Sponsor, Charter, Approvals, & Accreditation
The Seminary is sponsored by the Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, and operates under a charter of incorporation from the State of Tennessee and Bradley County. The School and its programs are approved by the State Approving Agency for the training of eligible persons under the terms of the Veterans Education Benefits, and is authorized under Federal law to enroll international students. The Seminary operates in Tennessee under an exemption from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). For information concerning the accreditation of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, contact the SACSCOC, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA, 30033-4097, or call 404-679-4500, or visit www.sacscoc.org.
The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) to offer the Master of Divinity (MDiv), the Master of Arts in Church Ministries (MACM), the Master of Arts in Christian Studies (MACS), the Masters in Theological Studies (MTS), the Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC), the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MACMHC), the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Behavioral Health (GCACBH), and the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degrees. For information concerning the accreditation of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary contact the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools, 10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15275-1103, or call 412-788-6505, or visit https://ats.edu.
The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) to offer the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. For more information concerning this accreditation contact the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs 500 Montgomery Street, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314, or call 703-535-5990, or visit cacrep.org.
The Seminary is certified by Asocación para La Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH) to award certificates in Wesleyan-Pentecostal Biblical Studies, Wesleyan-Pentecostal Theology, and Wesleyan-Pentecostal Ministry.
Inquiries regarding AETH certification should be directed to PO Box 677848. Orlando, FL 32867. Phone: 720-535-5435. Website: www.aeth.org. The Seminary is approved by SACS-COC to offer programs fully online and by ATS to offer the following degrees fully online: MACM, MACS, MDiv, MTS, MAC, MACMHC, and DMin.
The Seminary is certified the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) as an educational institution authorized to operate educational programs beyond secondary education, directs the commission to maintain and publish on its web site a list of postsecondary educational institutions meeting the requirements of subdivision (a)(6) with its primary campus domiciled in this state or subdivision (a)(11).
The Seminary is also a member of National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) as it seeks to operate in various states. NC-SARA lays out a framework for state-level reciprocity, including a governance structure, implementation by the four regional higher education compacts (MHEC, NEBHE, SREB, WICHE), a National Council for SARA to ensure comprehensive national coverage, and a financial plan to support operations.
The Seminary is also on the list of Tennessee List of Schools Approved for Veterans Training (GI Bill).
Policy and Procedures for Credit Hours
Reference: SACS Commission on Colleges Federal Requirement 4.9
The institution has policies and procedures for determining the credit hours awarded for courses and programs that conform to commonly accepted practices in higher education and to Commission policy.
Pentecostal Theological Seminary (hereafter, PTS) has consistent policies and procedures for determining course credit hours that provide coherence and structure to its academic programs. In order to ensure the institution’s policy compliance with the standards in question, PTS reviews and practices policies and procedures that are consistent with the federal definition of the credit hour, i.e.. Federal Requirement 4.9 of the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, and SACSCOC Credit Hours Policy.
Policy
PTS operates on the semester system, with the exceptional offerings of intensive courses during summer and winter, and has adopted the federal definition of a credit hour. In keeping with federal regulations, PTS defines a credit hour as an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement. In keeping with this, PTS adheres to the following policy guidelines:
In a typical semester course, e.g.. Pentecostal Spirituality and Theology I, PTS awards 3 credits based on the calculation that students meet once a week for 165 minutes (8 a.m.. to 10:45 a.m..), with the minimum of 5 minute break during class, for 14 weeks that, when calculated upon, amounts to the minimum of 2250 minutes for the semester. Such practice ensures that the amount of time spent for faculty instruction meets the minimum of 750 minutes per credit hour. This credit hour policy applies to all degree programs (graduate and post-graduate) that awards academic credits regardless of the mode of delivery including, but not limited to, online, blended, lecture, and seminar.
Procedures
Students are expected to engage and work in class that seek to attain the expected course learning outcomes regardless the particular format of a course, whether it is fully online, a blend of face-to-face contact with some content delivered by electronic means, or one delivered in lecture or seminar format. Courses that have less structured classroom schedules, e.g.. research seminars, independent studies, directed studies, internships, practica, or any other academic work leading to the award of credit hours, are also expected to have clearly stated expected course learning outcomes as well as the workloads that meet the standards set forth above.
The calculation for summer and winter intensive courses also follow this same standard of the minimum of 750 contact minutes for each unit of credit. In a typical summer course, e.g.. Historical Theology I, students are expected to meet from Monday to Friday. Students will have a full day of class from Monday to Thursday (e.g.. 8 a.m.. to 5 p.m..) and an abbreviated class time on Friday (e.g.. 8 a.m.. to 12 p.m..) that may include a final examination. At the end, the total contact hours for faculty instruction are expected to be at least 2250 minutes (37.5 hours). Prior to the in-classroom sessions, i.e.. Phase II of the course work, students are expected to complete the Phase I of the course work that include readings, reflection and writing evidenced in the course assignments to be evaluated by the faculty instructor. Furthermore, students are expected to complete Phase III of the course work that usually amounts to submission of a research paper or project. Among others, the expected student work in Phases I and III is in keeping with the stated policy above that students are expected to have spent a minimum of two hours outside the classroom for each hour spent in class.
PTS maintains its official Academic Calendar on its website here. The Curriculum and Educational Resource Committee (CERC) of PTS is charged with the responsibility of following up with the policy on credit hours in its review and approval of all courses and for certifying that the expected student learning for the course meets the institution’s credit hour standards. The determination of credit hours is made when a new course or a revision to an existing course is proposed. When examining a course syllabus for adaptation into PTS catalog, the Committee examines the course’s contact time as well as the assignments and evaluation mechanisms to determine its adherence to the institution’s policy in place.
Policy Revision Date: 12.1.2024
