Hybrid Degree Programs

What programs does CDSP offer?

In January 2023, CDSP announced the transition to a fully hybrid education model, beginning with the class entering in summer 2025. The model builds on a decade of experience offering rigorous, community-oriented degree and certificate programs to students for whom the three-year, full-time residential model of seminary education is inaccessible or inappropriate.

Both the Hybrid MDiv and Hybrid CAS programs incorporate

• facilitated, interactive online courses during the spring and fall academic semesters;
• twice-yearly onsite intensives in Berkeley featuring worship, fellowship, and in-person courses; and
• (coming soon) long-weekend practical sessions at Trinity Church, Wall Street, in New York City.

In consultation with CDSP leadership and students’ bishops or appointed diocesan representatives, MDiv students qualify for a funded, two-year, post-graduation curacy in their diocese, in addition to the full-tuition Trinity-CDSP Scholarship for Ordained Leadership during their studies.

The goal of both programs is to support the theological formation of students prepared to lead faith communities in the Episcopal Church that make a local impact in their neighborhood or geographic regions.

Master of Divinity (MDiv)

CDSP’s MDiv program offers rigorous academic and spiritual formation for people who will, in a time of religious and cultural pluralism, lead the church in participating in God’s mission, forming Christian disciples, and proclaiming the Gospel. At CDSP, students prepare for ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church with a core program of study that addresses the needs and concerns of the world and the Church from Episcopal perspectives. Students take courses covering the six canonically required areas of study for ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church, as well as the core ministry leadership skills of contextual awareness, critical reflection, and public conversation.

Requirements and Structure

• Four-year program
• Onsite intensives each year
• Six semesters of online coursework
• Regular advising, worship, and spiritual formation
• Field education in your local context

Certificate of Anglican Studies (CAS)

The Certificate of Anglican Studies is designed for a variety of students who wish to participate in the academic, spiritual, and communal life of CDSP without earning a degree. For instance, it is suitable for those who already possess an MDiv or the equivalent from another seminary and who wish to pursue special study of the Anglican tradition. It might also be appropriate for persons seeking ordination under special canonical provisions of the Episcopal Church.

Requirements and Structure

• Two-year program
• Onsite intensives each year
• Regular advising, worship, and spiritual formation
• 24 total credit hours

Other Programs for Lay & Ordained Leaders

Our Center for Anglican Learning and Leadership (CALL) offers a robust slate of online courses for continuing education credit. Many classes are designed in partnership with dioceses that incorporate them into local leadership formation programs.

• Registration is open to anyone, lay or ordained, of any denomination or none.
• Courses are taught by experienced online instructors—many of them seminary professors.
• Each course is seven weeks long, each week a separate lesson.
• Continuing Education Units are offered at the rate of 2 CEUs per course.

No CDSP application is necessary to register for CALL courses.

How do I get started?

• Contact recruitment director Michael Barham to indicate your interest:
  • fill out our interest form; or
  • email admissions@cdsp.edu; or
  • call 510-204-0738.
• Register for an info session
  • Wednesday, October 4, 2023 | 4–5:30 pm Pacific Time
  • Saturday, November 4, 2023 | 9–10:30 am Pacific Time
  • Monday, January 22, 2024 | 4–5:30 pm Pacific Time
• Apply by the appropriate deadline for your circumstances
  • For priority consideration (MDiv only): December 1, 2023
  • Final deadline (MDiv and CAS): February 1, 2024