Changes

Pensacola Christian College is not accredited by any seeking accreditation body recognized by its country. According to the US Department of Education, unaccredited degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use as of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions2 March 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edpcci.govedu/studentsnewsevents/prep/college/diplomamills2011/accreditationtracsannouncement.html|title=Educational accreditation|publisher=US Department of Education}}</ref> ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' reported:<ref name="bartlett">[http://chronicleCollege founder Dr.com/free/v52/i29/29a04001Arlin Horton announced the move during a chapel service.htm Bartlett, Thomas (2006). "A College ThatIt is also posted on the school's Strictly Different,]" ''website. Horton expects the process to take three years.The Chronicle move reverses a long-standing position of Higher Education''.</ref>As eschewing any sort of March 2, 2011 PCC announced that it has made application for accreditation through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.

As PCC is not accredited, PCC graduates may have difficulty pursuing a graduate degree or getting employment where an accredited degree is required.<ref>[http://www.bakersguide.com/kb/Are_All_Unaccredited_Schools_Bad?/ Are All Unaccredited Schools Bad?] ''Baker's Guide to Christian Distance Education''</ref> This is not due to a lack of accreditation bodies, as there are at least three bodies recognized by the United States Department of Education that accredit religious colleges. All students at PCC are required to sign a statement that they understand that "Pensacola Christian College has never made application for regional accreditation because the College believes it could jeopardize the College's philosophical distinctive. It is the practice of Pensacola Christian College, and other colleges and universities, to accept or reject credits based on their own institutional criteria regardless of whether or not that particular school transferring credit is accredited."{{fact}}  ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' found that many Christian colleges and some secular institutions accept Pensacola's credits.<ref name="bartlett" /> Several former students told the ''Chronicle'' that they had had no difficulty transferring credits or applying for jobs. However, some former PCC students interviewed by ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' on their experiences with using their PCC degrees and transferring PCC credits to other institutions reported serious problems:<ref name="bartlett" /> {{cquote|<nowiki>[Abel Harding]</nowiki> applied to the University of Florida and was told that none of his credits would transfer. "I had to start over," he says. So, after three years at Pensacola, he enrolled as a freshman at nearby Santa Fe Community College}}{{cquote|<nowiki>[Amy Brown]</nowiki> graduated from Pensacola in 2003 with a degree in early-childhood education. But because the college is not accredited, she cannot teach in public schools.}} {{cquote|<nowiki>[2002 MA Graduate]</nowiki> applied to teach English overseas and was accepted. However, a month before he was set to leave, the Hong Kong government told him his degree meant virtually nothing. "I had to enroll at Liberty University which is one of the few schools that will accept PCC's undergrad credits. I had to get another master's degree in education because PCC is not accredited. The Hong Kong government along with Florida education officials concurred that my degrees were worthless. They viewed me as someone who had a high school education." PCC Education majors are informed their freshman year that the degree which they will earn is geared toward teaching in Christian schools, in particular Christian schools that use the [[A Beka Book]] curriculum.{{fact}} Education majors are also informed that because most states require their teachers to be state certified in order to teach, they would not be able to teach in a public school in their home state following graduation simply with a PCC Education degree.{{fact}} It is generally accepted that it is difficult to become state certified if the applicant's undergraduate degree is unaccredited. In the summer 2007 issue of the PCC Update, a quarterly magazine published by PCC containing PCC announcements and reviews, PCC President Dr. Arlin Horton stated in a column:<ref>Summer 2007 issue, PCC Update</ref> <blockquote>"...the success of our graduates demonstrates PCC's excellent quality of education. Their credits have been accepted by over 700 colleges and universities, including over 375 accredited graduate schools, 72 medical schools and 66 law schools.  This reputation for excellence is also based on each student's academic achievement as he [or she] seeks to transfer to other institutions or admission to graduate schools. PCC graduates further demonstrate academic excellence by being accepted to and successfully studying at some of he most prestigious accredited Graduate schools in America."</blockquote> Although PCC currently lacks institutional accreditation, its nursing program is certified by the Florida State Board of Nursing.<ref>[http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/nursing/lst_trainingprograms.pdf ''Florida Board of Nursing'' Nursing Programs June 2006]</ref>