Greetings to all as I cross over from the old deja.com. I accessed the web site for the South African Theological Seminary from Pastors Helper's web site. I realize that the South African Qualifications Framework (?) was a topic of conversation earlier and it seemed somewhat inconclusive as to what exact value they have. SATS offers it's own degrees up to the doctorate level or you can have them issued by the University of Zululand. From the Universities web site it appears that SATS does indeed have a relationship. The cost of the SATS degrees/Zululand are very inexpensive. The question is has anybody else found out whether these degrees from SATS alone have any value. The web site is http:www.sats.edu.za There is not much about doctoral degrees on the web site. I had to go to Zululand to find the entrance requirements for the D.Th. North
Welcome! They seem credible, but I have my concerns about them; if the ICDL site was correct (I say "was" because I haven't been able to access it lately and fear it may have been taken down), SAQA once accredited the South African branch of unaccredited Newport University. Someone in an earlier thread pointed out that the president of SATS does hold some less-than-wonderful credentials, but I would have absolutely no problem with a theology degree from Zululand. I would think that SATS credentials are probably kosher, but with Zululand you remove the "probably"; Zululand is a credible, 40-year-old school with a relatively well-known theology department. Good luck! Peace, ------------------ Tom Head www.tomhead.net
North, I am enrolled in the D.Th. program at SATS. Before enrolling, I checked them out with UNIZUL. Here is the reply I received from Dr. Song, Dean of UNIZUL's Theology department: Dear Rev Davis, Thank you for your inquiry concerning SATS. SATS is an accredited theological institution with the University of Zululand and forms part of the Faculty of Theology and Religion Studies. The lecturers (professors in the USA) who qualify to teach our programmes are accredited to the Faculty. SATS works in conjunction with the University in the registration and the provision of ongoing tuition of graduate students who opt for the University degrees. As they were recently accredited to our university (on the 17 Nov 1999), they will operate under our academic tutelage for the next few years when dealing with University registered Graduate students. They also offer their own degrees which are recognized by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act of 1995. Their own staff members are pursuing graduate studies with our Faculty at Masters and Doctoral levels. I trust that the above information helps you in your decision. We shall welcome you as a Graduate student, provided your admission requirements are adequate. With warm Christian greetings. Arthur Song. Dean. Hope this helps, Barry
Note to some of my friends here who are not pursuing doctoral programs through a South African university (congratulations, BTW, Barry! -- did I tell you I'm aiming to sign on with Potch myself very soon?), "accredited" in this context means that SATS is authorized to offer instruction towards Zululand degrees (just as GST is accredited by Potchefstroom to offer instruction towards Potchefstroom degrees), hence the phrase "accredited to the Faculty"; it isn't accreditation in the U.S. sense. Peace, ------------------ Tom Head www.tomhead.net
Tom's comment about Newport brings up an interesting point. I did a search of the SAQA web site and found Newport listed in a January 2000 bulletin as not recognized (foreign school that had not applied if I remember correctly). Suppose Newport University South Africa did apply and get recognized. Then theoretically if SAQA is a GAAP recognition, Newport University - South Africa would be granting GAAP degrees and of course the California campus would not. A rather interesting thought. Hmmm! North
