I was really surprised to find that Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest has (trying to remember now) around 3-4 staff members that got their Th.D. from the University of South Africa. Which institution exactly is it talking about? One other question, what does everybody think of Bob Jones University as far as academics go?
There are 3 faculty members with Unisa doctorates, plus 1 adjunct. One of the 3 is Dorothy Patterson, whose degree has been discussed here previously. Do a search!
Drew, Welcome to the board. If you utilize the search capability of this forum you will see numerous posts with regard to African institutions where current and prospective students have discussed their cost and utility. Does your question imply your interest in obtaining a professorial position in a Christian institution? If so, I include the following blurb from a personal email to me from a professor who completed his PhD at UNISA: And another perspective from a different professor who finished his PhD at UNISA, as well... Bottom line: the greatest utility to the American student is cost. The American counterparts to the PhD available from South Africa will be exorbitantly higher. The South African University enjoys world wide acclaim for its depth and will offer you a sound venue through which you may pursue your research objectives. You will also read that The University of South Africa falls well within what is known as GAAP, or Generally Accepted Accrediting Principles. A good source to read about GAAP is located here: http://www.degree.net/guides/accreditation_guide.html On to Bob Jones University... Although not regionally accredited, Bob Jones U enjoys a good reputation among religious circles (particularly those of a conservative flair). I have had the opportunity to interact with numerous Bob Jones' grads and have mixed feelings about their intellectual openmindedness. What are you interested in studying? Sincerely, Steven King
Steven, Thanks for the info. I am interested in studying theology/biblical studies for the pastorate and maybe some day teaching. I have looked at many programs but have found few that would fit what I am looking for. I have found one that has not been mentioned on here, it is Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. It does have a requirement of doing at least 24 hours in residence but the rest can be done via distance education with an appropriate mentor. Once again, thank you. Drew Darnell
Generally, unaccredited schools degrees will have very limited utility. BJU is one of the few exceptions. For example, BJU is one of the few unaccredited degrees that is legal within the state of Oregon. http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.html It is possible that a BJU graduate could still occasionally run into a problem because of the unaccredited issue but I would guess that it would be rare that the problem couldn't be straightened out.
Looking at their catalog, I would proceed with caution...if you can attain an accredited degree you'll have a lot less headache in the future. Kindly, Steven King
