2014 SATS Prospectus Highlights Importance of Accreditation

2014 SATS Prospectus (Page 3)

Message from the Principal: The Power of Accreditation

As the staff of our seminary travel to various parts of the world to attend conferences, promote the seminary and meet our students (currently we have students in 71 countries), there is one question that is high on the agenda of our audiences, namely, “Tell us about your accreditation.” Clearly, throughout the world, accreditation is critical when students are weighing up their study options. They have come to realise that “qualifications” issued by non-accredited institutions have little or no value, especially when one tries to apply for further studies at an accredited institution.

And when we talk about accredited institutions we need to distinguish between those which have been accredited by internationally recognised bodies, and those which have aligned themselves with accreditation mills. Sadly, this practice is widespread even in Christian circles. I have had a number of potential students in my office who tell me they have studied for up to 6 years and spent a lot of their hard-earned income to obtain a “qualification” which is not worth the paper on which it is written. Naturally they are not only disappointed but feel betrayed or even cheated.

In South Africa, there is only one body authorised to accredit tertiary institutions and that is the Council on Higher Education. The process of applying for and receiving accreditation for each qualification offered is lengthy, rigorous and costly, but the very high standards required result in our programmes being nationally and internationally comparable. Recently our M.Th. and Ph.D. programmes were submitted to two of the most frequently used and highly recommended evaluators in the USA, namely the International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF - International Education Research Foundation, Inc.) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers’ International Education Services ( AACRAO International Education Services: Welcome), and both confirmed that these degrees represent attainment of a level of education comparable to the equivalent degrees from a regionally accredited university in the United States. Our degrees are also recognised by the German website Anabin - Informationssystem zur Anerkennung ausländischer Bildungsabschlüsse: anabin Datenbank which provides information about the evaluation of foreign qualifications. In addition, SATS is privileged to be the only evangelical, distance education institution in Africa to be accredited up to the Ph.D. level. We are also accredited in both English and French.

All of this confirms that when you enrol with SATS you are assured that the qualification you earn is fully accredited and internationally acceptable. We look forward to receiving your application.

Dr Reuben van Rensburg

 

Congratulations RAM! That should instill even greater confidence in your selection of SATS. The school is inexpensive and that really makes it harder to understand some people's choice of mills and other less than reputable schools for a PhD.