CDSP Offers New Degree Options
Low-residence Master of Divinity, online Master of Theological Studies in 2014
BERKELEY—Church Divinity School of the Pacific, the only Episcopal Church seminary west of the Rocky Mountains, will offer the master of divinity (MDiv) in a low-residence format and the master of theological studies (MTS) and certificate of theological studies (CTS) online. The new programs will begin in the fall of 2014.
Students in the low-residence MDiv program will study online during the fall and spring semesters and visit Berkeley each January and June for intensive academic work and Christian formation programs. The low-residence MDiv can be completed in as few as four years or as many as six years. CDSP will also continue to offer both degrees and the certificate in their existing on-campus format.
“Here at CDSP, we are committed to developing new ways to train ordained leaders for the 21st century church,” said the Very Rev. Mark Richardson, president and dean of CDSP. “To stand the test of time, those new ways need to be grounded in sustaining spiritual practices and Christian community. Our new low-residence MDiv program strikes just the right balance.”
Richardson emphasized that whether online or on campus, low-residence students will benefit from the ecumenical and interfaith environment of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). “Students at CDSP are challenged and enriched by GTU students and faculty from other Christian traditions and other faiths,” he said. “The new low-residence MDiv will prepare students who are thoroughly Episcopal in identity and thoroughly comfortable in a multicultural world. We’re preparing students for hands-on ministry in today’s church.”
“Bivocational leaders help the church relate to the contemporary world and the lives of the Christians who live in it,” said the Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers, CDSP’s academic dean. “Our new online MTS and CTS provide students with the opportunity to integrate into theological study their interests and expertise in other fields.”
The online MTS will require two to four years of study. The first year of the MTS includes core courses in the Bible, church history and theology, while the second year includes many electives, allowing students to tailor the degree to fit their career goals, backgrounds and interests.
“The diversity of students in this program will make MTS online learning groups lively and stimulating ways to prepare for lay ministry or to pursue further theological education,” said Meyers.
Learn more about CDSP’s new low-residence MDiv and online MTS and CTS online, or talk with Dianne Smith, director of enrollment services, at 510-204-0715 or dsmith@cdsp.edu.
Church Divinity School of the Pacific, a seminary of the Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, educates students in an ecumenical and interreligious context to develop leaders who can proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world through traditional and emerging ministries. Learn more at www.cdsp.edu.
