Accreditation
Vanderbilt University Divinity School
Accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and the following degree programs are approved:
Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies
The Commission contact information is:
The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of
Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
USA
Telephone: 412-788-6505
Fax: 412-788-6510
Website: www.ats.edu
2015 Educational Effectiveness
Vanderbilt Divinity School is accredited by The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in United States and Canada.
Graduation rate: The Commencement of 2015, Vanderbilt Divinity School conferred 47 Master of Divinity degrees.
Retention Rate: Based 2012 entering class of 44: 94.3%
41 (87.23%) graduates completed the degree within four academic years.
Association of Theological Schools 2015 Graduating Student Questionnaire
Graduate Student Questionnaire: 93.18% (44 of 47) students graduating from the MDIV degreecompleted the standardized Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting (ATS) “Graduating Student Questionnaire” (GSQ) which indirectly assesses their “satisfaction with progress of skills related to future work” through ratings on a scale of 1-5.
Graduating Student Questionnaire results
|
2014-2015 |
Skils |
|---|---|
|
4.6 |
Ability to think theologically |
|
3.7 |
Ability to use and interpret Scripture |
|
3.9 |
Knowledge of church doctrine and history |
|
4.0 |
Knowledge of Christian Philosophy and ethics |
|
4.0 |
Ability in Pastoral Counseling |
|
3.5 |
Ability to preach well |
|
3.4 |
Ability to conduct worship/liturgy |
|
4.5 |
Ability to relate social issues to faith |
On the scale of 1-5, 78.4% students indicated that they are satisfied with the MDIV program of study in terms of capabilities acquired.
The GSQ also indirectly assesses the “Importance of Areas of Study to Intended Work by Degree Program” where, on a scale 1) very important; 2) somewhat important and 3) not important, every area of study ranked between 1.5 and 1.9 suggesting that the areas of curriculum are closely tied to their vocational plans.
Field Education: The GSQ rated “the importance of Field Education”
|
Year |
Very Important |
Important |
Somewhat important |
Of little importance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2014-2015 |
8 (18.6%) |
34 Students (79.1%) |
0 |
1 (2.3%) |
The rating for “Field Education’s Effectiveness in Developing Capacities” remains high at 4.48 out of a total possible score of 5.0.
Among the careers identified in the GSQ, MDIV graduates anticipate careers in a variety of areas:
|
Percentage |
Career Area |
|---|---|
|
50 |
Congregational ministry |
|
18.2 |
Chaplaincy, spiritual direction, pastoral counseling, prison ministry, |
|
11.3 |
Public/social justice ministry, non-profit |
|
4.5 |
Pursuing further graduate study |
|
52.3 |
Offered a position or planned to remain in current position as of May 2015 |
Master of Theological Studies
Graduation rate: Commencement 2015, we conferred 31 Master of Theological Studies degrees.
Retention rate: Based on 2012 entering class of 37: 86.11%
31 graduated in 2015 with 29 of the 31 (93.548%%) of graduates completed the MTS degree within 3 academic years.
Association of Theological Schools 2015 Graduating Student Questionnaire
Graduating Student Questionnaire results 100% (31 in total) graduating from MTS program completed the standardized Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting (ATS) “Graduating Student Questionnaire” (GSQ) which indirectly assessed the “Educational Effectiveness in Facilitating Skill Areas.
Graduating Student Questionnaire results: Indirect Assessment
|
2014-2015 |
Skills |
|---|---|
|
4.2 |
Ability to think theologically |
|
3.8 |
Ability to use and interpret Scripture |
|
3.8 |
Knowledge of church doctrine and history |
|
3.8 |
Knowledge of Christian Philosophy and ethics |
The GSQ also indirectly assesses the “Importance of Areas of Study to Intended Work by Degree Program” where, on a scale 1) very important; 2) somewhat important and 3) not important, every area of study ranked between 1.8 and 2.2.
Among the careers identified in the GSQ, MDIV graduates anticipate careers in a variety of areas:
|
Percentage |
Career Area |
|---|---|
|
9.6 |
Congregational ministry, youth ministry, specialized ministry |
|
25.9 |
Secondary school teaching, higher education, |
|
9.7 |
Public/social justice ministry, non-profit |
|
9.7 |
Pursuing further graduate study |
|
45.2 |
Offered a position or planned to remain in current position as of May 2015 |