Australian College of Theology

The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology and was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an accredited bachelor's degree and a research doctorate. Over 16,000 people have graduated since the foundation of the college, one-third of these since 2006.[1] It is a company limited by guarantee as of September 2007.[2]

Australian College of Theology
TypeTheological consortium
Established1891
Religious affiliation
Anglican Church of Australia
DeanJames Dalziel
Location
Sydney
,
New South Wales
,
Australia
Websitewww.actheology.edu.au

The primate of the Anglican Church of Australia presides as chairman at a general meeting of the Australian College of Theology Limited. The current chair of the board is Roger Lewis.

The current dean is Graeme Chatfield (acting), following Martin Sutherland's retirement on 31 January 2020.

History

The college was established by the 1891 General Synod of the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania. The college was founded in order to provide for the "systematic study of divinity", especially among clergy and ordination candidates, there being no realistic opportunities for them to earn a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree at English universities.[3][4]

In 1899, there were four awards of the college - the Associate in Theology, the Licentiate in Theology, the Scholar in Theology and the Fellow of the College of Theology - and about 30 students. Today the college offers a wide range of accredited higher education awards catering not only for the specialised needs of ministerial and missionary candidates but also for the needs of lay people interested in an understanding of the Christian faith and its implications for contemporary life.

The ACT is a national consortium of affiliated colleges with 18 theological and Bible colleges approved to deliver its accredited courses.[5] Over 1,500 equivalent full-time students, or over 3,000 individual active students and research candidates, are enrolled in courses each year.

On 12 November 2004, the delegate of the Minister for Education, Science and Training approved the college as a higher education provider (HEP) under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth). This approval took effect in March 2005. As a HEP, the ACT administers the FEE-HELP program, by which students enrolled in accredited higher education courses of the ACT may receive an income contingent loan for their tuition fees.

In addition, as a HEP under the Higher Education Support Act, the ACT was required to undergo a quality audit conducted by the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA). In November 2006, the college was the first non-self-accrediting HEP to be audited. The AUQA audit report was completed in January 2007 and publicly released on the AUQA website in February 2007.[6][7] The process was repeated in 2011 and the college underwent a Cycle 2 quality audit by AUQA. The report of the audit was publicly released on the website of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency in March 2012.[8]

In July 2010, the college received self-accrediting authority through to 2015, under the terms of the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes. The college is the first institution to be awarded self-accrediting status under the protocols. This means that the college can accredit its own courses in theology and ministry within the scope of the self-accrediting authority specified by the Department of Education and Training in New South Wales.[9] The college is currently accredited by TEQSA through till 2025.[10]

Affiliated colleges
New South Wales
New Zealand
Queensland
South Australia
Victoria
Western Australia

Courses

The accredited higher education courses have grown from the Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree, first accredited in 1975 and the research degree of Master of Theology (MTh) in 1976. The Master of Arts (Theology) (MA[Th]) degree was added in 1988. 1992 saw the accreditation of the Bachelor of Ministry (BMin) degree – the first of several coursework degrees in theology with a ministry major. The Doctor of Ministry (DMin), a doctorate modelled on Australian university professional doctorates and North American Doctor of Ministry degrees, was first accredited in 1998.

The courses of the college are accredited by the Australian College of Theology, under approval as a self-accrediting provider.

  • Diploma of Theology
  • Diploma of Ministry
  • Diploma of Theology / Diploma of Ministry
  • Advanced Diploma of Theology
  • Advanced Diploma of Ministry
  • Advanced Diploma of Theology / Advanced Diploma of Ministry
  • Associate Degree of Ministry
  • Associate Degree of Theology
  • Bachelor of Christian Studies
  • Bachelor of Theology
  • Bachelor of Ministry
  • Bachelor of Theology / Bachelor of Ministry
  • Bachelor of Theology (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Ministry (Honours)
  • Graduate Certificate of Divinity
  • Graduate Diploma of Divinity
  • Master of Ministry
  • Master of Divinity
  • Master of Divinity / Graduate Diploma of Divinity
  • Graduate Certificate of Christian Studies
  • Graduate Diploma of Christian Studies
  • Master of Arts (Christian Studies)
  • Master of Missional Leadership
  • Graduate Certificate of Theology
  • Graduate Diploma of Theology
  • Master of Arts (Theology)
  • Graduate Certificate of Ministry
  • Graduate Diploma of Ministry
  • Master of Arts (Ministry)
  • Master of Theology
  • Doctor of Ministry
  • Doctor of Philosophy
  • Doctor of Theology

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Australian College of Theology". Actheology.edu.au. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  2. "Current details for ABN 88 869 962 393 | ABN Lookup". Abr.business.gov.au. 1 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  3. "Australian College of Theology". Actheology.edu.au. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  4. "THE ANGLICAN SYNOD". The Daily Telegraph (3822). New South Wales, Australia. 26 September 1891. p. 6. Retrieved 4 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Our Colleges". Australian College of Theology. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  6. "Report of an Audit of The Australian College of Theology" (PDF). Australian Universities Quality Agency. January 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  7. "Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) Audit Action Plan" (PDF). Australian College of Theology. 8 August 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  8. "REPORT OF AN AUDIT OF AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF THEOLOGY" (PDF). Teqsa.gov.au. March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "National Register - Australian College of Theology". Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, Australia. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
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