| Degrees & Certificates
CDSP offers students a variety of degree programs and courses of study. In order to keep up with changes and advances in the Church and in theological education, faculty members continually review curricula and make changes as appropriate.
Overview
A theological curriculum reflects an understanding of the nature of theology in its historical and cultural contexts. The M.Div. program at CDSP is designed to address the special needs of professional ministry, both ordained and lay, in the Episcopal Church. The design and content of its curriculum provides:
- a thorough and integrated grounding in the Christian tradition;
- opportunities for learning the distinctive role of Anglicanism-socially, historically, and theologically;
- a clear focus on spiritual growth and discipline in the context of theological study;
- an awareness of different religious, theological, and cultural perspectives;
- integrative experience and study in all courses; and
- opportunities to honor differing needs, abilities, and cultural backgrounds of students;
- experience and practice in the skills of ministry, both on campus and at field education sites.
Grounding in the Christian Tradition
The curriculum reflects an understanding of theology that includes the following elements:
- The discipline of theology is seen as an integrated whole.
- For practical and pedagogical reasons, the curriculum is organized by fields of study.
- Courses seek to explain historical and cultural forces that shape Christian institutions and thought.
- Courses are directed to personal formation in the Christian faith as well as to its conceptual underpinning.
The length of the program is three years full time, but not more than six years part-time, including internship and leaves of absence. The curriculum includes requirements for specific minimum area coverage, which can often be met by successful completion of one of several courses. Courses below marked with an asterisk must be taken with CDSP faculty.
Course Requirements
| Anglicanism * (1 Course) |
| Biblical Studies (4 courses) |
1 Old Testament Introduction
1 New Testament Introduction
1 Biblical Language
1 Using Exegesis
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| History and Theology (4 courses) |
1 Early Church
1 Medieval and Reformation
1 Modern Church
1 Constructive Theology
|
| Ethics (1 course) |
| Liturgics (2 courses) |
1 Introduction to Worship
1 Liturgics *
|
| Pastoral Studies (3 courses) |
1 Pastoral Care *
1 Homiletics
1 Christian Education
|
| Issues in Ministry (1 course) |
| Field Education * (2 courses) |
| Electives (6 courses) |
| Intersession |
2 Electives, one in each of 2 separate January intersessions |
| Multicultural Experience |
Overview
The M.T.S. is a two-year program that provides solid academic grounding in theological disciplines but is not intended to prepare students for ordination. The hallmark of the M.T.S. is its flexibility. In practice, it has been utilized by international students who are already ordained and wish to further their theological education, and by those in a variety of fields who wish to gain a theological perspective on their vocations. The rich ecumenical resources of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) provide opportunity for study in many different areas.
The wide choice of electives and the possibility of specialization accommodate many interests and backgrounds. The overall goal of this program is to provide students with an opportunity to integrate their interests, and often their expertise in other fields, with a variety of theological disciplines.
Summary of Requirements
In the first year, M.T.S. students share basic courses in Bible, Church History, and Theology with M.Div. students. In the second year, M.T.S. students choose elective courses in a special area of interest and prepare a thesis or project. The degree requires that a total of 16 three-unit courses be completed.
Course Requirements
| Bible (2 courses) |
1 Old Testament
1 New Testament
|
| Theology (2 courses) |
1 Introduction to Theology
1 Ethics
|
| Church History (1 course) |
| Thesis/Project |
2 courses, the first for preliminary exploration of a topic, the second for writing and submitting the thesis |
| Electives (9 courses) |
| Total 16 courses |
Certificates of one, two, or three years of study may be given to non-degree students who have successfully completed the appropriate full academic years.
Overview
This one-year certificate program is designed for students who wish to participate in the academic, spiritual, and communal life of CDSP without earning a degree. For example, it is suitable for those who already possess the M.Div. or its equivalent from another seminary and who wish to pursue special study of the Anglican tradition. It might also be appropriate for persons seeking ordination under special canonical provisions of the Episcopal Church.
Summary of Requirements
Earning the C.A.S. requires one-year of full-time study or the part-time equivalent. While at CDSP, the student will work with a faculty advisor. The core of the program will be work in four basic areas of Anglican Studies: History, Theology and Ethics, Liturgics, and Pastoral Studies (including Homiletics).
Additional courses may be taken at other Graduate Theological Union (GTU) schools as well as at CDSP. A total of eight three-unit courses is required for the C.A.S. and will normally include at least one course in each of the core areas listed above.
Overview
CDSP's newest certificate program, the C.T.S., is designed for students who wish to pursue graduate theological education without earning a degree. The program is especially appropriate for those people who are seeking spiritual enrichment or who might be thinking about coming to seminary, but want to try out a few classes first. The C.T.S. may also be used as part of a diocesan program of ministry development, in which case CDSP would work closely with that diocese to formulate a curriculum that meets local needs. Students in the C.T.S. program have access to all resources and services provided by the seminary to its student body.
Summary of Requirements
A baccalaureate degree is required for admission to the C.T.S. and the certificate will be awarded upon completion of 24 units (equivalent to eight graduate-level courses.) There is no time limit in which to complete the program and there are no course distribution requirements, making the C.T.S. more flexible than any other CDSP degree or certificate program. Course selection reflecting the particular needs or interests of the student is made in consultation with a CDSP faculty advisor and may include Graduate Theological Union (GTU) courses, as well as those offered by CDSP. Students awarded the C.T.S. who wish to apply to a degree program at a later date may be granted credit for courses applicable to that degree.
Overview
CDSP offers the D.Min. in cluster with its neighboring seminary, the Pacific School of Religion. This program allows students to make the most of a sabbatical taken during the fall or spring semester, when faculty and other students at both schools are present to enrich that experience. Our program provides experienced church leaders with a structure that allows them to:
- reflect on special gifts and interests in ministry;
- identify critical issues in ministry and vocation;
- deepen understanding of one's ministry by placing it in a larger context through systematic, biblical, theological, historical, and pastoral study in the Graduate Theological Union (GTU);
- undertake a research project to explore interests and develop gifts in particular ministry settings; and
- broaden exposure to others' ministries by interacting with peers and faculty in a collegial setting.
Summary of Requirements
This program requires 24 units of coursework, the equivalent of a full academic year of work (eight three-unit courses). One semester of residence is required. The typical D.Min. is completed in three to four years with an outside limit of six years.
Degree Requirements
| Courses taken at CDSP/GTU: The Residence Requirement (12 units): |
- 1 semester (14 weeks) in residence of full-time study (4 three-unit courses). Commuting students may meet this requirement by extending their study over a one-year period, taking 2 courses a semester.
- 1 D.Min. Seminar, which counts for 1 of the 4 courses required above.
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| Other Requirements (12 units): |
- 2 more three-unit courses; one of these may be taken in another institution; the other may be taken at a distance, supervised by a CDSP/GTU faculty member.
- An integrative review, normally done after six courses have been completed, in which the student demonstrates the integration of coursework with ministry, and in which the student develops the research project proposal.
- 2 three-unit D.Min. Thesis courses, during which the research for the D.Min. project is carried out at the student's ministry site, and the thesis or report is written.
- Oral review with D.Min. committee members of the final thesis or project.
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Tuition for a program beginning during the 2006-2007academic year is $1,320 per 3-unit course for the required 8 courses.
The M.A. degree is granted jointly by CDSP and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). It prepares students to undertake doctoral studies, to teach religion at elementary through junior college levels, or to integrate a theological perspective into the practice of another profession. CDSP offers the M.A. in the following fields: Art and Religion; Biblical Studies; Christian Spirituality; Ethics and Social Theory/Religion and Society; History; Homiletics; Liturgical Studies; Religion and Psychology; Systematic and Philosophical Theology. The B.A. or its equivalent is a prerequisite for this degree and two years of residence are required.
Students may enroll in the M.Div. and M.A. programs concurrently. A separate admission process for each program is necessary, as is the completion of all requirements for each degree. Concurrent M.Div./M.A. programs can be completed in no less than four years.
Church Divinity School of the Pacific is accredited by the Western Associations of Schools and Colleges and by the Association of Theological Schools. |