The Southern Cross International Association of Colleges and Schools (SCIACS) fills the crevice in the accreditation process created by the escalation of academic institutions involved in distance education

With the advent of the Internet and with monumental segments of library acquisitions now available on CD-ROM discs, the wave of the future in distance education has truly arrived. State and private universities now vie for leadership in Internet student recruitment. Private and regional accrediting agencies have alike scrabbled to keep pace with academia. And it is precisely at this point that the initial difficulty with established accrediting agencies is realized.

Accreditation characteristically examines such tangibles as classroom space and facilities, library acquisitions, curricula and faculty sufficiency, and such intangibles as financial stability and whether the institution is meeting its responsibilities to its students, few of which in distance education are either viable or measurable by the same standards. Institutions that have no buildings or lending libraries, but require student procurement of relevant textbooks, can hardly be discounted academically if the fundamentals of education are in place. SCIACS recognized all of this and has quickly undertaken the accreditation of the more fundamental factors of education.

Additionally, almost all accrediting agencies are flawed theologically in that they either do not understand theology or they harbor as an academic clientele a mixture of non-kindred spirits that elect to compromise on what other institutions view as fundamental to the faith. SCIACS requires that member schools embrace its doctrinal position.

But will my credits transfer to another school? The answer is: it depends upon the institution you are requesting to accept your previously earned credits. While regional and private accrediting agencies generally imply that all academic credit is easily transferable between their own member schools, the truth is that every academic institution (accredited or not) exercises institutional sovereignty in the acceptance or rejection of any and all credit earned outside its own institution. In most cases, credits are accepted. Still, some accredited schools offer courses that will not transfer to other schools accredited by the same accreditation agency. The bottom line, therefore, is: all academic credits are institutionally accepted or rejected on a school-by-school, case-by-case basis.

It is most important, therefore, that you first determine your life’s goals, and then matriculate into the institution where you believe those goals will best be served academically. Quite candidly, if you aspire to teach physics at a state university, Cambridge Graduate School will not benefit you. If, however, you intend to plant your life in the Christian ministry as a pastor-teacher, or a missionary, or as a teacher in a Christian school, Cambridge may be your finest choice. No school can meet everyone’s needs. Schools majoring in metallurgy cannot help you become a physician. At Cambridge, we major in Biblical and Christian theological education. That may not be what you’re seeking. But if it is, we think you will find that our programs and faculty helpfulness cannot be surpassed.