What is an accredited online school for theology?

Answer 1

Answer 1: I started to give this answer...

In the United States, any online school of theology that's accredited by the following agencies which are approved by the US Department of Education (USDE), and/or the USDE-sanctioned Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA):

* Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)

* Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS)

* The Assoc of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS)

* Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS)

Online (and even in-classroom) schools accredited by other USDE- and/or CHEA-approved both "national" and "regional" accreditors -- the secular (non-religious) ones -- may also offer theology certificates, diplomas and/or degrees. USDE- and/or CHEA-approved accrediation that's specifically religious in nature is not required of a school in order for it to offer theological certificates, diplomas or degrees. However, some kind of USDE- and/or CHEA-approved accreditation -- be it secular or non-secular -- is required!

...however, I then noticed that the question is in the "high school" part of the "online and correspondence schools" part of Wiki Answers. And so that suggests that the questioner is inquiring about a theology school at the high school level.

Theology isn't really studied -- at least not exclusively -- at the high school level. At that (secondary school) level, the student is primarily interested in aquiring the generalized -- usually largely secular -- knowledge that comes with earning a normal high school diploma. However, it's certainly fine to study a little theology in high school, as an elective or a humanities course of some kind.

And religious high schools -- be they online or in-classroom -- offer exactly that. And there's nothing wrong with that; but such courses cannot be what the high school student studies. At the high school level, there's still concern about the student learning the old "readin', writin' and arithmetic." Theology or religious studies can only be adjunct to such core skills coursework.

At the post-secondary (college) level, though, it's entirely possible to get an entirely-online (or even more traditional in-classroom) undergraduate two-year associates, or four-year bachelors degree in theology or religious studies. Or evan a certificate or diploma, too. Even those degrees, though, pursuant to the requirements of their accreditors, allocate only a portion of their coursework to theology. The rest of the coursework must be in other subjects -- the natural and Social Sciences, the humanities, math, English composition, communications, and other such non-theological subjects -- so that the certificate, diploma or degree holder has a more balanced education. One may, however, "major" in theology in any of those kinds of programs; and whatever is the major will be the name of the certificate, diploma or degree.

Only once one gets up to the graduate masters degree (and higher) levels is it possible to get graduate-level academic and professional credentials (certificates and degrees) which mostly contain theological courses. But even those higher, graduate-level certificates and degrees contain other balancing coursework.

The trick, in any case, is to ensure that whatever theological studies one undertakes, the school offering said studies -- be they online or in-classroom -- is accredited by an agency approved by USDE and/or CHEA. Be careful, too, because unaccredited schools -- and even diploma/degree mills -- are very common among religious institutions. Always, always, always independently verify that any school -- be it religious or not; and regardless whether it's online or in-classroom -- is accredited by a USDE- and/or CHEA-approved agency.