Looking for info on Biblical Counseling Degrees accredited and unaccredited as long as they have to be earned. Also has Nations U been accredited yet? Thanks John
Not Yet Hi No - Nations was not among the DETC applicants accredited at the recent meeting. (Confirmed in another thread somewhere.) I guess we're going to have to wait till Dec. or 2011. Only one I know of so far approved at the June meeting was Antioch. Anybody know if there were any others? Johann
There are many accredited biblical counseling degrees available online. Here are a few examples (all prices are for tuition only, so add cost of books/etc, also military discounts may be available): Liberty University (regionally accredited): Master of Pastoral Counseling $9,000 Luther Rice Seminary (TRACS accredited): Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling $7,848 Campbellsville University (regionally accredited): Master of Science in Counseling $13,500 - $22,500 (depending which track you take) One consideration is that if you want to become licensed as a counselor in your state you'll need to find out which programs will qualify you ... you don't want to finish your degree and then learn that it won't qualify you to be licensed ... oops! I assume that unaccredited degrees will not be acceptable for that purpose. If having regular accreditation and/or being officially state licensed doesn't matter to you, perhaps this program would work: Christian Counselor Education MA & License | Faith Counseling and Training Note when they say "license" they really mean "license from the Christian group NCCA which likely won't be recognized by any government and may not even be recognized by churches" Cost according to them (including books, "licensing" fees, etc) comes to $6,319 for the MA program.
I thought I might resurrect this thread (pun intended) and cite a few schools which offer biblical counseling programs online. By way of preface: First, it should be noted that "biblical counseling" is a distinct entity from what is generally characterized as "Christian counseling" or "pastoral counseling." Biblical counseling and its associated institutions reject the integration of counseling psychology and any modality which is not derived from what it considers a biblically informed Christian worldview. For more on the distinction between biblical counseling and other approaches see here, here, here, and here. The easiest way to discern whether an institution teaches actual biblical counseling is to look at its affiliations and whether the school affirms the Biblical Counseling Coalition's Confessional Statement. Second, it should be noted that the biblical counseling movement is completely wedded to conservative evangelical theological commitments and thus, any prospective students who do not affirm an inerrantist bibliology, credal orthodoxy, etc. should look elsewhere. Third, those pursuing vocations in biblical counseling almost never pursue state licensure. Although some do. Subsequently, most biblical counseling graduate programs do not accord with the licensing requirements in most states-- mainly because of the theological content of those programs. Fourth, those interested in pursuing a vocation in biblical counseling ought to consider schools which have some affiliation with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). ACBC is the oldest, most prestigious, and most credible biblical counseling accrediting body. The two other notable accrediting institutions such as the International Association of Biblical Counselors and the Association of Biblical Counselors offer (IMO) a less rigorous certification process and are not nearly as highly regarded. Although, the Association of Biblical Counselors is more favorably disposed to those seeking state licensure. Fifth, most legitimate undergraduate or graduate degrees in biblical and(or) theological studies in conjunction with certification will likely be regarded as a useful asset in a biblical counseling vocation. Sixth, there are some very good non-degree options (e.g., CCEF) that may afford a considerable education. Sixth, accreditation is generally not a deal breaker for vocations in biblical counseling. Some unaccredited institutions are even highly regarded. For example, the director of the DMin program at Birmingham Theological Seminary is one of the founders of the movement. Lastly, this list is certainly not exhaustive. Quality Full-Distance Biblical Counseling Undergraduate Options: Master's University: Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Counseling Appalachian Bible College: BA in Biblical Counseling College of Biblical Studies: BS in Biblical Counseling Mid-America Theological Seminary: BA in Biblical Counseling Quality Full-Distance Biblical Counseling Graduate Options: Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: MA, MDiv in Biblical Counseling Westminster Theological Seminary (PA): MA in Counseling Baptist Bible College: MA in Biblical Counseling Bob Jones University: MA & DMin in Biblical Counseling Maranatha Baptist University: MA in Biblical Counseling Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: MTS, MDiv, and DMin in Biblical Counseling Mid-America Theological Seminary: MA, MDiv, and DMin in Biblical Counseling Reformed Theological Seminary (NC): MA, MDiv in Counseling Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary: MA, MDiv, ThM, DMin in Biblical Counseling Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: MA, MDiv in Biblical Counseling Reputable (in the Biblical Counseling movement) Full-Distance Non-Accredited Options: Birmingham Theological Seminary (ARTS Accredited; ARTS is a CHEA applicant): Cert; MA; MDiv; and DMin in Biblical Counseling The North American Reformed Seminary: DMin in Nouthetic Counseling Forge Theological Seminary: ThB, MA in Biblical Counseling (in full disclosure, I have some affiliation with this institution) Whitefield Theological Seminary: BA in Christian Counseling; MA and PhD in Biblical Counseling; ThM in Pastoral Counseling Two Apparently Affordable Full-Distance Non-Accredited Options that I Don't Know Much About: Master's International School of Divinity (a host of degrees and an IABC approved school) Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary (a host of degrees) If anyone knows about these, your comments would be helpful.
Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary Evansville Indiana, Right? Formerly, degrees Church-endorsed by Canterbury, (England), then endorsed /validated or something by U. of Liverpool (yellow stickers), then degrees validated by U. of Wales (until UoW scheme involving over 200 schools imploded) then failed RA application (at last minute), lastly, failed NA application (DETC now DEAC) . They decided to remain unaccredited after that, IIRC. Fella named Levicoff used to drive by Trinity in his truck, once in a while, I think. Said quite a bit about this school. Aaah, the old days, the old threads...the old fora. I don't hold much with religion or religious schools myself -- but if I did... (you fill in the blanks...)
...and Master's shows up in two threads. https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/masters-divinity-school-accredited.21265/#post-216375 Whoops - the second one has disappeared. It was referenced in the first thread. The poster in the first thread, who referenced the now-missing thread - used to be a regular here many years ago. Unfortunately, he is now deceased.
