The Council of Private Colleges of America Academics

ACADEMICS

Academic Units

ACADEMIC UNITS FOR PRIVATE FAITH BASED INSTITUTIONS

1. Private faith based institution academic excellence standards are patterned after our early historical U.S educational institutions of higher learning. They equal or exceed the minimum standards of many State Departments of Education.

2. Graduation from high school or attainment of a high school equivalency diploma should normally be a prerequisite to formal entrance to an “Associate” or “Bachelor” of “Arts” or “Science” degree program. Any deviation from that requirement must be justified by the institution under an, Ability to Benefit (ATB) Student (See Glossary for details).

3. One semester credit hour of study is 15 academic hours or its equivalent. One quarter credit hour of study is 10 academic hours or its equivalent.

4. The minimum semester/quarter credit hours required for degrees are:

A. Associate degree, 60 semester/90 quarter hours.

B. Bachelor degree, 120 semester/180 quarter hours.

C. Graduate of Theology degree, 90 semester/135 quarter hours.

D. Master degree, 30 semester/45 quarter hours beyond the “Bachelor of Arts” or “Bachelor of Science” degree with a research thesis, project or additional 6 semester/9 quarter hours are required for “Master of Arts” or “Master of Science” degree.

E. Doctor degree, 30 semester/45 quarter hours beyond the “Master of Arts” or “Master of Science” degree. The degree Doctor of Philosophy, usually abbreviated Ph.D., requires a stringent research dissertation.

F. M. Min. (Master of Ministry) and D. Min. (Doctor of Ministry) degrees do not require any research thesis, research dissertation respectively.

G. The minimum semester/quarter credit hours required for many traditional seminary graduate degrees will be Master degree, 60 or more semester/90 or more quarter hours, and Doctor degree 60 or more semester/90 or more quarter hours above the seminary Master degree.

5. The following titles of undergraduate degrees issued by a private faith based institution must include liberal arts/general education courses: Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Science.

6. The following titles of graduate degrees issued by a private faith based institution must include liberal arts/general education courses in their foundational undergraduate degrees: Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy.

7. The use of the degree titles, such as, “Associates of Bible”, “Bachelors of Theology”, “Master of Pastoral Studies” or “Doctor of Biblical Studies” degrees may or may not include the liberal arts/general education requirements.

Academic Equivalency

ACADEMIC EQUIVALENCY GUIDELINES FOR ACADEMIC UNITS

UNDERGRADUATE

One undergraduate semester credit hour of instruction given to students equals:

A. Fifteen 50 minute class sessions of scheduled instruction given to students. In class contact hours with professor includes at an administration approved class session, live streaming, via Skype or similar live professor instruction with assigned reading, written project, quizzes, and final exam.

B. 225 pages of assigned reading with prescribed reading report documentation, written project, quizzes, and final exam.

C. Or any combination of the above methods of study which equal one credit hour of class room study.

GRADUATE

One graduate semester credit hour of instruction given to students equals:

B. 375 pages of assigned reading with prescribed reading report documentation, written research project, quizzes, and final exam.

C. Or any combination of the above methods of studies which equal one graduate credit hour of class room

study.
D. Master Thesis is a minimum of 50 pages 8 ½ X 11 typewritten double spaced in size 14 type or less.

E. Doctoral Dissertation is a minimum of 120 pages 8 ½ X 11 typewritten double spaced in size 14 type or less.