Bethany College of Missions and Bethany International do not philosophically oppose accreditation. However, along with a growing number of institutions like ours, we have come to the conclusion that traditional academic accreditation is more of a hindrance than a help in accomplishing the purposes for which God has called us. Accrediting agencies impose an oppressive number of rules and regulations, generating an increased administrative workload required to meet and maintain those standards. The result is that schools seeking accreditation often become servants to the accrediting associations rather than vice versa.
Bethany does strive to develop strong relationships with other theological institutions, many of which are accredited, for the purpose of transferring credits and giving graduates excellent options for post-grad education. However, as we determine our curriculum and practices, this is not our primary focus.
Fortunately, we enjoy many benefits of accreditation without the restrictions of being under a board. We have a number of first-rate schools that accept our transfer credits and take our students into their masters programs (Wheaton and Liberty to name a couple - to see a full listing click here. We also have an excellent reputation among sending organizations and our alumni have gone out under many, many different mission agencies. A sample listing is available upon request.
If you are looking to eventually go into a field of study outside of missions or some form of ministry, you do need to take into consideration that our credits will not transfer for something like a nursing degree at a secular university for instance. If you plan to become a missionary, accreditation should not be an issue for the vast majority of sending agencies. If you are planning to be sent out under a particular denomination, we would advise you to check on the training requirements of that denomination.
