Anderson University Advances to Level
V Status – Will Now Offer Doctoral Programs
First terminal degree program to begin in fall 2011
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-COC), the regional accrediting body
for colleges and universities in The South, has granted Anderson University
status as a “Level V” institution, opening the door to doctoral programs at AU.
The vote came during the Commission’s Board of Trustees meeting Thursday in
Charlotte.
Anderson
was previously approved as a Level III master’s degree granting institution.
Anderson will initiate its first doctoral
program this fall with a new Doctor of Ministry degree. The University will consider other programs
as a part of its annual update to its strategic plan called Vision 2014.
Today’s announcement comes during a period
of rapid program and enrollment expansion at Anderson, which announced its
first graduate degree program in 2005 and now has substantial graduate programs
in Business, Education, Ministry, Criminal Justice and a recently announced
program in Music Education. Since
2002, the University’s enrollment has grown 56%, from 1,600 to over 2,500 in
eight years, of which approximately 200 are graduate students.
“We
are delighted that the Commission on Colleges has approved our application for
Level V status. The Commission
rightly has rigorous standards and I am pleased to be able to say that we have
met them,” said Dr. Evans P. Whitaker, Anderson University president.
“Our
initial program will give us the opportunity to establish a solid foundation
for doctoral level work. The
University’s motivation for level change is to serve our students and the
region by adding doctoral studies to our degree offerings. It is probable that we will seek to
develop additional doctoral programs that make sense for a comprehensive
university. As a faith-based
institution, ministry is a symbolic place for us to begin, but in time and in
response to needs, we are open to considering doctoral programs in other
professional disciplines,” Whitaker added.
Anderson University is a comprehensive university affiliated
with the South Carolina Baptist Convention offering bachelors and masters
degrees. Anderson is ranked in the Top Tier (top 21) of colleges and
universities in the South, and one of 68 “Up and
Coming” schools to watch in America,”
by U. S. News & World Report. It is the #1 “Up and Coming” school in The
South according to that publication.
Anderson has also been named one of “Americas 100 Best College Buys,” Located
in The Upstate region of South Carolina near the foothills of the Appalachians,
Anderson University features a rigorous education in a supportive Christian
environment.
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