Bible colleges (sometimes referred to as Bible institutes or Theological Institute) are institutions of higher education that prepare students for Church ministry with theological education, Biblical studies and practical ministry training.
Bible colleges primarily offer undergraduate degrees, but may also offer graduate degrees and/or lower-level associate degrees, "certificates", or "diplomas" in specialized areas of Christian training, where a full degree is not required.
Bible colleges can be found throughout the world, but are concentrated in North America. The South Pacific Association of Bible Colleges claims that more than half of all Protestant missionaries in the world are graduates of Bible Colleges.
In North America there are over 1,200 post-secondary Bible institutes. The Association for Biblical Higher Education asserts that Bible colleges produce "a large percentage of North American evangelical missionaries and serve as a primary training center for local church leadership". In 1997, there were 400 Bible colleges, representing 31,000 students, in the United States and Canada. According to Theology-Degrees.com, there were over 300 accredited Bible colleges in the United States in 2012. There are around 200 post-secondary Bible institutions throughout North America that are affiliated with the Association for Biblical Higher Education.
Moody Bible Institute was one of the first Bible institutes to be established.
Bible colleges are usually associated with evangelical, Christian fundamentalist, or Pentecostal Protestant denominations. Their primary purpose is to prepare people for roles in Christian ministry. The Bible-centered curriculum is typically supplemented by structured programs of Christian service.