Hey friends! Hopefully this will be helpful:
I am a recent graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School. It was a fabulous experience, and I thoroughly recommend it to both of you.
First of all: the MTS degree is basically a light version of the MDiv degree. The advantage to the MTS degree is the few extra elective courses you can take. You will have the opportunity to switch if you choose. Many of my colleagues switched from the MTS to MDiv degree after their second year. I see that you're looking at PhD programs. This is from first hand experience: those who receive the MDiv degree at Vanderbilt are much more likely to be accepted at their top choice over the MTS and MA programs. If you treat the MDiv like an academic degree (opt out of courses you have already taken, enter with languages, and take courses that fall within your PhD interest), which it is, then you will have no problem being admitted to the PhD program of your choice. I can't say the same about the MTS degree. Some have been successful, but it does not seem like many make it through the application process on their first round.
Also, while Vanderbilt does accept their own MDiv, MTS, and MA students into their PhD program, it is pretty rare. A few years ago a lot of internal candidates were accepted into the PhD program, but in recent years this does not seem to be the case at all.
Vanderbilt has biblical language courses, but apart from Hebrew and Greek, none are offered regularly.
On Biblical Studies: the Hebrew Bible department is excellent: the faculty are experts in their fields and communicate well with one another. The New Testament program is another story. While they are all excellent scholars, there is no communication between a couple of them. Don't take sides and you'll be fine. wagnern: send me a personal message, if you would like, and I can connect you with one of my VDS classmates who is now in a biblical studies PhD program.
Auditing courses is free, but there is a $10 fee if you want it to appear on your transcript. Don't audit a course and subsequently not show up for half the classes. Some professors have specific requirements for auditing their courses, so make sure you talk about it with them first.
Yes, the div building is definitely so-so, but you're not going there for the building. The people inside that building are what matter the most.
On buildings: the library is currently being renovated, and the div library was renovated back in 2006.
Nashville is a great, small city. You'll adapt easily and quickly to the city life. The culture takes a little getting used to, especially if you're a female (southern men are probably the most self-entitled, narcissistic in the nation).
Please feel free to send me a personal message if you have more questions, or are looking for moving tips. I'd be happy to try to answer them for you.
