Standards of Accreditation (with Self-Study Ideas)

DESCRIPTION: This expanded document presents the 2020 ATS Commission Standards of Accreditation together with suggested self-study ideas for each Standard. It explains accreditation as a voluntary process of quality assurance and improvement grounded in theological commitments and focused on student learning and formation. The text outlines ATS Commission membership priorities, clarifies the purposes and interpretive principles of the Standards, and describes how they guide institutional self-review, peer evaluation, and Commission decisions. Each numbered standard is followed in this edition by illustrative self-study prompts that offer optional possibilities for how schools might document engagement with the principle-based Standards, which allow for contextual flexibility and emphasize evidence-based evaluation.

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; ATS Board of Commissioners; ATS Standards of Accreditation (2020); Commission on Accrediting of ATS (COAATS); comprehensive visit for accreditation/reaffirmation; educational mission and institutional effectiveness; graduate theological schools; mission and vision; planning, evaluation, and educational assessment; self-study ideas; student learning and formation; theological education

CITATION: Commission on Accrediting of The Association of Theological Schools. 2020. Standards of Accreditation (with Self-Study Ideas). Association of Theological Schools. https://www.ats.edu/files/galleries/standards-of-accreditation-with-self-study-ideas.pdf.