Logos Mobile Education: Value and Pricing

Since the announcement of Logos Mobile Education and my own subsequent posts on our plans for the Mobile Ed curriculum and how the Logos digital library ecosystem distinguishes Mobile Ed from all other distance education models, response has been steady. We appreciate the interest and enthusiasm! We’re moving ahead at full speed, and the feedback is valuable.

One recurring question has been the matter of pricing. Logos Mobile Ed launched with the Bible and Doctrine Foundations bundle at a Pre-Pub price of $995.95. At nearly $1,000, that price sounds high. In reality, it’s a tremendous value.

In my earlier post about the Logos digital library’s role in Mobile Ed courseware, I pointed out that video is only the starting point in a Mobile Ed course. There’s a lot more to Mobile Ed than video. But since people are familiar with video content in today’s world, the flawed assumption that we’re reinventing that wheel is understandable. Mobile Ed courses give you a lot more value than video. They’re worth the expense, especially as a Pre-Pub bundle.

The cost of seminary is rising

The brutal, unfortunate reality is that seminary education is very expensive. Daniel Aleshire, the executive director of The Association of Theological Schools (ATS), a national accrediting body for seminaries, recently observed that the average cost for a three-year Master of Divinity degree has risen to $100,000 in North America. After financial aid, students will end up paying about a third of that cost ($30,000). Since an MDiv program requires at least 30 three-credit courses, a seminary course typically costs $1,000 per course. Aleshire also notes, “Repayment of debt greater than thirty thousand dollars likely will be difficult if a graduate’s income is limited to the average salary for entry-level ministry positions.” Current distance education programs offer no relief for these figures, since schools charge the same tuition rates.

Many students do not want or need a degree, and so they audit courses to save money. (Auditing courses means students are not required to take exams and write papers, but they also don’t receive academic credit.) For auditing a course, most seminaries charge roughly half the regular amount per credit hour. This means that, in the best average scenario, students are looking at $500 for a single non-credit course and $15,000 for a full, unaccredited seminary degree experience—with no library or lectures to take with them.

When you do the math, Logos Mobile Education is a steal

With the Pre-Pub price for the nine-course Bible and Doctrine Foundations bundle, a single course costs only $110. Mobile Ed courses provide the content you’d experience in a seminary course. They’re taught by outstanding, experienced faculty, including some of the best-known professors in the world. But the video lecture content is just the starting point.

Logos Mobile Education is an entirely new kind of learning model—one designed to function within the ecosystem of a vast digital library, featuring both standard reference works and the latest unique Logos databases and tools. It imitates nothing that’s already available because there’s nothing like it. The professor, the library, and your own notes are permanent, no matter where you are or in what context you need them. If you’ve ever wondered what biblical education would look like if it were designed to take advantage of the efficiency and mobility of the digital age, the answer is clear: Logos Mobile Education—it’s where you are.

Pre-order the Bible and Doctrine Foundations bundle today.