Palm Beach Atlantic University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s, master’s, doctor of pharmacy, doctor of nursing practice, and doctor of philosophy. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Palm Beach Atlantic University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at:
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, GA 30033-4097
(404) 679-4500 or www.sacscoc.org
Persons wishing to review documents related to the accreditation of Palm Beach Atlantic University should contact the Assistant Provost for Accreditation and Assessment at (561) 803-2050.
Palm Beach Atlantic University has received specialized accreditation, certification, or licensure from the following organizations:
PBA Statement of Educational Effectiveness
The mission of PBA’s School of Ministry Graduate Department (GSOM) is to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and character for effective Christian ministry. This is accomplished through a cooperative effort between faculty, students, and other University departments and involves multiple levels of assessment and other student support services.
GSOM Learning Outcomes
All GSOM programs emphasize the following four learning outcomes:
The Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Divinity and Master of Business Administration joint degree (M.Div./MBA), and the Master of Divinity and Master of Science Mental Health Counseling dual degrees (M.Div. + MSMHC) emphasize an additional fifth learning outcome:
Direct measures of student learning from 2018-19 revealed that 76% of GSOM students met the prescribed standards for these degree learning outcomes.
Indirect measures of student learning from 2018-19 revealed that 100% of GSOM graduates either “agree” or “strongly agree” with the following statements on the ATS Graduating Student Questionnaire: “I have been satisfied with my academic experience here” and “If I had to do it over, I would still come here.”
Completions, Graduation Rates, and Placement Rates
Number of total completions (graduates) through summer 2019: 44 (37 M.Div.; 7 MACS)
With data available through the 2016-17 academic year, 64% of students who start a degree in GSOM progress to graduation.
With data available through spring 2019, GSOM is encouraged that thirty-eight of forty-one (93%) total GSOM graduates found suitable placement within six months of graduation. Of these forty-one, twenty-one are employed in full-time pastoral ministry, two are employed as full-time chaplains, and three students have undertaken post-graduate studies at the prestigious institutions of Princeton Theological Seminary, University of Cambridge, and the University of Edinburgh.
In addition, Palm Beach Atlantic University is a Business Education Alliance member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
In February 2020, the AACSB Initial Accreditation Committee reviewed and accepted the Initial Self-Evaluation Report of the Rinker School of Business and we continue working closely with our AACSB mentor to progress toward alignment with the required AACSB Standards.
The RSB will continue to make and report progress on accreditation standard alignment. Complete alignment with AACSB standards further enhances the RSB and empowers students.