Thulcandran

I agree with @xypathos about seminary experience- if you don't get your cage rattled, you're doing it wrong. I think seminaries will often tell you in coded terms what they are really about just via their websites. A quick search shows that TEDS is 'entrusted with the gospel...the world desperately needs the gospel and a boldly evangelical training ground." (from the front page of their website.) On a different note, Princeton Seminary 'provides a residential community of worship and learning where a sense of calling is tested and defined, where Scripture and the Christian tradition are appropriated critically, where faith and intellect mature [it goes on]..." (from the about section of their website.) You can determine a lot about a place just by reading between the lines. (Those are just the first two schools that came to mind.) For whatever it's worth, I came from an evangelical background and went to a mainline seminary, and it was often hard. My faith changed a lot, but I think it was for the better. In that process, I moved from the evangelical church to a pretty progressive mainline church, for a bunch of reasons. I'm really thankful for the experience and wouldn't change it if I could. I look back on my Mdiv with a ton on fondness. I agree again with xypathos that a big part of that experience (for me) was learning to think better and more deeply. However, I do remember something very vividly from orientation- a student counselor remarked to our group that the thing students tended to struggle with most was going home and feeling different from their original faith context- in other words, that their faith had changed and that felt really hard. I think that rings true and people should be frank about that to potential applicants. A sibling of mine went to an evangelical seminary and we've often enjoyed comparing notes on our experiences. He has said that his school was pretty up front about trying to train mostly pastors- the classes were very laid out, the framing in most classes was about future congregational ministry, etc. My school was not like that at all- languages not required, lots of people there trying to do academic theology, people interested in doing all sorts of stuff after graduation. I think one way to think about finding the right environment for you depends not only on your theological framework but also how much structure you think you'll need to succeed in a Mdiv. Is it helpful to have mostly laid out, with a large majority of people studying toward the same goals? Or being in a space with a variety of traditions, perspectives, and outcomes? Knowing what you need to succeed pedagogically (along with theology) might go a long way toward helping you find your right environment.

The above commenter is correct. It's a question of funding (more evangelicals floating around at your mentioned schools than you would think). It is a question of funding. You just need to do some digging around on school websites and email their admissions folks. Funding for this program varies widely across schools. YDS currently has really strong funding for their STM (as of last year, they offer full or close-to-full funding for virtually all accepted master's students), whereas HDS offers no funding except loans for their ThM. I can't speak for Duke or Princeton these days- last I heard (spring 2020), Princeton was offering no funding except loans for the ThM. Maybe they don't have the same cachet, but if you're interested in other non-evangelical schools with strong financial support, I believe Boston U and Boston College both offer full funding for the STM/ThM, though there is the question of what sort of culture fit you're looking for.

Hi All, I did an MDiv a few years ago before going into parish ministry. Like many others, I went to seminary thinking about a PhD and got told immediately not to do it, because of the job market. I'm happy in parish ministry and am in the ordination process. I expect this will be my long-term vocational home. However, I still have the academic itch, and have been thinking about doing an STM/ThM if it's convenient and doesn't require loans....both for fun but also to explore some specific academic questions I still have, which I actually think would help the work that I'm doing now in the parish. I recognize that this idea runs counter to all of the advice you normally see on these boards (doing an STM at a school where you have no prior history, doing master's degrees that aren't absolutely necessary, etc.). However, I recently got accepted with full funding to Boston U, which is very close to where I already live and work. I'm wondering if people here have any insight on the culture there? It seems to be a much different place than where I did my MDiv (Princeton Sem) and I'm a bit uncertain whether it's worth pursuing further. Any info or insight people have on BU would be welcome.

Hi! I did my MDiv at Princeton. I came from a conservative evangelical background, and while I had applied to schools hoping to have a different experience, I was still nervous, having been told a lot that PTS was essentially a godless bastion of liberalism. I was showing up right around the time they had the big Tim Keller incident, which didn't help their reputation in the circles I was coming from. My experience was that PTS really does have all sorts of people- you would probably be able to find lots of people with similar life experiences and perspectives. For me, that was one of the richest parts. I got to learn about all sorts of Christian traditions that I had no experience in. Culturally, the leadership is very mainline-y. (Not a knock- I'm a minister in a mainline church now!). To me, chapel services usually felt like being at PCUSA services. The faculty is diverse in many ways, but I think theological conservatism is probably not one of the facets of diversity expressed there (in the faculty- lots of conservative-ish students), if that's a concern. As the above commentor mentioned- there are lots of incredible profs there who care a lot about the Bible and the church. I learned a ton and ultimately grew in my faith, though that process was often painful. I enjoyed it hugely. My brother did an MDiv at GC and we would often compare notes. I think you're right on about GC's priorities. They are an evangelical school that cares about training pastors and emphasize Bible and language classes for MDiv students. At PTS, you'll find people exploring a lot of different career trajectories. Languages weren't required there either. My sense is that it's really a question of what sort of setting you want to be in. (Other than resources- PTS just simply has a lot more resources than GC. Better funding, an incredible library, plus access to all Princeton U stuff.) If you have specific questions, DM me and I'd be happy to speak further. One other thing to mention about PTS- it is an interesting moment there, since President Barnes has just retired and Dean Lapsley just announced she is taking the presidency at Union Seminary VA. I'd imagine that almost by default the culture there will evolve a bit in the days to come, in ways no one can quite predict yet.

Hi there- I applied this cycle. Don't know acceptance rates, but I visited and spent some time with the admissions director there. He told me it's the smallest program they offer (they typically take 6-10 STM students per year). The funding is quite good though- as of this year, 97% of students receive full tuition offers (according to their office). I believe first level master's students, like Mdiv, MAR, etc., may receive stipends on top of the tuition offer, but STM student aid is limited to tuition.