Boston Islamic Seminary is an Islamic institution of higher education authorized by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education to award the Master in Islamic Religious Leadership. BIS is committed to academic quality, institutional integrity, public transparency, and continuous improvement as it advances its institutional accreditation work.

On December 15, 2020, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education granted Boston Islamic Seminary authority to award its approved graduate degree. This action established BIS as a degree-granting institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, subject to applicable state regulations and conditions of authorization.

State authorization confirms the Seminary’s legal authority to award the approved degree. It is distinct from institutional accreditation, which is a separate process of external peer review conducted by a recognized accrediting organization.

View the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education action

Boston Islamic Seminary is advancing its institutional accreditation work with the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-based process that evaluates the institution as a whole, including its mission, governance, academic programs, faculty, student learning, student services, finances, planning, assessment, and institutional effectiveness.

Boston Islamic Seminary understands accreditation as part of a broader commitment to educational excellence, institutional accountability, and service to students and the public. The Seminary continues to strengthen:

•         academic governance and policy implementation;
•         curriculum review and program assessment;
•         student learning assessment and educational effectiveness;
•         faculty qualifications, development, and support;
•         academic advising and student services;
•         institutional planning and financial sustainability;
•         data-informed decision-making and public reporting;
•         complaints, grievances, and other student protections;
•         technology, library, and learning resources; and
•         institutional integrity, transparency, and continuous improvement.

This work supports BIS’s vision to shape the future of Muslim religious leadership and Islamic higher education in America and its mission to provide rigorous, holistic Islamic higher education that prepares exemplary, spiritually grounded, and professional Muslim leaders for compassionate service to communities and society.