Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity earns Association of Theological Schools accreditation

Liberty’s Rawlings School of Divinity (SOD) received its first Association of Theological Schools accreditation at the beginning of the spring semester, allowing the school to expand and become more competitive. 

At the SOD, studying all aspects of Christianity is the focus. Until recently, the school has not been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). The ATS is an accrediting body that works with over 270 theological schools for their graduate programs at the master and doctoral level.

“We have heard questions from potential and current students and potential employers who were wondering about our status with ATS, (specifically) if our programs were approved with that,” Dr. Gabriel
Etzel, online dean of the SOD, said. 

The process of accreditation is a very lengthy process. It took Liberty two and a half years to get approved, while other schools may take up to five years, according to Etzel. Liberty’s School of Divinity was officially accredited through ATS in January.

“One of the things that (being accredited) does is allow an independent group of observers to come in and look at our degree programs, courses, everything we offer, and then to vouch for that,” Dr. Mary Lowe, online associate dean, said. “They’re coming in to say we meet the standards and conditions they have set.”

Being ATS-accredited brings another layer of credibility to the programs, which can be vital depending on where a student wants to go with their divinity career.

“It’s a big deal,” Lowe said. 

Some organizations beyond college, like the military, look to the ATS as a “gold standard” for theological education such as the U.S. military’s chaplaincy corps. Being ATS-accredited shows that Liberty’s divinity program meets the organization’s institutional, educational and degree program standards. A full list of accredited schools can be found on the ATS website.

Etzel said that the ATS indicated Liberty is the largest school it has ever approved. Historically, the association has focused on smaller schools, so Etzel hopes that the largest accredited school will have an edge over peer schools. 

Essentially, the entire process of accreditation is focused around one idea: does the school live up to its mission? In Liberty’s case, that is “to come alongside the local church in its quest to fulfill the Great Commission,” according to the website.

“We can say all day long that we are doing what we say we are doing, but it’s helpful and healthy for another organization to come alongside and verify that,” Lowe said. “It’s important to not only have a mission but to be able to point to how we’re doing it.”

Now that most of the Rawling’s School of Divinity’s master’s and doctoral degrees are accredited, Etzel and Lowe are excited to see how that will impact students, especially those who want to pursue positions of Christian leadership—like becoming military chaplains—where an ATS accreditation isnecessary. 

“Now we can remove any of those doubts,” Etzel said. “Now students can be sure their school is meeting the standards.”

Locklear is a news reporter. Follow him on Twitter.