ThM with Funding?

[seung]

It looks like I'm out of this round of PhD Applications. I'm still waitlisted at 3 schools, but I probably shouldn't be counting on getting in and start making other plans.  I was wondering, does anyone know of any ThM/STM programs that offer funding? I know YDS does, but it seems the deadline has passed (which is strange, given that most of these programs put their deadline right at April 15th).

[xypathos]

Western Theological Seminary accepts four(?) funded ThM students a year though they classify fully funded as "some combination of tuition, housing, insurance, books, and stipend" so there's no real way to ascertain if you'll be one of the four, or if you'll get funding.

WTS: http://www.westernsem.edu/academics/degrees/master-theology-degree/

That's the only program I know.

Also consider that next to none of these professors you'll be able to use as a recommendation. Technically yes but you won't even have one course with them and by the time it comes to apply, Fall grades may not have even posted yet. Unfortunately it really pays off to go to an established ThM program and most of them know this and offer little to no funding.

Edited March 4, 2017 by xypathos

[inprogress]

I've heard that Brite Divinity School offers funding for ThM students. I believe someone on here got 70% tuition remission a while back.¹ Also, if you're an evangelical, I believe Trinity School for Ministry (Ambrose, PA) offers tuition remission (66-100%) to most of the student body.² One of their admission reps posted about it here last year. Candler mentions funding on their financial aid page, but it's only available to their own alumni (MTS and MDiv grads).³ St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary offers funding to ThM students, but you have to match a certain profile.⁴ Also, I know nothing about this seminary and it looks really conservative, but they mention scholarships for ThM students.⁵ It also looks like Boston College might offer some aid.⁶ I don't know if any of these schools would be a good fit for you (or if their application deadlines have passed), but these are the few that I'm aware of. 

¹https://www.brite.edu/admissions/financial-aid/

²http://www.tsm.edu/scholarships/

³http://candler.emory.edu/admissions/financial-aid/scholarships.html

⁴http://www.svots.edu/content/types-financial-aid

⁵https://prts.edu/academics-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/

⁶http://www.bc.edu/schools/stm/admissions/funding.html

Edited March 6, 2017 by inprogress
Added content

[NT PhD ... Hopefully]

The rep from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School told me their ThM offers funding. 

[Epaphroditus]

On 3/3/2017 at 5:22 PM, seung said:

It looks like I'm out of this round of PhD Applications. I'm still waitlisted at 3 schools, but I probably shouldn't be counting on getting in and start making other plans.  I was wondering, does anyone know of any ThM/STM programs that offer funding? I know YDS does, but it seems the deadline has passed (which is strange, given that most of these programs put their deadline right at April 15th).

Not sure about YDS's deadline, but keep in mind that YDS offers only 50% tuition coverage for the STM. The tuition cost then just matches a place like PTSem where no funding is offered.

[inprogress]

17 hours ago, NT PhD ... Hopefully said:

The rep from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School told me their ThM offers funding. 

Come to think of it, I think I heard that Fuller offers some funding for their ThM as well. The tuition starts at like $20,000/yr though, so it would have to be fairly significant to make it an affordable option after one factors in the cost of living in Pasadena. 

[NT PhD ... Hopefully]

2 minutes ago, inprogress said:

Come to think of it, I think I heard that Fuller offers some funding for their ThM as well. The tuition starts at like $20,000/yr though, so it would have to be fairly significant to make it an affordable option after one factors in the cost of living in Pasadena. 

Right. 

[Calvin S]

What about what are the best ThMs? I'm more concerned with whether I will have wasted my money and time. 

Edited March 6, 2017 by Calvin S

[Body Politics]

A ThM from one of the top tier schools at which you'd be absolutely bowled over to attend for a PhD is good. ThMs from other schools range from fine to waste of money. 

Edited March 6, 2017 by Body Politics

[inprogress]

On 3/6/2017 at 5:10 PM, Calvin S said:

What about what are the best ThMs? I'm more concerned with whether I will have wasted my money and time. 

The best ThMs come from the best schools - HDS, PTS, YDS, DDS, Candler, etc. You will have to pay for them, but they will do you the most good in terms of getting into a PhD program. If you're an evangelical, the other programs may not be a waste of time (they can increase your breadth and help with networking), but they won't do you as much good as the top Div schools. 

[drivingthoughts]

Just and FYI from my experience - I went to WTS' fully-funded ThM. Had a great time and learned a lot, but be advised:

• It's a ton of work to get a ThM done in 1 year.
• The schools that let me in for my PhD (I'm in a legit & fully funded program now) told me that my ThM didn't matter, it was my completed M.Div. that got me in.

Worth a thought --> you might be just as well off lecturing somewhere for a year and saving money, making connections, frequently visiting the schools you want to go to (helped in my case), and getting your name out there. 

Just my 2 cents, YMMV.

[MarthUser]

BC and BU give some funding assistance for ThM/STM programs (I believe it's 40%). Gordon-Conwell (if you're open to an evangelical seminary) has a couple of funding options like their partnership program.

For PhD prospects, looking at BC or BU will definitely give you a leg up over the seminaries. Furthermore, if you're in Boston, you also have an opportunity to take classes across schools that participate in the Boston Theological Institute program (Harvard is included), so say you're enrolled at BC, you're also able to take classes at BU and HDS for credit.