ATS Accreditation

Association of Theological Schools Accreditation

In 2004, Barry University's Department of Theology and Philosophy received notification of its initial accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), making Barry the first woman-founded and -sponsored institution to be accredited by ATS. Barry's initial accreditation is for the maximum five-year period (through fall 2008). An ATS site-visit related to reaccreditation will take place again September 29-October 2.

Some of the distinctive strengths cited by the ATS Commission on its first visit included: the overwhelming student support for the programs; a departmental faculty that is truly committed to academic rigor and excellence; Barry's diverse academic community; and its highly supportive president (now chancellor) who exhibits a national and an international perspective.

The ATS Site Visit Committee visited the Barry University Miami Shores Campus and its extension sites at The Blessed Edmund Rice School in Arcadia and the South East Pastoral Institute (SEPI) in South Miami. The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (established in 1918) is the accrediting and program agency for graduate theological education in North America. The purpose of the Association is the improvement of theological education, which it seeks to attain by accrediting schools and by providing programs and services to its membership. The Association's current membership consists of 237 graduate schools of theology, of which 204 are accredited. (From the ATS Bulletin 43, Part 1, Introduction.)