History

ACAS was originally incorporated in December 1994, as the Australian Centre for Cross-cultural Studies Inc, a not-for-profit organisation with income-tax-exempt charitable status. It gained Deductible Gift Recipient status in 2011. ACAS is a founding partner in Worldwide University, which is incorporated in the USA.

It was originally founded specifically to support students and related organisations in East Java. During the mid 1990s, it offered units toward a Master of Arts in Cross-cultural Studies through a consortium agreement.

In 1999, it became a Registered Training Organisation in Western Australia with its own accredited Graduate Diploma in Cross-cultural Studies.

In 2000, it changed its name, direction, and structure:

• It became the Australian Centre for Advanced Studies.
• It adopted a member college structure like that of the University of London.
• It broadened to include Christian liberal arts and courses for the general public.
• It spread its geographic scope more widely in Australia.

ACAS then grew rapidly. Its programs presently run at various locations across Australia, with more high schools also offering ACAS qualifications and various groups of distance education students with local tutorial support. Instead of being only a graduate school, it grew to offer many programs ranging down to the lower certificates. Although specific courses vary from year to year, ACAS has offered a wide variety of study areas:

Community services	Youth work Children's services Addiction recovery Volunteering Community services
Hospitality	Introductory restaurant and cafe skills Hospitality management
Intercultural studies	Intercultural studies Language teaching
Training and education	Training, education, and assessment Administration and management
Business and management	Business Frontline management Community services management Senior leadership management Quality auditing
Recreation	Outdoor education Recreation and sports
Performing arts	Music Sound technology and engineering Acting Event management Dance
Media	Film and television production Radio programming and announcing
Christian Studies	Theology and ministry Youth ministry Spirituality
Graduate studies	Research, mainly in intercultural studies Education and training Management Christian ministry and spiritual direction

 

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