SATS was mentioned in the Bethany thread as an affordable DL option. I had not been to their site in a while so I just visited it. It appears that they have dropped their doctoral programs and now just offer Bth & MTh degrees accredited and registered with the SAQA. They used to offer a DTh that could be awarded either by SATS or done in cooperation with UNIZUL. As I understand that relationship was coming to an end so that SATS could independently offer recognized degrees. Apparently they decided not to register the doctorate and drop it?? At any rate, their Bachelors programs are very affordable as is their MTh. North
Seems that in an email I had to Reuben that SATS would be allowed to offer the Bachelor and Masters degrees but would not be allowed to offer any Doctorate degrees. The trade off was that they would be chartered and would not need UniZulu. They seemed to think the ability to offer their own degrees would be worth it. Interestingly enough, they now offer a MTh that can either be a taught or a thesis or a combination, where previously it was only a thesis MTh.
...plus, if they're independently chartered, they're covered should Zululand's theology department be affected in some way by the South African merger proposals. Cheers,
Thanks for the information Tom. Provided they have full recognition they are not too bad cost wise US $1660 for the entire MTh program (made in two equal payments of $830). Either 60 or 100 dollars per BTh course (depending on number of credits). If someone wanted a theological education I would look at them before unaccredited US schools due to the possibility of greater utility. ***Tom, how are your studies going? North
Herein lies the question, does SATS have full recognition? Would a SATS Master of Theology degree have the same recognition that of a UZ, PUCHE or Unisa M.Th.?
Wo ist Herr Potgeiter? Was sagst du? (I know it's German but I do not know Dutch/Afrikaans). Es tut mir leid. Gert.....Gert..... North
SATS SATS is listed with the SAQA, the South African gov't agency with accreditation oversight. To my knowledge, they are fully legit., and in effect, equal to degrees issued from Unisa, et al.
Accreditation of higher education providers in South Africa is the responsibility of the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education. For private providers, accreditation by HEQC is a requirement for registration by SAQA. The public universities are each authorized by Act of Parliament and do not need SAQA registration. I do not believe that credentials from any South African private provider are "in effect, equal to degrees issued from Unisa, et al." I would interested to see the source behind Obadiah's statement.
SATS credibility My apologies for the error. As a Unisa grad student, I did not mean to imply that the still young, though growing SATS, was at all equal to Unisa in size, or stature. It was simply my understanding -- now enlightened -- that SAQA was the recognized standard for South Africa.
Hi! I am pasteing below the section on accreditation on SATS web site: AFFILIATION AND ACCREDITATION All SATS programmes are accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and SATS is registered as a private higher education institution. It is also a founder member of the National Association of Distance Education Organisations in South Africa. SAQA accreditation provides assurance that the quality of our programmes is of the highest standard. The increasing number of international students confirms the acceptability of our programmes around the world. Take Care Kevin
Hi! Well, I was accepted at SATS and they reviewed my transcripts from my previous school and accepted eleven of my classes which will cut my time in getting my BTh by between 1/3-3/8 depending if I get the BTh or the BTh with honors. I wish they could've also accepted a few more that I'll have to repeat, but I must remember that my school was unaccredited. They weren't required to accept any of them! I'm real excited to get back into it. I've got a long and fruitful road to look forward to. I hope to eventually get my MTh. My greatest relief was that thet accepted my Basic Greek course so I'll not have to repeat it! Kevin
Thank you North and Unk!!!! Here is an update on their accreditation: "ACCREDITATION AND REGISTRATION All our programmes are accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE), the Education and Training Quality Assurer (ETQA) of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and are registered by the Department of Education. We are also a founder member of the National Association of Distance Education Organisations in South Africa. SAQA accreditation and Department of Education registration provide assurance that the quality of our programmes is of the highest standard. Our programmes are therefore nationally and internationally comparable and the credits earned with us are truly “portable”, i.e. they can be transferred to other accredited, registered institutions. The increasing number of international students confirms the acceptability of our programmes around the world." God Bless! Kevin
