Accreditation Requirements
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary generally accepts all credits earned at institutions accredited by applicable accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Regional Accrediting agencies:
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning (NEASC-CIHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges, and Universities (WASC-SCUC)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community Colleges, and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)
- Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)
- Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Search a list of ATS member schools.
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS)
Non-Accredited Institutions: Credits from institutions not accredited by one of the agencies mentioned above will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Southern Seminary reserves the right to deny transfer credit if the course content is found to be not in keeping with the academic integrity and/or biblical principles of the institution.
Transfer Credit Requirements
Transfer Credit must be:
- From a recognized accreditation agency (see “Accreditation” above)
- Appropriate for Southern Seminary’s curriculum and academic content
- Grade of a “C-“ or higher
- Completed within 10 years of transfer
Transfer Credit Restrictions
Maximum Transfer Hours
Students may transfer up to 2/3 of their credits towards their Southern Seminary degree program. 1/3 of the Southern Seminary degree MUST BE completed at Southern Seminary.
- Master of Divinity degrees maximum transfer is 57 credit hours (2/3 of 88 hours.)
- Advanced Master of Divinity degrees maximum transfer is 48 credit hours (2/3 of 72-74 hours.)
- The Master of Arts maximum transfer ranges from 32-40 hours based on the total credit hours required for the degree. (e.g. MATS is a 48 hour degree, maximum transfer is 32 credit )
- There is no transfer credit for the Online Graduate Certificate. All 15 hours must be earned at Southern Seminary.
Non-Transferrable Courses
- 32100: Personal Evangelism and Devotion
- 32960: Introduction to Missiology
These courses will not be accepted for transfer credit from schools other than SBC seminaries. Request for an exception to this policy can be made by emailing the Transfer Credit Office who will seek approval of your request with the Dean of the Billy Graham School.
Pass/Fail Courses
SBTS does not grant transfer credit for courses that received a grade of pass/fail.
Graduate Certificates
Transfer credit is not applied to Graduate Certificates.
Non-Degree Students
Transfer Credit is not applied to non-degree seeking students or Undecided students. Once a student declares a degree, the student may email the Transfer Credit Office to have their transfer credit applied to their account.
Undergraduate Degrees
Undergraduate credit cannot transfer into master’s degree program.
Doctoral Courses
Southern Seminary does not grant transfer credit for doctoral work completed at other institutions. Exceptions to this policy must be directed to the appropriate Doctoral Office.