Australian College of Theology

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The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is a national provider of theological education. The college was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an accredited bachelor's degree and a research doctorate. The number of graduates since the foundation of the college stands at 14,200. One-third of these have graduated in the last decade.

The college has a developing research profile. It became a company limited by guarantee in September 2007. .

The college was established by a determination of the 1891 General Synod of the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania. The college was founded in order to provide for the “systematic study of divinity” especially among clergy and ordination candidates, there being no opportunities for them at that time to avail themselves realistically of the opportunities for earning the Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree at English universities.

Since its establishment, the college has remained under the control of the General Synod of the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania up to 1 January 1962 and, since that date, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia (ACA). On 1 January 1962, the Anglican Church was formed pursuant to enabling legislation in each of the Australian states and territories: see, for example, the Anglican Church of Australia Act 1961 (NSW).

The General Synod legislation under which the college is currently constituted is the Australian College of Theology Canon 2007. The constitution of the Australian College of Theology Limited is set out in the Schedule of the Canon.

The constitution includes the following provisions:

2. Objects 2.1 The objects of the College shall be to foster and direct the systematic study of theology and other disciplines related to Christian ministry by teaching and research in a manner and at a level commensurate with the practices of Australian universities by: (a) awarding higher education qualifications in theology and other disciplines related to Christian ministry equivalent to awards offered in Australian universities, and delivering the related courses in a variety of modes; and (b) engaging in student-centred teaching and learning, through each affiliated college, that advances knowledge, encourages free and open enquiry, and enhances the pursuit of vocational excellence ; and (c) facilitating each affiliated college’s realisation of the full potential of its formational, educative and scholarly endeavour; and (d) fostering and enhancing a culture of research and scholarship across the College that leads to new knowledge and original creative endeavour; and (e) promoting the study of theology and other disciplines related to Christian ministry in the wider community; and (f) enhancing the higher education status of the College; and (g) underpinning these objects through governance, procedural rules, policies, financial arrangements and planning, and quality assurance processes which are sufficient to ensure the academic integrity of the College’s academic programs.

The Primate of the ACA, the Most Reverend Phillip Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane, presides as chairman at a general meeting of Australian College of Theology Limited. The Most Reverend Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne, served as the chair of the directors from 2002 until May 2008. His successor is Professor Emeritus David Barr AM.

Activities of the college

The college’s original awards were four in number — the Associate in Theology (ThA), the Licentiate in Theology (ThL), the Scholar in Theology (ThSchol) and the Fellow of the College (ThSoc). All were conferred by successful examination only. The ThSoc has long been superseded by the research degree of Doctor of Theology (ThD).

The current suite of accredited higher education courses has grown from the Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree, first accredited by the then New South Wales Higher Education Board in 1975 and the research degree of Master of Theology (MTh) in 1976. The Master of Arts (Theology) (MA[Th]) degree was added in 1988. 1992 saw the accreditation of the Bachelor of Ministry (BMin) degree — the first of several coursework degrees in theology with a ministry major. The Doctor of Ministry (DMin), a doctorate modelled on Australian university professional doctorates and North American Doctor of Ministry degrees, was first accredited in 1998.

The courses of the college are accredited by the Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training under the Higher Education Act 2001 (NSW). These courses are mutually recognised by all the other states under the terms of an agreement of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) to recognise higher education courses accredited in the provider’s host state, which in the college’s case is New South Wales.

[edit] Current courses

Diploma of Theology
Advanced Diploma of Theology
Diploma of Ministry
Advanced Diploma of Ministry
Associate Degree of Theology
Bachelor of Theology
Bachelor of Theology Honours
Bachelor of Ministry
Bachelor of Ministry Honours
Bachelor of Christian Studies
Graduate Diploma of Divinity
Master of Divinity
Graduate Diploma of Theology
Master of Arts (Theology)
Graduate Diploma of Ministry
Master of Arts (Ministry)
Graduate Diploma of Christian Studies
Master of Arts (Christian Studies)
Master of Theology
Doctor of Ministry
Doctor of Theology

The ACT now operates as a national consortium of affiliated colleges. The consortium originated in 1974 when several colleges — Ridley College (Melbourne) and Moore Theological College (Sydney), (both Anglican) and two interdenominational Bible colleges, the Bible College of Victoria and the Bible College of New Zealand — sought approval from the Board of Delegates to deliver the newly proposed BTh degree. From these beginnings there are now 19 mostly non-Anglican theological and Bible colleges situated in each mainland state that have been approved to deliver the accredited courses of the ACT on its behalf. These colleges currently enrol just over 1,200 equivalent full-time students (including 90 international students), or 2,500 individual students and research candidates, in ACT degrees.

The relationship between each affiliated college and the Board of Directors is articulated and regulated in an agreement that takes the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The Board recognises that each affiliated college is an independent entity in its own right. There is a high value placed on collaboration and co-operation across the consortium.

On 12 November 2004 the delegate of the Minister for Education, Science and Training approved the College as a higher education provider (HEP) under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth). This approval took effect in March 2005. As a HEP, the ACT administers the FEE-HELP programme, by which students enrolled in accredited higher education courses of the ACT may receive an income contingent loan for their tuition fees.

In addition, as a HEP under the Higher Education Support Act, the ACT was required to undergo a quality audit conducted by the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA). In November 2006 the College was the first non self-accrediting HEP to be so audited. The AUQA Audit Report was completed in January 2007 and publicly released on the AUQA website in February 2007. The report is available at [1]. An account of the College’s moderation process, a major focus of its Quality Management Sydtem, has been included on the AUQA Good Practice Database and can be accessed at [2].