Accreditation

The Augustine Institute is authorized by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education under the stipulations of the Degree Authorization Act to offer degrees in theology in the state of Colorado.

The Augustine Institute has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation (COA) of The Association of Theological Schools since 2016. The school’s accreditation was last reaffirmed in spring 2021. The school’s current status of Accredited in Good Standing means the school meets all applicable COA Standards of Accreditation.

The school demonstrates educational quality and financial stability and provides evidence that its student learning outcomes are appropriate, rigorous, and being achieved. The school has no public sanctions (notation/warning, probation, or show cause). The school is approved to offer the following degree(s): MA (Biblical Studies), MA (Theology), MA in Catholic Education, MA in Pastoral Theology. The Board has granted approval for the school to offer distance (online) education at the following level: Comprehensive (Half or More of a Degree).

The Commission on Accrediting may be contacted at:

The Graduate School of Theology of the Augustine Institute monitors the academic progress of its students toward the Master of Arts degree and also regularly surveys its students and alumni about their vocation and career placement and goals.
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A survey of the 14 graduates of the M.A. in Pastoral Theology who finished the program between 2021-2023 showed that 12 of the 14 were placed in positions for which the degree program prepared them.

A survey of 152 MA Theology graduates who completed the program between 2021-2023 showed that 88 were placed in positions for which the degree prepared them. 16 have not responded to survey, 4 are continuing their education, 15 marked ‘other’, 3 were still seeking placement at the time of the survey, and 26 are in non-vocational jobs.

The ministerial work of Augustine Institute graduates covers the full spectrum of service to the Body of Christ: priest, religious sister, permanent deacon, lay missionary, lay apostolic work, diocesan official, parish ministry (many kinds), teaching, hospital chaplaincy and other ministries involving the corporal works of mercy.
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3 in 4 current students are studying part-time, as they balance the demands of family and career with their studies. In addition, the majority of distance education students are concurrently active in the work of evangelization and catechesis, either as full-time employees of the Church or in a volunteer or vocational capacity. Given these important commitments, our students often require a semester or more of leave from the program during their tenure. The rate of completion of the Master of Arts program is approximately 50%.

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve its program, the Institute’s annual plan for academic assessment is approved by its Board of Trustees each autumn. A summary of the School’s Academic Assessment Memorandum for the 2022–2023 academic year follows:
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Theology
Discussion of this programmatic goal was generally positive. Our students are evidently happy with the practicality of the program and of the faculty’s pedagogical modeling. The faculty recommended a revision of the MA Theology exit survey so as to elicit more detailed responses as well as measures to ensure greater integration of theological study and practical ministry for MA Pastoral Theology students. Some samples of student work suggested the need for ongoing emphases on the centrality of the Paschal Mystery and on a precise understanding of the virtue of faith.
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Sacred Scripture
The faculty was pleased with what the artifacts for the Sacred Scripture programmatic goal revealed. Particularly noteworthy is the marked improvement in students’ ability to articulate the meaning of the cross of Christ. One area of mild concern was the degree to which students are able to synthesize their study of secondary scholarship into their own interpretation, without resorting to pastiche.

Pastoral Care, Evangelization, and Catechesis
The faculty was encouraged by the mixture of hope and sobriety concerning pastoral challenges on display in the samples of student work. Conversation about this programmatic goal yielded the resolution both to increase attention to students’ human formation and to continue to emphasize the primacy of the grace of the Holy Spirit. It remains important to invite students to a richer appreciation of Catholic ecclesiology and a corresponding recognition of incorporation into the Church’s sacramental life as an aim and measure of evangelization.