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The Protocol For Accreditation:
Getting a Bible school syllabus accredited by the ICAATS
involves several steps, and it
might take an institution anywhere from one to five years to attain
full accreditation. The steps involved are as follows:
- Initial Application: ICAATS uses the
data received to assess if
the institution can be considered for accreditation. This is only an
initial screening, and not the actual application for accreditation.
- Application For Candidate Status:
The office asks the Bible school or seminary to fill the Application
Form For Candidate Status if the screening of the Initial
Application shows a promise for accreditation.
- Approval Or Rejection: After the
examination of the comprehensive set of documentation, ICAATS approves
the institution as a Candidate For
Possible Accreditation. Candidature,
however, is not accreditation and the respective institution can
use
only the expression "Candidate For Accreditation" in their catalog.
However, this expression should not appear anywhere other than the
catalog (or website), such as on transcripts or on degrees.
Candidature does not guarantee accreditation.
- An
institution can be rejected candidature at this stage. Rejection does
not prevent them from applying again. They should carefully study the
reasons for rejection and change them before they apply again.
- Assessment And Application For
Accreditation:
No Bible school or seminary is ever accredited directly or
immediately by ICAATS. All institutions need to pass through the
Candidate stage before the Final Assessment by ICAATS. They will have
to subject themselves to meticulous self-assessment during this
preparatory period.
- ICAATS
will arrange experts from its Panel of Independent Experts
to assist with self assessment, Bible-centered curriculum
design/implementation, and
Faculty Enrichment for the institution during the candidacy.
- The
Experts will also be able to help the institution to locate qualified
full time faculty, adjunct faculty, visiting faculty, etc. in the
developing countries where there is a shortage of theologically trained
manpower.
- The
Experts will also guide in the task of library enrichment. This would
be particularly important for Bible Schools and Seminaries in
developing countries who might have to use their limited funds to
source books from developed countries.
- Once
self-assessment is over, the institution can submit the necessary
documents and apply for Accreditation.
- Accreditation Visit: A team of
specialists and faculty (The Accreditation
Team deputed by ICAATS) will
make one or more trip to the Campus, will conduct an in depth
assessment, and will recommend one of the following: full
accreditation, possibility of accreditation if the experts'
recommendations are fulfilled, rejection of immediate
accreditation with continuation of
candidate status, or even immediate rejection of candidate status.
- Bible
schools and seminaries with terminated candidate status can
reapply, subject to the fulfillment of the experts' stipulations.
- ICAATS
communicates the final result to the candidate institution, and places
this information on the ICAATS.Com website, and also makes the
documents and assessment available for periodical Government inspection.
- Revisit Of The Accreditation Team:
The Accreditation Team revisits in the 3rd year. If the assessment is
satisfactory, the assessment team visits once every five year
after that.
ICAATS: International Council For Accrediting Alternate And Theological
Studies
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