Accreditation and Educational Effectiveness
The Divinity School is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and the following degree programs are approved:
M.Div., M.A., M.A. in Religious Studies, Ph.D.
The Commission contact information is:
The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
USA
Telephone: 412-788-6505
Fax: 412-788-6510
Website: www.ats.edu
The Divinity School will be visited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) for its 10-year accreditation visit on December 3-6, 2012. If you wish to comment in any way on the Divinity School's compliance with ATS accreditation standards, please contact Teresa Hord Owens, Dean of Students at tdowens@uchicago.edu no later than November 26.
The University of Chicago is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604.
Statement of Educational Effectiveness
At the University of Chicago Divinity School, a collaborative enterprise in advanced research and teaching about religion informs various kinds of professional formation: that of master's and doctoral students for careers of scholarship and teaching, and that of ministry students for careers in public religious leadership. The successful pursuit of varied careers following graduation serves as one measure of educational effectiveness. A ten-year portrait of Ph.D. graduates (187 graduates between 2001-11) shows that 79% hold academic positions in colleges, universities, and graduate theological education (including 58% in tenured or tenure track faculty positions, 3% in post-doctoral fellowships, and 4% in academic administration); 4% hold positions of public religious leadership; and 11% work in other professions, including institutional advancement, law, and business. (No clear employment information is available for 6%.) A ten-year portrait of M.Div. graduates (124 graduates between 2001-11) shows that 65% provide religious leadership in varied organizations, including 42% who serve congregations; 18.5% have continued in PhD programs; 4% serve in related helping professions; 6% work in other professions (law, investments, consulting, etc.); the remaining graduates include persons in transition, some taking time to care for children or family members, and some whose status is unknown.
