Theological Schools in the West Coast

[Bacchae]

Hey Folks,

I noticed that many people are competing to study at theological schools in the east coast (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Boston, Emory, etc.). What about schools in the west coast? Let us discuss them. What do you think about schools such as Claremont, Fuller, and GTU? I know that those schools have very strong programs, professors, and library. They also have produced great scholars in the past.

How do you rank these schools in the west? What schools are in your top priority? If someone wants to study systematic theology or bible (HB and NT) in the west coast, which school would you highly recommend?

Thanks.

[phoskaialetheia]

Hey Folks,

I noticed that many people are competing to study at theological schools in the east coast (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Boston, Emory, etc.). What about schools in the west coast? Let us discuss them. What do you think about schools such as Claremont, Fuller, and GTU? I know that those schools have very strong programs, professors, and library. They also have produced great scholars in the past.

How do you rank these schools in the west? What schools are in your top priority? If someone wants to study systematic theology or bible (HB and NT) in the west coast, which school would you highly recommend?

Thanks.

My program has a few faculty who fairly recently took PhD's from Claremont and GTU/Berkeley (I don't know anything about fuller). The two from Claremont are both NT, and are great scholars in their niches (Nag Hammadi, Oxyrhynchus, papyrology generally), but had some complaints about the program. Apparently Jim Robinson is kind of bitter and not so fun to work with for complicated reasons, MacDonald has some moments of brilliance with narrative in the NT, but hasn't been taken as seriously as he once was for a while, and the biggest complaint is of course Claremont's notoriously terrible funding. Neither professor got a red cent in funding and both went to the program because it was the place to do what they wanted to do. It's hard to fund your grad students when there isn't an undergrad population to foot the bill. That said, they have a pretty good placement record at schools on the west coast and mountain west, and have some very strong emphases. I don't know much about Claremont outside of NT/EC, but again, their papyrology/Oxyrhynchus/Nag Hammadi resources are impeccable. The GTU/Berkeley alumni I know are in HB and are pretty good, but both had some people on their committees who are now emeritus or retired, and some of the newer hires are somewhat unknown quantities for me. Some of what I hear is that Gruen was great for Second Temple stuff, but is emeritus, Boyarin has some great ideas, but can be difficult to work with, and while the combined Berkeley/GTU faculty are great, there are some administrative quirks that accompany interdisciplinary approaches (AHMA interdisciplinary faculty, a lot of Classics crossover, etc) common to the programs, let alone inter-institutional issues (don't know too much about straight GTU degrees). Again, the Berkeley/GTU program still has a good placement record in Universities in my region.

I have no idea how these programs fare in non-Bible specialties.

[Bacchae]

....and the biggest complaint is of course Claremont's notoriously terrible funding. Neither professor got a red cent in funding and both went to the program because it was the place to do what they wanted to do. It's hard to fund your grad students when there isn't an undergrad population to foot the bill....

I think Claremont School of Theology has a lot better funding now than CGU religion program. BTW, most of PhD programs at CGU have moved to CST.

Since 2009, every year they offer the University Scholars Award for incoming master level students (MA and MDiv) that covers full tuition, apartment, required books and living expenses, which you hardly find a comprehensive support like this (at master level) in the east coast. http://www.cst.edu/p...udents/TUSA.php

PhD students get either half or full tuition scholarship. Some PhD students at Claremont that I know get their additional financial support from teaching job as adjunct faculty at surrounding colleges (APU, Pomona College, etc.).

Edited February 5, 2011 by Bacchae

[phoskaialetheia]

I think Claremont School of Theology has a lot better funding now than CGU religion program. BTW, most of PhD programs at CGU have moved to CST.

Since 2009, every year they offer the University Scholars Award for incoming master level students (MA and MDiv) that covers full tuition, apartment, required books and living expenses, which you hardly find a comprehensive support like this (at master level) in the east coast. http://www.cst.edu/p...udents/TUSA.php

PhD students get either half or full tuition scholarship. Some PhD students at Claremont that I know get their additional financial support from teaching job as adjunct faculty at surrounding colleges (APU, Pomona College, etc.).

Indeed I was writing about CGU. I didn't realize you were referring to CST, but I had been wondering what had happened to the NT program at CGU. A shift to CST would explain a lot. It sounds like some of the issues that alumni had been facing are being addressed and hopefully resolved by such a move. And the MA/MDiv funding package sounds amazing. Thanks for apprising me to the change.

[Trin]

Because I'm a west coast person, I have professors who are also west coast, and attended Claremont and GTU. Many of them have the same pattern I am planning -- MTS or MDiv back east, followed by PhD out west. There's also UC Santa Barbara, which is respected for Religion out there. As far as your specific study interest, I can't speak to that, unfortunately. I'm a multi-religious/interfaith scholar, and my professors are in non-Christian scholarly traditions. What I can say is that GTU in particular has strong associations with what I'd call "progressive scholarship" -- it's a consortium of divinity schools, including the west coast Episcopal div school and the UU one, Starr King. They've just funded a new interfaith initiative. I'm not sure how well that fits in with your goals, though.