News

St. Mark’s College Achieves Full ATS Accreditation


Vancouver, BC - April 11, 2018.
St. Mark's College is very pleased to announce that the College has been granted full accreditation by the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS).

 
ATS is a membership organization of more than 270 graduate schools that educate persons for the practice of ministry and for teaching and research in the theological disciplines. The Commission on Accrediting of ATS accredits schools and approves the degree programs they offer.

Being accredited means our students and faculty can be assured that our programs not only meet, but also often exceed, the highest educational standards of theological education.

This successful accreditation follows an eight-year, multi-phase process involving many staff, faculty, student, alumni, community members, and other stakeholders. Steps included preparing detailed consultation and evaluation reports, self-study periods, as well as three site visits, once for initial accreditation as an associate member (2010), once for accreditation as a candidate member (2014), and finally a comprehensive visit for full accreditation (2017); each visit culminated in a report with recommendations for the College's growth by the evaluation committee. As part of this process, the College had earlier received associate (2010) and candidate (2014) status.

The following St. Mark's College degree programs were accredited:

  • Master of Arts in Religious Education [Professional MA]
  • Master in Catholic Educational Leadership [Professional MA]
  • Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies [Professional MA]
  • Master of Arts (Theological Studies) [Academic MA]

In its letter announcing full accreditation, the Board of Commissioners of ATS identified the following "distinctive strengths" of the College:

  • "The strong leadership of the principal and dean, the engagement of the faculty, and the dedication of the staff, knit together under a strong sense of mission and aspirational vision.
  • Interdependence, mutual support, and missional synergy between the undergraduate program at Corpus Christi College and the programs at St. Mark's College.
  • Unique and complementary relationships with missional partners - including its ecclesiastical relationships (including the Archdiocese of Vancouver, Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese, the permanent diaconate program, Catholic Charities, and spiritual health care in supporting hospitals) and its educational ones (University of British Columbia, Vancouver School of Theology, and other theological colleges in the area) - as well as the school's overall attentiveness to the needs and possibilities of its context and location."



"We are very proud of this significant accomplishment, which is a testament to many years of dedicated work by numerous staff and faculty. Our students will be the ultimate beneficiaries. Through our ATS accreditation, they will know that St. Mark's College, the Catholic theological college at UBC, has closely examined our programs, processes, and facilities, and is striving for the highest level of academic program delivery possible."

Dr. Peter Meehan

Principal, St. Mark's College



"Status as a fully ATS-accredited College means we have met recognized standards in the U.S. and Canada for the provision of academic excellence, as set out by the ATS. ATS accreditation distinguishes our College from many others by providing the highest quality educational standards as determined by an independent, external process of evaluation."

Dr. Lynda Robitaille

Dean of Theology, St. Mark's College

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