Accreditation

San Francisco Theological Seminary is accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) to offer the following degree programs:

  • Master of Divinity
  • Master of Arts in Theological Studies
  • Doctor of Ministry

WASC Senior College and University Commission
985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100
Alameda, CA 94501
510.748.9001 | 510.748.9797 | wscuc.org

2018 WSCUC Commission Action Letter

The Commission on Accrediting of the Association
of Theological Schools
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
412.788.6505 | 412.788.6510 (Fax) | ats.edu

Statement of Educational Effectiveness

SFTS endeavors to achieve the highest level of academic excellence in all of its programs. Measures of educational effectiveness include graduation, retention, and placement rates, as well as the average time to degree.

Master of Divinity

The Master of Divinity program serves students seeking ordination or pursuing other professional ministries on behalf of the Church.

The table below shows the graduation and retention rates for M.Div. student cohorts who entered the program in the years specified.

Year Entered Number in Cohort One-Year Retention Rate Graduated Within 6 Years

2009-10

31 97%

22 (71%)

2010-11 18 94% 12 (67%)
2011-12 17 88% 14 (82%)
2012-13 14 79% 10 (71%)
2013-14 8 88% 5 (63%)
2014-15 13 92% -
2015-16 15 80% -
2016-17 18 94%

-

2017-18 10 80%

-

The normative time to degree for this program is four years. The table below shows the average time to degree for M.Div. students who graduated in the four most recent calendar years.

Graduation Year Number of Graduates Average Time to Degree
2014 15 4.2 years
2015 16 4.4 years
2016 9 4.0 years
2017 12

3.5 years

2018 8

3.0 years

2019 13

3.0 years

Following are first-year placement rates for M.Div. students who graduated in the years specified.

  2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Vocational Placement

11 (73%)

13 (81%)

4 (45%)

9 (75%)

7 (88%)

Non-Vocational Placement 0 0 0 0 0
Further Study 2 (13%) 0 3 (33%) 1 (8%) 0
Seeking Placement 0 1 (6%) 0 0 0
Other 2 (13%) 1 (6%) 0 0 1 (12%)
Unknown 0 1 (6%) 2 (22%) 2 (17%) 0
Total Graduated 15 16 9 12 8

 

Master of Arts in Theological Studies

The M.A.T.S. program is a two-year general academic degree providing students with a balanced exposure to the theological disciplines while also allowing for focus on an area of interest.

The table below shows the graduation and retention rates for M.A.T.S. student cohorts who entered the program in the years specified.

Year Entered Number in Cohort One-Year Retention Rate Graduated Within 6 Years
2011-12 4 100% 4 (100%)
2012-13 4 75% 3 (75%)
2013-14 2 100% 2 (100%)
2014-15 2 100% 2 (100%)
2015-16 2 100% 0 (0%)
2016-17 4 100% -
2017-18 2 100% -

The normative time to degree for this program is two years. The table below shows the average time to degree for M.A.T.S. students who graduated in the four most recent calendar years.

Graduation Year Number of Graduates Average Time to Degree
2014 5 2.6 years
2015 5 2.6 years
2016 0 -
2017 1 2.0 years
2018 2 2.5 years
2019 3 2.0 years

Following are first-year placement rates for M.A.T.S. students who graduated in the years specified.

  2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Vocational Placement

1 (20%)

1 (20%)

0

1 (50%)

1 (50%)

Non-Vocational Placement 0 0 0 0 0
Further Study 2 (40%) 3 (60%) 0 0 0
Seeking Placement 0 0 0 0 0
Other 1 (20%) 0 0 0 0
Unknown 1 (20%) 1 (20%) 0 1 (50%) 1 (50%)
Total Graduated 5 5 0 2 2

 

Doctor of Ministry

The D.Min. degree, usually undertaken after completion of an M.Div. and at least three years in ordained ministry gives religious professionals an opportunity to sharpen their pastoral skills and do specialized work in an area that strengthens their ministry aspirations.

The table below shows the graduation and retention rates for D.Min. student cohorts who entered the program in the years specified.

Year Entered Number in Cohort One-Year Retention Rate In Progress Graduated Within 6 Years

2009-10

37 95% 11 (30%)

15 (41%)

2010-11 32 59% 14 (44%) 12 (38%)
2011-12 28 86% 13 (46%) 12 (43%)
2012-13 13 77% 7 (54%) 3 (23%)
2013-14 19 79% 13 (68%) 5 (26%)
2014-15 14 86% 10 (71%) -
2015-16 22 68% - -
2016-17 16 88% - -
2017-18 16 81% - -

The normative time to degree for this program is five years. The table below shows the average time to degree for D.Min. students who graduated in the four most recent calendar years.

Graduation Year Number of Graduates Average Time to Degree
2014 17 4.8 years
2015 13 5.3 years
2016 5 5.4 years
2017 8 4.6 years
2018 8

6.7 years

2019 6

6.0 years

Following are first-year placement rates for D.Min. students who graduated in the years specified.

  2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Vocational Placement

13 (76%)

11 (85%)

4 (31%)

8 (100%)

8 (100%)

Non-Vocational Placement 2 (12%) 0 0 0 0
Further Study 0 0 0 0 0
Seeking Placement 0 0 0 0 0
Other 1 (6%) 0 1 (8%) 0 0
Unknown 1 (6%) 2 (15%) 5 (38%) 0 0
Total Graduated 17 13 10 8 8