Trinity College and Seminary. Not a degree mill, right?

Since Trinity College and Seminary http://www.trinitysem.edu
has NAPNSC accreditation, would the school be considered legitimate and credible?

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Sam C
http://www.uci.edu
UCI 2002

 

While probably not meeting the qualifications of a mill under most people's definitions, this place is *definitely* a "less-than-wonderful" program.

They have been caught plagiarizing their teaching materials, there is a long and intricate web of interlocking companies, some profit and some nonprofit, and they have been very evasive when asked about the many questionable things that have cropped up.

At least a couple of students who enrolled in Trinity programs were extremely underwhelmed with the quality of the course materials, and one basically felt that the entire thing was a scam.

Add to that the fact that Trinity completely misrepresents the nature of it's U of Liverpool "accreditation", and you've got all the makings for a "less than wonderful" program, run by this group of supposedly "highly ethical" Christian bible thumpers who, by appearances, live extremely lavish lifestyles and, by reported actions, seem considerably less than upstanding.

If you can tell us what you're looking for, we can refer you to a legitimate program that will better serve your needs. There are at least a couple of regular contributors here with extensive experience in religious distance learning programs.

Best of luck

Chip

 

Sam:

Check out www.bakersguide.com for a list legitimate and credible degree programs.

I agree with Chip that Trinity is a less-than-wonderful school. While their objective of providing an education for those in Christian ministry may or may not be legitimate, the degrees will have little recognition outside the unaccredited arena.

Russell

 

No, Trinity is not legitimate, nor is it credible. As a former "student" I can tell you from firsthand experience that their course requirements are a joke, their teaching staff is unqualified, etc.... On top of this, they lie about their accreditation.

Barry

 

Barry:

Would you mind to share some the the details regarding Trinity's program: course content and requirements, methodology, contact with faculty, etc.?

Trinity has a slick advertising campaign which lures many potential students, and on the surface everything seems kosher. The University of Liverpool "thing" makes the program appear very attractive.

Reminds me of a beautiful show car I once saw. It had a paint job which looked like a full page advertisement in Christianity Today or Charisma, very nice and attractive, but the motor was gone.

Thanks,
Russell

 

Am I missing something or did the Master's ....(whatever it was) disappear. I cannot find it prominently on their site. That was the division that awarded the Doctor of Pastoral Ministry (??) for I believe six classes. It stated that it was not a degree but a certificate, credential or something or other. After speeding through the credential you could order your handy, dandy, ring to *proudly* display your accomplishments and presumably tell people you had a doctorate and call yourself Dr. with your quick non-degree degree.

I wonder if Trinity wised up and removed it. No matter how I may have felt about Trinity, when I saw the Master's ... it made me both laugh and get nauseated. I wondered at the time if the UofL was aware of the existence of this part of Trinity. It might have been embarrassing for them if they were not and if they were probably embarassing as well. It would not have looked good had a reporter got a hold of the situation.

North

 

Excellent observation, North! It is not prominently displayed, but has been placed in an obscure location, nevertheless it is still there.

Go to the bottom of the main www.trinitysem.edu page and click on the word TechNetronics. Six different links appear: Trinity College, Seminary, Master's Divinity School, Trinity School of Continuing Studies, Global Journal of Evangelical Theology and Armaggedon: The Music Revolution.

Yes, MDS offers a Doctor of Practical Ministry "diploma" for a mere six courses. I wonder how many graduates of this program will say "Don't address me as Dr. Jones, because all I have is a diploma, not a degree?" No, my hunch is that each one will begin to use the title Dr., printing it on their business cards, letterheads and church signs. And sadly, the average church constituency will not know the difference. But isn't this the objective of the program--to offer a credential with the word Doctor, so the graduate will feel comfortable using the title of Dr.?

This whole scenario is a strange one indeed, from the U of L "accreditation," to the MDS doctoral "diploma."

And read the disclaimer at the bottom of the main page, which states that there is no connection between Trinity College and Seminary and Trinity School of Continuing Studies. Then go to the TechNetronics site and see them listed together, as though they were all siblings. Then check each program and note that each uses many of the same materials, faculty, etc.

Yes, most unusual!

Russell

 

Am I going nuts or does that Trinity site look remarkably like the Aardvaark site?