Rockbridge Seminary Gains DETC, Increases Tuition

Rockbridge Seminary recently gained DETC accreditation and has now increased its tuition. However, tuition for the diploma program actually decreased by 33%.


Rockbridge Seminary | Diploma Tuition Drops to $99 | Rockbridge Seminary

 

That's a really minimal increase - about 7%. I've seen 'way more drastic increases in the same circumstances. A few years ago, when California Miramar U. got its DETC seal-of-approval, tuition increased well over 50% that day. 7%? Not so bad, as I see it.

In any case, I've no inclination to attend this school, where advanced religious degrees can be earned without the requirement of any Biblical Language courses. To me, that's plain wrong and I don't know how a legitimate accreditor - as I thought DETC was, so far - can sanction this. :sad:

Johann

 

An institutional accreditor like DETC isn't going to make those kinds of judgments. They look at processes--enrollments, business management, advertising, instructional delivery, measurement, and possibly even the quality of instruction. But they're not going to have the subject matter expertise to make those kinds of distinctions across an array of disciplines.

The same is true at regionally accredited schools, but with a major exception. The academic disciplines themselves tend to be self-policing. Not in a directive way, but qualitatively. If a particular school's program was severely lacking--as you imply--there would be many other schools and practitioners pointing this out. The specific academic department of the school in question would be involved in its discipline and with other schools--councils, consortia, conventions, etc.--and this kind of thing would be tamped down. Not directly, like an audit, but over time. The department would want to be a good member of the academic discipline and would adjust its practices over time. Subtle, not overt. (Unless, of course, there exists programmatic accreditation in the particular academic discipline. Then you'd have direct evaluation, reporting, and adjustments in order to maintain accreditation of the program.)

DETC-accredited schools are not, typically, active participants in the academic disciplines in which they offer degrees. They don't do research, their doctoral students don't publish their dissertations, they have little to no full-time academic faculties, etc. They teach. And there's no one to assess what they teach. Few have programmatic accreditation, either.

Running a real university is a lot more than teaching, but DETC schools don't live up to that. They teach. Many teach well and their students receive good educations and degrees. But the schools themselves are not part of academia. (Ironically, it isn't DETC accreditation that holds them back, it's their teaching-earns-tuition-makes-profits model. I have similar criticisms of some for-profit RA schools for the same reasons.)

 

I do not know if becoming DETC accredited had anything to do with the increase. Tuition went from $196 per credit hour to $210 per credit hour and it is the first increase since 2009, how many schools DETC or other legitimately accredited schools can say this?

 

The price increase seems quite negligible. Whether or not it is connected to the DETC should be irrelevant. The programs are still affordable.

As to the issues of the curriculum standards and program requirements, they do raise some red flags. Yet, as others have pointed out elsewhere, this institute is not looking to train academics but rather ministers that will serve.

 

The average protestant minister stops working heavily with Biblical Languages within 5 years of entering ministry from what I remember being told. With todays computer software, commentaries and modern translations it is not as necessary as it may once have been. This seminary is training people to be pastors/ministers not academics. That has been a problem with seminaries in the past that they produced academics and scholars, not pastors. Finally it has/is being corrected. I am not saying that it would not be profitable for someone to learn Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic but this is not necessary to be a good pastor/minister IMHO.

 

Regionally accredited Liberty offers an MDiv (Chaplaincy) that apparently has no language requirements: http://www.liberty.edu/media/1270/Master%20of%20Divinity%20Chaplaincy%20(72%20hours)%202012.pdf

 

Luther Rice, TRACS accredited, offers the MDiv with no languages: http://www.lru.edu/UserFiles/Documents/Course%20Schedules/Fall%202013/MDiv%202013.pdf

Not that biblical languages (G, H, A) aren't important, but Rockbridge isn't the only school to offer the MDiv without language requirements.

 

Still seems strange to me - a bit like enrolling for a business degree without even a basic accounting course. But - I obviously stand corrected, so thanks for the info. And thanks to Rich for his clear explanation of what accreditors look at.

Ευχαριστώ (Thanks)

Johann

 

My personal opinion is that Biblical Languages is an important part of the MDiv curriculum. This is especially true for candidates who are seeking pastoral positions at local congregations. An MDiv in Chaplaincy can get away without it, but for one entering ministry in the church would be left deficient. Of course Greek Lexicons exist, but that only provides word definitions, not context. Understanding Biblical languages is crucial to proper hermeneutics. Again, my personal opinion.

 

Yeah. What Lance said! After all - look at other faiths. Can you imagine a Rabbi without knowledge of Hebrew - or an Imam without Arabic? Buddhism is a little different -- not all people who embrace Buddhism know Pali and/or Sanskrit -- although I have a couple of friends who do.

But a Christian cleric who can't read his Scriptures in the original? Perish the thought!

Johann

 

Afterthought: Common Buddhist terms are still expressed in these languages, so it's pretty well impossible to learn much about Buddhism without absorbing some words. But fluency...not so common. I read somewhere, "there is no official Buddhist language."

Johann

 

We are all entitled to our opinion so I respect your views while disagreeing with them. With the modern translations, commentaries, and Biblical Study software that is available today a person can study a passage and have the context explained, and possibly better because the person writing the commentary could be an expert at the language where the typical pastor is not. My whole point is that one does not need to read Biblical to make them a good pastor/minister. There are many things more important to be trained and educated in to be a good pastor, IMO.

 

How many people have asked their minister if they had to study a language?

 

For me, personally there is no issue. If I go to temple I am interested in having an instructor. Perhaps their instruction would be enhanced if they had a perfect knowledge of Pali but maybe not. So much has already been translated. Instead I would want someone who understood my world and my life, someone who spent their time understanding this world, not worrying about whether the translation of some ancient text is correct. I know others will disagree. That's OK, I'm just saying . . .

 

"My whole point is that one does not need to read Biblical to make them a good pastor/minister. There are many things more important to be trained and educated in to be a good pastor, IMO."

"How many people have asked their minister if they had to study a language?"

"Instead I would want someone who understood my world and my life, someone who spent their time understanding this world, not worrying about whether the translation of some ancient text is correct."

With comments like the above, I can't help but wonder if people are assuming that if one studies Biblical Languages, then they are somehow academically compromised in practical areas of ministry. Believe it or not, most MDiv programs focus on ministry skills first and languages second. You can actually be proficient in both.

 

I ask the above because I am curious. I am ignorant when it comes to most religion/religious positions and I am the first to admit it. The minister at the church I go/have gone to was required to have any bachelors degree for admission into the program then it was a year of study which did not include a language.

 

You guys are both right. Lance, too. OK - I'm converted. :smile:

Johann

 

Just a followup note. Rockbridge has recently announced a new degree, the Doctor of Ministry in Transformational leadership

Rockbridge Seminary - DMin- Doctorate of Ministry Online | Rockbridge Seminary