, a Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Data Science and Analytics, Master of Science in Nutrition and Human Performance, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy. In addition, a Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation can be earned online.
Trenton Site
Students seeking their Bachelor of Arts in Education can also attend classes at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, MO, where Graceland offers the same completion program it offers at its Independence campus.
In addition to degree programs, Graceland offers courses for personal enrichment at the Lamoni and Independence locations, as well as through the Center for Professional Development and Life-Long Learning, Inc., which includes SkillPath Seminars located in Overland Park, Kansas.
