Associate Membership Application Form

You are able to save and return to this form as needed. Click "Save" at the bottom of any page and enter your email address. An email will be sent to you from Jotform (via noreply@jotform.com) which contains a link to your application in progress. Please note that drafts not submitted within 2 months will be automatically deleted.

All information supplied on this application and in any required appendices must be written in English. The application is based upon the eight “membership eligibility criteria” described in the Procedures Related to Membership in The Association of Theological Schools (see sections I.A–H).

I.A  The school is located in the United States or Canada, offers graduate, professional theological degrees, and is demonstrably engaged in educating professional leadership for communities of the Christian and Jewish faiths.

I.B  The school has operated long enough, typically three or more years, for at least one group of students to have fulfilled all degree requirements and to have graduated with the Master of Divinity degree or the first theological degree offered by the school.

I.C  The school has an adequate number of properly qualified professors working full time at postbaccalaureate theological education. Normally, this will be fulfilled by the equivalent of six to ten full-time faculty. [ATS considers 50 percent or more of a normal faculty load to be full-time.]

I.D  The school has a student body of sufficient size to provide for a community of peer learning appropriate for graduate education. Ordinarily, all students in the theological school shall hold an accredited baccalaureate degree.

I.E  The educational program of the school consists of graduate-level studies in the broad range of the theological disciplines designed for preparation for ministry.

I.F  The school demonstrates openness to the community of theological schools through all of the following:

I.F.1  regular participation of faculty in activities of professional or learned societies;
I.F.2  an openness to cooperative relationships with current Association member schools; and
I.F.3  a commitment to participate in the larger community of theological education, affirming the diversity that characterizes the community.

I.G  The school conducts an educational program of quality, stability, and permanence by having:

I.G.1  adequate physical facilities;
I.G.2  a library that is adequate in the following ways to support graduate degree programs: holdings, staff, access to electronic information resources, and space for collection, study, and services;
I.G.3  adequate financial resources; and
I.G.4  other institutional and educational resources required for the program.

I.H  The school has a governance and administrative structure appropriate to the institution and characteristic of North American institutions and a degree of autonomy sufficient to determine and carry out its basic purposes, including authority to oversee its academic programs.

Provide data describing the school's governance and administrative bodies:

The school has authorized me to:

• submit, on its behalf, this application for Associate Membership with The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS),
  
  
• accept the terms of the Associate Membership application process, including the school’s financial obligation to pay non-refundable application fees and any visit-related costs incurred by ATS, and
  
  
• affirm that the information provided is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.

Please contact Leah Wright, Accrediting Records Coordinator, with any questions related to this application.

Upon submission of this application, you will receive an automated email confirming your submission. By October 15, you will be contacted by ATS staff concerning the status of this application.