JST Statement on Accreditation & Educational Effectiveness
Accreditation Information
The Jesuit School of Theology is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada. The Jesuit School of Theology is the only school west of Chicago with an ecclesiastical faculty approved by the Congregation for Catholic Education to grant degrees in the name of the Pope. The Jesuit School of Theology is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the American Association of Theological Schools, and by the Vatican Congregation of Catholic Education as an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology.
https://www.scu.edu/jst/about/mission-and-vision/
The following degree programs were approved by the ATS in 2022: Master of Theological Studies (MTS), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), and Theology Masters (ThM).
In 1971, the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley (JSTB) was accredited by both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). It maintained its accreditation by the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education, which had established it in 1945 as an institution that confers ecclesiastical degrees.
The Jesuit School of Theology is one of three theological centers sponsored by the Jesuits of Canada and the United States where Jesuits prepare for the priesthood and where other programs are offered in service of the church both in North America and worldwide.
Today, the student population of 117 students consist of 83 men (72 percent) and 34 women (30 percent), including 50 Jesuits (43 percent), 39 lay students (34 percent), and 26 members of other religious orders and diocesan priests (24 percent). The total number of international students enrolled in ecclesiastical degree programs (S.T.L., S.T.D.) went from 42 (26% of the student body) in 2008 to 28 (24% of the student body) in 2022.
Inquiries regarding The Jesuit School of Theology's accreditation status should be directed to:
Office of the Provost and EVP, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real
Walsh Administration Building
Santa Clara, California 95053-0460
Office: 408 554 4533
Fax: 408 551 6074
Email: provost@scu.edu
Commission contact information
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
www.ats.edu
Please note that the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) and the Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) are ecclesiastical degrees granted in the name of the Holy See through the Ecclesiastical Faculty of the JST, by virtue of its status as an ecclesiastical faculty accredited by the Vatican Congregation of Catholic Education.
Educational Effectiveness
Statement of Educational Effectiveness for ATS-approved Degrees
In 2022, 85% of all graduates found employment or went to further study within six months of graduation.
In exit interviews in 2023, 100% of students agreed that their degree program had prepared them well for future work or study.
The following statistics provide information regarding our students' time to completion during the 2021-2022 academic year:
Master of Divinity
Of the 11 M.Div. graduates in 2021-2022:
1 finished in less than 2 years
1 finished the degree in 2 years
9 finished the degree in 3 years
Master of Theological Studies
Of the 10 M.T.S. graduates in 2021-2022:
5 finished the degree in 2 years
3 finished the degree in 3 years
1 finished the degree in 4 years
1 finished the degree in 5 years
Master of Theology
Of the 13 Th.M. graduates in 2021-2022:
3 finished the degree in 1 year
10 finished the degree in 2 years
Master of Arts
For information on the common M.A., please visit the GTU’s site on accreditation and educational effectiveness.