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So I got bored tonight after a few beers and started looking up school stuff. I came across a listing of doctorates on Wikipedia. I saw several religion based ones, such as Doctor of Divinity (D.D.), Doctor of Sacred Theology (S.T.D.), Doctor of Theology (Th.D.), Doctor of Ministry (D.Min., D.M.), and so on.
The more I looked into these, I noticed that lots of the schools offering these degrees were not regionally or nationally accredited. They are seminaries.
One school's website said "Accreditation is not equivalent to direct "Government Recognition". To the best of our knowledge, the US government does not get into recognizing Theological Schools." Another school stated that due to the religious nature of the program, the school does not recognize the accrediting standard used by secular agencies.
So I guess my question is, if one were to earn one of these degrees, does accreditation, or lack thereof, really matter?
Jesse
BA, Thomas Edison State College
MS, Grand Canyon University
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With a degree like that I do not think acredidation realy matters. Well for some. The only reason I say that is they are not, for the most part, 'employable degrees.'
However let me clarify what I mean by employable degrees. I mean not business and or technical.
The only three purposes I can see for those degrees is pursuit of it simply because your interest (scholarly pursuit), To teach (of which at the PHD I cannot imagine much demand for it) and because you want to be a preacher and have PHD behind your name to make you appear smarter and hopefully to a more secular crowd.
However If you wanted to use that degree to teach then it would have to be an accredited degree.
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It's not always the case that religious programs are not accredited. Yale Divinity School, Bethel College, and Princeton Theological Seminary are accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools. I am sure there are others, but I just looked those up because they are ones that I have heard of.
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Ya know HawkGuy, you could always say. "Accredited? Yes it meets the Lord's standards!hilarious
I mean seriously, who can argue with that? I mean talk about the ultimate in accreditation.
Hey I noticed that yo live in Phoenix. I was there earlier this year to run the marathon. WAY COOL AREA!!! Ted's Dog's on Broadway- in Tempe are to die for. I've actually considered flying to Phoenix for that reason alone...seriously! 
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I think people who go for these types of degrees are really not worried about accreditation, they usually just want to learn more and be recognized by their peers for their accomplishments in faith.
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I was thinking the same thing. I'm sure not too many ministers really care about degree accreditation. Most of the preachers I've met have been more focused on ministering than talking about their educational background.
Ted's Dog? Hmm... I've never heard of it. I think I might have to go exploring  I was gonna run this last marathon, but I had just gotten back from Iraq and really wasn't in any shape to give it a go. Maybe the next one.....
Jesse
BA, Thomas Edison State College
MS, Grand Canyon University
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Back in my high school days (I try to make it seems that I am older than my current age of 23), I was really considering Moody Bible Institute. They have a Certificate, an Associates, ... you get the picture. I still consider it from time to time (the certificate) but I always backslide. Maybe one day.
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HawkGuy Wrote:So I got bored tonight after a few beers and started looking up school stuff. I came across a listing of doctorates on Wikipedia. I saw several religion based ones, such as Doctor of Divinity (D.D.), Doctor of Sacred Theology (S.T.D.), Doctor of Theology (Th.D.), Doctor of Ministry (D.Min., D.M.), and so on.
Isn't it funny how drinking often is followed by finding religion? hilarious
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Hahaha. Well..... 
Jesse
BA, Thomas Edison State College
MS, Grand Canyon University
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[COLOR="Navy"]If you are looking for an accredited degree in theology/divinity try looking at the tracs site. All schools accredited via tracs are recognized by both the USDoED and CHEA. Good Luck!
TRACS - Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools[/COLOR]
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