ACCREDITATION

RMSMT Accreditation Information and Two Track Options

The Rocky Mountain School of Ministry and Theology is authorized by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education under the Degree Authorization Act, C.R.S., 23-2-103.3 (4), to offer degrees and/or degree credits which are religious in nature. This authorization was issued December 4, 2014.

Although we fully understand the purpose of accreditation, we are not at present affiliated (accredited) with any regional or national accrediting agency. Accreditation is not required by the US Department of Education, is a voluntarily undertaken process, and does not necessarily guarantee a quality educational experience. For RMSMT, as well as other good religious institutions, the real determination of a quality religious education involves the credentials, experience, and effectiveness of its faculty, the integrity and academic rigor of its courses and programs, as well as the positive impact it has on its students to be equipped to better know Christ, be known by Him, and make Him known. In our association with Lincoln Christian University (an institution which is regionally accredited by the Us Department of Education) courses at RMSMT are evaluated for equivalency and academic rigor to insure they meet academic accreditation standards and quality education is being given to our students. In addition, internal assessments are made by students and faculty to assure that high standards of education are being met by our programs. We are fully confident that those students who complete their education at RMSMT will have a very high quality academic preparation and experience for life-long service to Christ.

As such, we at RMSMT offer high quality degrees authorized by the State of Colorado. In our relationship with Lincoln Christian University (LCU), we also have created an option for those who wish to have a regionally accredited degree to do so. Many of our courses (in most cases about one-half of the required courses for their degrees) are transferable to LCU into their graduate programs leading to their Master of Arts in Bible and Theology, Master of Divinity, and other Masters degrees.

Since some students will choose to pursue a regionally accredited degree while others will pursue our “authorized” degree, we have formulated the following two track option for students who enroll in our school:

Track 1: Fully Regionally Accredited MA Degree: This track would be chosen by students who want a nationally or regionally accredited degree approved by the United States Department of Education. In this scenario, a student would take an LCU approved number of classes here at RMSMT that would transfer into one of LCU’s masters programs where the student would finish his or her degree (all of it online in some cases). The number of approved and transferable classes would be set by LCU through articulation agreements with RMSMT for different LCU degrees. Since we do not offer a Master of Divinity degree this would be an excellent track for any student who chooses to do so to start with us and then finish that degree at LCU. Students on this track could go on to receive not only a Master of Divinity degree but also a Doctor of Ministry at LCU or elsewhere. They could also transfer from LCU into a PhD program at another school.

Track 2: Authorized MA Degree: This track would be chosen by students who want a bonafide MA degree from RMSMT which is authorized by the State of Colorado but are not concerned about national or regional accreditation or who feel they cannot afford a nationally or regionally accredited degree at this time. Following this track a student would enter our program at RMSMT and take the same courses with the same requirements and rigor as those in track 1. (As such, if a student desired to switch to Track 1, he or she could do so at any time and transfer LCU-articulation-agreement-approved-classes into LCU programs). If the student remains on Track 2, he or she could potentially go on to receive Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry, and PhD degrees from other authorized (non-regionally/nationally accredited) schools such as Trinity Theological Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana.

Track 1 Advantages:

1. The student receives a regionally or nationally accredited degree approved by the United States Department of Education.
   
2. The student takes up to half of the credits required for an LCU degree at RMSMT at half the price of other graduate schools (or much less if the student is from a third world country)
   
3. The student will be able to go on to do further graduate study at accredited or non- accredited schools
   
4. Students who transfer into LCU’s Master of Arts in Bible and Theology can potentially take some further courses with ICOC professors who are employed by LCU in that program.

Track 2 Advantages:

1. The student receives a bonafide Master’s Degree from RMSMT. We are committed to offer courses with the same MA academic rigor for both tracks in line with the academic standards that one would encounter at an accredited institution like LCU. As such, our authorized degree will require the same academic rigor as those who decide to follow Track 1.
   
2. The cost of the authorized degree will be approximately less than half of most accredited graduate degrees at regionally or nationally accredited schools in the US for first world students. This is projected to cost much less for students in third world countries.
   
3. The student may be able to go on to do further graduate study at non-accredited schools and possibly even at accredited schools
   
4. Students will be able to take all their course work with ICOC professors