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Accreditation
Carroll Institute has initiated procedural steps with those boards and associations that certify and accredit schools of higher education: the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Certification by the state of Texas is one of the prerequisites to apply for accreditation with the regional and national associations. Having met the standards of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Institute was granted a Certificate of Authority, effective January 2007, to offer master's and doctoral degrees. In the fall of 2008, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ceased regulating the activities of degree-granting religious institutions, and Carroll Institute was granted exemption from the THECB on December 3, 2008.
On March 1, 2010, the Carroll Institute was granted "Applicant Status" with the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). The Association for Biblical Higher Education is a national accrediting association officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ABHE comprises approximately 200 postsecondary institutions throughout North America specializing in biblical ministry formation and professional leadership education. The accrediting process with ABHE is in three stages: Applicant, Candidacy, and Accreditation Status. The Carroll Institute hosted a two-day site visit in the spring of 2010 with a representative of the ABHE Commission on Accreditation who outlined the process for Carroll to attain Candidacy and then full Accreditation Status.
The leaders of the Carroll Theological Institute have over 300 years of combined experience in graduate theological education. That experience includes multiple self-studies and accrediting processes along with proficiency in graduate-level teaching, curriculum design, and competency-based education. From the beginning the Institute has demanded high standards of academic work that will meet or exceed all criteria necessary for accreditation. Because peer evaluation and accreditation are essential and valuable to the effective training of ministers, the quality of the faculty, the effectiveness of the curriculum, and the competencies of the graduates must be validated through accreditation by ABHE, ATS, and NASM. Therefore, academic excellence, effectiveness in ministry, and building the kingdom of God will be ultimate goals for every student.
What does accreditation mean and what is the advantage for a student? Accreditation makes the transition easier as students move from one accredited school to another. The regional nature of accreditation allows a receiving school in the same or another state to assess the quality of a sending school and accept the incoming student's credits and academic record. This ease of transfer applies across the nation through reciprocal agreements between the regional accrediting agencies.
An individual school may also evaluate unaccredited course work and transfer such credits into a degree plan. Carroll Institute evaluates all transcripts submitted to determine if a student's previous course work from another institution will be acceptable for transfer. |
Accreditation
