About
ATS
ATS Accreditation
Since 1937, NNU has been continuously accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities, the same respected accrediting body that validates other leading educational institutions across the Pacific Northwest. Northwest Nazarene University’s Graduate School of Theology is also accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275. (412) 788-6505). The following degree programs are approved by the Commission on Accrediting: Master of Divinity; Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry; and Master of Arts in Leadership & Formation with specializations in Missional Leadership; Spiritual Formation; and Youth, Children & Family Ministry.
Statement of Educational Effectiveness
The mission of NNU’s Graduate School of Theology is to serve pastors and church leaders who serve the Church of the Nazarene in the Northwest educational region and the wider Christian and global community. As an expression of its commitment to historic Christianity from a Wesleyan perspective, the purpose of the Graduate School of Theology is to educate and prepare women and men for lives of faith, ministry, and service in the world and in the Church, including their personal and spiritual formation.
As we strive for continuous quality improvements, NNU’s faculty and staff are committed to fulfill our mission through ongoing evaluations of the educational effectiveness of our programs, student learning outcomes, and support services. While the effectiveness of theological education can be measured in various ways, NNU’s Graduate School of Theology publishes the following findings:
Master of Divinity
NNU’S fully online Master of Divinity degree empowers students for vocational ministry and enables them to center their studies around one of three specializations in Missional Leadership; Spiritual Formation; or Youth, Children & Family Ministries. Nazarene Clergy Services validates NNU’s Master of Divinity degree as an approved course of study meeting all of the denomination’s educational requirements for ordination. In addition to ongoing interactions with our faculty, students progress through their academic programs as part of an online learning community, including ongoing work with a personal mentor in the student’s own ministry context. In as little as 50 months, students complete 75 semester credits, one course at a time in series. During their last two summers of study, students complete either an advanced biblical exegesis course or a supervised ministry course.
In 2017, 46.3 percent of our students are female and 53.7 percent are male. In addition, 5 percent of our students reside outside the United States. Although more than 75 percent of our students are Nazarene, we welcome the remainder from other denominational and theological affiliations.
Direct measures of learning from 2010-2017 reveal the following:
- 88 percent of students met or exceeded the faculty’s standards for degree objectives; and
- 12 percent met faculty standards with some qualification.
Indirect measures of learning for the same period offer the following insights:
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Academic Satisfaction (5.0 scale) | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Personal Spiritual Growth (5.0 scale) | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Position Expected After Graduation | 67% | 60% | 100% | 67% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Position Offered By Graduation | 33% | 40% | 100% | 33% | 80% | 57% | 67% |
| Five-Year Degree Completion Rate | 67% | 83% | 78.5% | 87.5% | 87.5% | 82% | 71% |
Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry or Leadership & Formation
Students in our professional degree programs may enroll in one of four fully online tracks in Missional Leadership; Pastoral Ministry; Spiritual Formation; or Youth, Children & Family Ministry. NNU’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry is 40 credits in size, spanning five semesters. It has been approved by Nazarene Clergy Services as a validated course of study for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. The Master of Arts in Leadership & Formation program offers three 36-credit specializations in Missional Leadership; Spiritual Formation; or Youth, Children & Family Ministry. Each of these programs may be completed in four semesters. Students complete one course at a time in series, except for the addition of a supervised ministry course spanning the student’s last semester. All Master of Arts students participate in an online learning community and also journey through each course with a personal mentor in their own ministry context. No summer courses are required in these tracks.
Over the years, nearly half of the students in NNU’s Graduate School of Theology are female (46.3 percent in 2017). In addition, 5 percent of our students reside outside the United States; approximately 75 percent of our students are affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. Direct measures of learning from 2010-2017 reveal the following:
- 86 percent of students met or exceeded the faculty’s standards for degree objectives;
- 13 percent met faculty standards with some qualification; and
- 1 percent failed to meet faculty standards.
Indirect measures of learning for the same period offer the following insights:
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Academic Satisfaction (5.0 scale) | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Personal Spiritual Growth (5.0 scale) | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Position Expected After Graduation | 67% | 55% | 80% | 100% | 88% | 100% | 78% |
| Position Offered By Graduation | 100% | 55% | 70% | 67% | 63% | 75% | 72% |
| Three-Year Degree Completion Rate | 97% | 84% | 93% | 73% | 87% | 72% | 83% |