Columbia Evangelical Seminary

I am curious Rhet....though I am not interested in CES due to accreditation, there is clearly a real benefit in the mentor/protege relationship. I would like to find such in a RA program.

Could you describe maybe the level of interaction you've had with your protege?

Also, I think this is a teaching model that would benefit many (including myself) in a non degree format. This is a model that seems to be "lost" on the larger scale. Where does the blame go? On the student who just wants a degree (credentials) and no real learning, or the one's with real knowledge/expertise who do not pass it on? I am sorry....I think I am getting off topic!

Where I was going with that is....I would be interested in a self-study program with a mentor that doesn't offer a degree with the real benefits being the relationship with the mentor and the tremendous learning taking place.

 

Rhet,

I went back to the CES website and looked at their Graduate Certificates. That looks like a great option to me for those who would appreciate a relationship with a tutor/mentor, but not necessarily need or want a degree from CES.

The price is extremely reasonable. I could see a huge personal benefit as it would help "brush up" on or hone research and writing skills with some directed study from a mentor, plus a more focused study.

I have been considering an MA in Humanities from CSU Dominguez Hills - which is a very reasonably priced RA MA with thesis, but am not super confident in my own research and writing skills as my undergraduate study was not that rigorous (in my opinion). I think CES might help (I don't question the rigor/demand of CES) a bit with that, as well as give an opportunity to study in a desired major.

I am currently in an MS in HR Training & Development program. Once that's completed maybe I can convince my wife of the CES grad certificate and you can be my mentor, Rhet.

 

Eventually I want to attend CES. I'm afraid finances limit me right now, but it's a school a friend and I have discussed at length. We both believe the English model would be perfect for us.:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

Oh, you bet! It will not happen overnight , but no more than 3-4 monthhs I believe. It would be an honor to have you as a mentor.:godisgood:

 

Value of a CES degree

Hey all,

This is my first time on the board, but I have been lurking for a while. I was just in contact with Luther Rice Seminary and they said they would be willing to except someone with an M.Div from CES (90hrs) for provisional acceptance into their D.Min program. They would have to get an "A" in their first course and then they could continue as normal. All other admission requirements would apply.

I have been looking at a few other D.Min programs and many of them leave out the "Accredited" requirement that the PhD and ThM programs have. So, if you are a really good student, meaning you don't want to just get by on your looks, then it seems you can still go on and get an accredited degree.

ZS

EDIT: I understand the current "conversation" regarding TRACS accreditation, but for the time being, let's just focus on the fact that, like it or not, it is accredited.

 

First, welcome to the board. Hope you enjoy this BB as much as I do.

Now to the matter at hand. Which accredited seminaries "leave out" the accredited requirement for their D.Min. programs and require it for their other doctorate programs? My wager is none. Any school can provisionally accept someone lacking normal admissions requirements into their programs (usually, they have a policy limiting the percentage of provisionally accepted students in a program). But I don't think the ATS, SACS, et. al., would be happy about an institution under their watch that did not normally require an accredited Master of Divinity for entrance to their D.Min. program. Thus, I am curious as to the few seminaries that you observed going against that flow. It may be that they do not mention the word 'accredited' on their D.Min. admissions page, but I would not assume that to mean that they are open to degrees from unaccredited programs.

 

Fair enough. Other than LRU, I haven't contacted any other admissions offices. I did notice that Drew University's DMin page doesn't specify it must be an accredited MDiv, but it's MST page does require it to be accredited.

You are right, they may just be leaving that off. I just found it interesting that they would be so explicit on one page and not on another.

Good thing to think about though. Thanks.

ZS

 

As for LRU, it sounded to me from your post that the admissions chap you spoke with suggested that a grad from an unaccredited institution could be provisionally accepted. Many institutions do that, though they have limits on the percentage of provisionally admitted students in a program. However, I doubt that the fellow who wrote the blurb for Drew's D.Min. page intentionally omitted the word 'accredited'.

Nevertheless, the D.Min is a significant revenue source at many schools, and that might influence the admissions guys to be more forgiving. I graduated from LRU (which holds only a TRACS accreditation) with an M.Div. and I was accepted to both of the R.A. D.Min programs to which I applied, and was enthusiastically encouraged to apply by three R.A./ATS accredited schools, who assured me that I'd have no issues. As it stands, I still have not matriculated - I decided to focus on my ministry for the time being - and save some cash.