Accreditation
Educational accreditation in the United States:
When discussing accreditation in the United States, it is important that the concept of accreditation not be confused with the authority to operate. The authority to operate an educational entity in the U.S. is granted by each of the states individually. The U.S. is a federal republic, and the federal government possesses only specific limited powers, with all others reserved to the states (pursuant to the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution). Therefore, the authority of the U.S. Department of Education does not extend to authorizing schools to operate, to enroll students, or to award degrees. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is not responsible for accreditation of institutions, nor is the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a non-governmental organization. Despite the widely recognized benefits and accountability of accreditation, some institutions choose, for various reasons, not to participate in an accreditation process. According to the United States Department of Education, it is possible for postsecondary educational institutions and programs to elect not to seek accreditation but nevertheless provide a quality postsecondary education.
Religious-exempt degrees
Twenty-one jurisdictions in the USA, such as Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington and Louisiana, allow exemption from accreditation for certain religious schools. This means that religious schools can grant legal degrees (doctoral degrees, bachelor’s degrees etc.) to students, without government oversight. The law in the state of Oregon requires religious exempt colleges to meet certain standards, so there is not a full exemption. In Virginia an “exempt school must clearly state in its catalogs and promotional materials that it is exempt from the requirements of state regulations and oversight”. In Florida, a religious exempt-school has to include “a religious modifier or the name of a religious patriarch, saint, person, or symbol of the church” in the name of the institution, and the institution has to only offer “educational programs that prepare students for religious vocations as ministers, professionals, or laypersons in the categories of ministry, counseling, theology, education, administration, music, fine arts, media communications, or social work” and “each degree title must include a religious modifier that immediately precedes, or is included within, any of the following degrees: Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Education”. Religious exempt degrees are often used in a religious, and not a secular, context. In certain US states – North Dakota, Nevada, Texas, Washington, Maine and New Jersey – it is illegal to include religious-exempt degrees on resumes, letterheads, business cards, advertisements and announcements, while this is legal in other states.
State Recognition and Compliance
*Minnesota Department of Education*
Full Gospel Bible College has been evaluated by and recognized by the State Secretary of Education Licensing Dept and is recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) as a state compliant exempt religious Bible College with the right to grant degrees, related to or in consonance with our religious faith and practices. FGWBC is moving towards the goal of obtaining accreditation with the U.S. Department of Education, (USDE) as a recognized agency for all its programs. Please visit the USDE Web site at http://www.ed.gov/print/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation.html for more information on accreditation. In higher education, an institution ability to deliver a quality academic education depends on the credentials of that institution’s faculty and their level of personal and professional dedication to the goal of delivering a consistent quality in every program.