Accreditation & Distance Education

Bethany Theological Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada. Both the Seminary’s MDiv and MA degree programs are approved, and Bethany has also received approval for comprehensive distance education.  In addition, Bethany is fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

The Higher Learning Commission is an accreditation organization which uses a body of peer reviewers to grant membership to degree-granting postsecondary schools. Bethany is fully accredited by HLC for the degree programs it offers in both local and distance formats.

Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
Telephone: 800-621-7440

Bethany Theological Seminary has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. This approval is provided in tandem the State of Indiana, in which Bethany is located. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. If the institution is approved by the home state and the state is approved by NC-SARA, then the institution is approved to deliver distance (online) education in all states that have joined this oversight organization.

As a result, Bethany Theological Seminary is approved for distance (online) education through NC-SARA in forty-nine states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Bethany’s distance education offerings for its degree and certificate programs provide the highest quality to all our students, no matter where they are located.

Degree Acceptance

Bethany Theological Seminary’s fully accredited master of divinity degree is accepted by many denominations and nondenominational Christian communities as suitable preparation for ordination. These denominations include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Church of the Brethren
• American Baptist
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Congregational Christian Churches
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)
• Mennonite Church (USA)
• Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Reformed Church
• Vineyard Churches
• Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
• United Church of Christ
• Other communions accepting a fully accredited MDiv degree

Complaint Process

Individuals who wish to file a complaint regarding a perceived violation of an accreditation criterion or standard should follow the process below:

First, contact Bethany’s academic dean, Steven Schweitzer (deansoffice@bethanyseminary.edu; 765-983-1815). An effort will be made to clarify or resolve the issue.

If this is unsatisfactory, the individual should contact either of the accrediting agencies listed above (ATS or HLC) or the State Portal Agency that authorizes Bethany on behalf of NC-SARA.

Since Bethany is located in Indiana, the following contact information for the State Portal Agency should be used:

Ross Miller
Director of State Authorization and Reciprocity
Indiana Commission for Higher Education/Indiana Board for Proprietary Education
101 W. Ohio Street, Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN  46204-4206
317-232-1033
rmiller@che.in.gov

For complaints related to sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, or Title IX, please visit our Title IX Information page.