2025 RationalWiki 'Oregon Plan' Fundraiser

There is no RationalWiki without you. We are a small non-profit with no staff—we are hundreds of volunteers who document pseudoscience and crankery around the world every day. We will never allow ads because we must remain independent. We cannot rely on big donors with corresponding big agendas. We are not the largest website around, but we believe we play an important role in defending truth and objectivity.

Fighting pseudoscience isn't free.
We are 100% user-supported! Help and donate $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can today with PayPal Logo.png!
Donations so far: $1675.86Goal: $10000
Information icon.svg At the chicken coop, we are currently voting on a change to the blocking policy to clarify when offsite behavior such as harassment and brigading can get someone banned from RW. A reminder that you need at least 75 edits and to have had an account for at least 3 months to vote.

Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools

From RationalWiki
(Redirected from TRACS)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The divine comedy
Creationism
Icon creationism.svg
Running gags
Jokes aside
Blooper reel
Evolutionism debunkers
The purpose of TRACS is to promote the welfare, interests, and development of quality Christian postsecondary institutions whose mission is distinctly Christian, and is undergirded by a belief in biblical inerrancy, biblical authority and the historicity of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, including special creation.
—from the Introduction to TRACS' policies and procedures[1]:iii

The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is an accrediting body approved by the United States Department of Education to accredit Christian higher education institutions. TRACS was created by the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) as a creationist accreditation organization, by ICR members including Henry M. Morris, the founder of modern Young Earth Creationism. Once TRACS was approved to accredit fundie schools, they accredited the ICR graduate school. This could be seen as a conflict of interest, as Henry M. Morris was a chairman for both the ICR (Graduate School) and TRACS itself which would imply that TRACS completely disregarded its own standards to make the ICR Graduate School look legit. [2]

Standards for accreditation[edit]

TRACS publishes guides for Christian colleges and universities seeking accreditation.[1]:43 In order to be accredited by TRACS, candidate institutions are required to establish a "Biblical Foundations Statement" reflecting the institution's evangelical beliefs.[1]:iii TRACS claim to evaluate educational standards as well as "Christian values".

An interesting look into an unaccredited religious college's attempt to conform to TRACS policy is found in the policy manual for Kernel University in California,[3] which was granted candidate status with TRACS in 2017.

Accredited schools[edit]

Possession of a degree from a TRACS-accredited institution does not necessarily imply that the degree is worth something.[4] In 2014, four students from the Apex School of Theology sued the school for "misrepresentations, concealments and unfair and deceptive business practices with respect to its actual and implied accreditation status" because Apex possesses accreditation only from TRACS, and as such is not recognized anywhere as the equivalent of regional accreditation for professional licensure.[5] TRACS terminated Apex's accreditation on 25 March 2020.[6]

Their website lists over 90 accredited institutions, including notable fundie schools Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College.[7]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 TRACS Policies and Procedures manual tracs.org. Retrieved on 30 August 2019.
  2. Henry M. Morris, The ICR Graduates. Acts & Facts. 32 (9), 2003. Retrieved on 13 September 2015.
  3. Kernel University Policy Manual, December 2016.
  4. Jennifer Abel. Students beware: make sure your school has regional accreditation. consumeraffairs.com. 26 June 2014. Retrieved on 16 September 2015.
  5. Students Accuse Theology School of Deceit. courthousenews.com. 25 June 2014. Retrieved on 16 September 2015.
  6. Discontinued Institutions. tracs.org.
  7. TRACS Members. tracs.org.