Knox College, Canada

Accreditation

Knox College is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of The Association of Theological Schools (www.ats.edu) and is approved to offer the following degrees: MDiv, MA in Theological Studies (non-standard nomenclature approved under Standards 4.10-12), MPS, MTS, ThM, DMin, PhD, and to offer Comprehensive Distance Education (half or more of a degree).

For more information about the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, please visit their website or contact them at 412-788-6505 or: The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, 10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275 USA.

Knox College meets University of Toronto standards in its faculty appointments and course requirements in its conjoint programs, and meets the University of Toronto’s Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP) standards through the Toronto School of Theology for all conjoint programs. It also conforms to University policy in its grading policies and procedures and in its academic discipline. Knox students have a right of appeal to the University in academic matters.

Knox students who graduate from conjoint programs receive diplomas signed by the Principal, the Director of TST, and the Chancellor of the University of Toronto. Upon graduation, they become alumni/ae of Knox College and the University of Toronto.

The Master of Pastoral Studies – Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy Certificate program is recognized by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario as meeting the minimum education requirements for registration with CRPO. For more information, please visit their website.

Statement of Educational Effectiveness

As a theological school, Knox College educates people to think deeply about God, live authentically in Christian faith, and lead courageously in shifting spiritual and social landscapes. The College fulfills this mission in preparing people for ministry and scholarship through teaching, research and global partnerships. The academic programs are designed to educate, equip and empower followers of Jesus Christ in the Reformed tradition to participate in the mission of God through serving and leading in faith communities and public service.

The seven degree programs (M.Div., M.T.S., M.P.S., M.A., Th.M., D.Min., Ph.D.) are designed to provide quality theological education that is foundational, theoretical, formational, and professional with the following outcomes:

  • Congregational leadership and renewal, nurturing and empowering faith communities.
  • Spiritual care and psychotherapy, counselling, and chaplaincy, which foster healing and wellness.
  • Teaching, research, and scholarship, deepening theological knowledge, in the church and the academic community.
  • Specialized forms of ministry in church and society, locally and globally, in church-related, parachurch, mission, and non-profit sectors.

Knox College is distinguished by its committed and exemplary faculty and staff. Collectively, they are outstanding scholars, teachers with passion for ministry, leaders with rich and varied experiences, and caring members of an intimate community ready to assist students.

Placement Rates:

In the past four years, the following percentage of students reported, six weeks prior to graduation, that they were placed in positions related to their education and experience at Knox College:

2020      66.7%

2021      45.8%

2022      50.0%

2023      66.6%

Within one year of graduation, 100% of students graduating with an MPS degree were placed in positions related to their education and experience at Knox College.

Quality Assurance

Knox College engages in ongoing assessment of its educational effectiveness in accordance with the requirements of the University of Toronto Quality Assurance Program (UTQAP) and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS).

In 2021 Knox College underwent a regularly scheduled cyclical University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process as part of the Toronto School of Theology. The UTQAP TST Self-Study Report (February 2021) and the TST External Review Report (June 2021) are posted on the TST website at www.tst.edu/about/governance. It was “the unanimous and considered judgment of the reviewers” that “The high quality of the consortium, and the programs, is evident and unimpeachable.” Knox College is proud to participate in the TST which “sets a standard for quality in theological education in Canada” and is “one of the very few institutions that can aspire to this same role internationally.”

Knox College underwent a regularly scheduled re-accreditation process by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada in 2022.

Knox College utilizes an outcomes-based approach to the theological curriculum through which educational effectiveness is measured. As an institution of The Presbyterian Church in Canada educational effectiveness is also measured in part through placement rates and effectiveness in congregational ministries and cognate ministries. Other forms of measurement include graduation rates, completion rates, and student satisfaction.

Educational Effectiveness

The most recent ATS Graduating Student Questionnaire (GSQ) reported that students were generally satisfied (agreed) or very satisfied (strongly agreed) with their overall educational experience. See Measure of Personal Growth after Theological Program and Level of Satisfaction with School’s Services and Academic Resources.