ANDERSON – The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-COC), the regional accrediting body for colleges and universities in The South, has granted Anderson University status as a “Level V” institution, opening the door to doctoral programs at AU. The vote came during the Commission’s Board of Trustees meeting Thursday in Charlotte.

Anderson was previously approved as a Level III master’s degree granting institution.

Anderson will initiate its first doctoral program this fall with a new Doctor of Ministry degree. The University will consider other programs as a part of its annual update to its strategic plan called Vision 2014.

The announcement comes during a period of rapid program and enrollment expansion at Anderson, which announced its first graduate degree program in 2005 and now has substantial graduate programs in Business, Education, Ministry, Criminal Justice and a recently announced program in Music Education. Since 2002, the University’s enrollment has grown 56 percent, from 1,600 to over 2,500 in eight years, of which approximately 200 are graduate students.

“We are delighted that the Commission on Colleges has approved our application for Level V status. The Commission rightly has rigorous standards and I am pleased to be able to say that we have met them,” said Dr. Evans P. Whitaker, Anderson University president.

“Our initial program will give us the opportunity to establish a solid foundation for doctoral level work. The University’s motivation for level change is to serve our students and the region by adding doctoral studies to our degree offerings. It is probable that we will seek to develop additional doctoral programs that make sense for a comprehensive university. As a faith-based institution, ministry is a symbolic place for us to begin, but in time and in response to needs, we are open to considering doctoral programs in other professional disciplines,” Whitaker added.

Anderson University is a comprehensive university affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention offering bachelors and masters degrees. Anderson is ranked in the Top Tier (top 21) of colleges and universities in the South, and one of 68 “Up and Coming” schools to watch in America,” by U. S. News & World Report. It is the #1 “Up and Coming” school in The South according to that publication. Anderson has also been named one of “Americas 100 Best College Buys,” Located in The Upstate region of South Carolina near the foothills of the Appalachians, Anderson University features a rigorous education in a supportive Christian environment.