Accreditation
St. Augustine's Seminary of Toronto which has been in existence since 1913, was incorporated in 1983 by an Act of the Provincial Legislature of Ontario to which royal assent was given on June 21st of that year. By virtue of this Act, St. Augustine's Seminary has the power to grant its own degrees in theology, including honourary degrees.
ST. AUGUSTINE'S AND THE DICASTERY FOR CULTURE AND EDUCATION, 1996
Since 1996, the Holy See authorized St. Augustine’s Seminary to confer the Academic degree, Pontifical Baccalaureate of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.), as an “autonomous Theological Institute.” The publication of the Veritatis Gaudium, governing Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties, required new status for the Seminary. In 2020, Thomas Cardinal Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto and the Chancellor of the Seminary, applied for a Ecclesiastical Status, sui iuris, and the Congregation for Catholic Education, now reconstituted as the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Roman Curia approved the petition in February 2022. The Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology at St. Augustine’s Seminary offers a Licentiate in Theology (S.T.L.) and Patristic Studies starting in September 2023.
ST. AUGUSTINE'S AND THE TORONTO SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY (T.S.T.)
St. Augustine's Seminary is a founding and charter member of the Toronto School of Theology (T.S.T.), a consortium of seven theological colleges and faculties providing both Masters and Doctoral Degree Programs, established in 1969.
The seven colleges are Knox (Presbyterian), Emmanuel (United Church), Trinity and Wycliffe (both Anglican), and the three Roman Catholic members: Regis, St. Michael's and St. Augustine's. Through the T.S.T., the member colleges co-operate effectively in sharing resources and facilities. A rich variety of resources from different theological traditions is made available to students in a manner that respects the identity and integrity of each tradition. Classes are held in the member colleges on the campus of the University of Toronto. The colleges share a common academic timetable and all members of the T.S.T. have access to the library facilities of the colleges and to those of the University of Toronto.
Due to their specific responsibility to the Roman Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic colleges co-operate in a special manner in the Theological Department (Systematics and Ethics) to ensure that course offerings in these areas fulfil the requirements established by the Holy See and the Canadian Bishops. Thus, students of St. Augustine's take courses offered in the Theological Department only in the Roman Catholic colleges while they may avail themselves of the rich array of offerings in the whole T.S.T. through the Biblical, Historical and Pastoral Departments.
ST. AUGUSTINE'S AND THE ASSOCIATION OF THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA [A.T.S.]
In 1980, St. Augustine's Seminary received full accredited membership in the Association of Theological Schools. St. Augustine's was the first diocesan Seminary in Canada to receive this recognition of its academic caliber and spiritual resources. In 2022, St. Augustine’s Seminary was reaccredited for a further 10 year period in 2022 after a successful accreditation visit.
St. Augustine's is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and the following degrees are approved: Master of Divinity [M.Div.], Master of Religious Education [M.R.E.] and Master of Theological Studies [M.T.S.]. St. Augustine's also has approval for a Comprehensive Distance Education Program.
The Commission contact information is:
The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275 USA
Telephone: 412-788-6505, Fax: 412-788-6510
Website: www.ats.edu
ST. AUGUSTINE'S AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
In 1978, the then federation of the Toronto School of Theology entered into an agreement with the University of Toronto in order to foster academic excellence and improve the resources available for theological education in Ontario. In the renewed agreements of July 1, 1983, July 1, 1989, July 1, 2001, July 1, 2004, July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2022, St. Augustine's Seminary, along with the other members of the consortium, agreed to grant degrees in theology conjointly with the University of Toronto.
