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7 October 2022Australian College of Theology becomes a University College
7 October 2022
Australian College of Theology becomes a University College
The Australian College of Theology (ACT) has been registered as a University College by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). TEQSA has stated that registration as a University College is granted only to institutions that deliver superior-quality higher education.
“University College status is welcome recognition for ACT and its affiliated colleges” said Professor Roger Lewis, the Chair of the ACT Board of Directors. “This endorsement acknowledges the outstanding teaching and scholarship of college lecturers and the maturity of our governance and management,” he said.
In a letter to ACT in 2021, TEQSA noted a number of the college’s strengths including its strong Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching survey results and strong engagement with community, employers and industry across its affiliate colleges.
In 2021 ACT had approximately 3,000 students studying theology, ministry and Christian studies across a network of 16 Australian affiliated colleges. For the fifth year in a row ACT was first in the country in the Student Experience Survey for quality of entire educational experience for undergraduate and postgraduate students for institutions with over 1,000 students. The ACT’s score was higher than every Australian university.
“We are pleased to see TEQSA recognise the superior quality of higher education offered by ACT,” said Professor James Dalziel, Dean and CEO. “The ACT also conducts excellent research, and it looks forward to providing TEQSA with additional evidence about ACT’s research in the near future,” he added.
In 2021 three religious studies experts rated ACT’s research at world standard. The ACT has over 80 doctoral students currently and has already awarded 176 doctorates. The ACT has a strong cohort of lecturers publishing at the highest level in the fields of theology and religious studies.
In addition to becoming a University College in 2022, this year has seen a major change to ACT’s constitution, resulting in a much wider range of stakeholders becoming members of ACT Ltd. The ACT was formed by the Anglican Church in 1891, which from 2022 onwards remains an important stakeholder of ACT, but is no longer the controlling entity.
The ACT provides 37 accredited courses ranging from Undergraduate Certificate to Doctoral programs. It has graduated over 23,000 students. It was granted self-accrediting authority in 2010.
The ACT will retain its current name and add “An Australian University College” below that name where appropriate.
Contact:
Professor James Dalziel
ceo@actheology.edu.au