Announcing 2021 Curriculum Revision

Major Curriculum Revision

The Faculty of Western Theological Seminary (WTS) has approved a major curriculum revision for 2021 that will affect incoming students to the Master of Divinity program. Returning students will have the option to switch to the new curriculum.

The revision includes a decrease in the number of required credits from 96 to 87 and will create parity between distance-learning (DL) and in-residence (IR) learners. The revision may also implicate some courses and the number of required credits in the Master of Arts (M.A.) and certificate programs. The faculty is confident these changes will improve learning outcomes, while decreasing the overall workload and financial burden for our students. 

The new curriculum ensures that classes build upon each other to meet educational and formational goals of the seminary. While keeping the heart and intention of “the Abbey” (WTS’s keystone formation for ministry course sequence) as a distinctive of Western, the new curriculum will weave some parts of the Abbey into other courses, while offering stand-alone credits for peer groups, ministry internships, and the fall first-year retreat. These offerings will now also be available to M.A. students. 

The faculty has also re-committed to including in their syllabi a range of racially and ethnically diverse authors and voices that represent the global church. An intentional sequencing of courses will build on themes around cultural engagement, racial and ethnic diversity, and world Christianity throughout the program. In particular, the new “Foundations of the Christian Life” course will provide a biblical and theological framework for understanding and embracing racial and ethnic diversity, engaging contemporary realities related to cultural and political polarization, and introducing students to the realities of racism within the US context, including in churches and in ourselves.

Other enhancements:

• • With WTS’ commitment to integrate formational objectives into the heart of the classroom, the faculty have created a new course and refined existing courses into an intentional course sequence. The new course, entitled, “Foundations of the Christian Life,” invites students to consider God’s story, our own stories, and cultural narratives. Building on that introductory course, students will take “Christian Interior Life”, “Christian Life and Mission”, and “Christian Life and Ethics.”  
  • The biblical field requirements have increased and faculty have added a new course to help increase biblical literacy. Core requirements for M.Div students will now include Old Testament Foundations, New Testament Foundations, an upper level Old Testament elective course with an exegetical focus, an upper level New Testament course with an exegetical focus, and a capstone biblical course with a focus on hermeneutics.
  • Students will be required to take one year of Biblical languages, either Hebrew or Greek, with the option to take the second language using elective credits.
  • Students seeking ordination in denominations with additional requirements will have the flexibility to use elective credits to take courses that will help them meet those requirements. 
  • M.Div. students have the opportunity to complete the Graduate Certificate in Disability and Ministry as a concentration.
  • Students will fulfill their internship requirement beginning in year two, followed by either a second full year OR a summer internship for a total of 6 credits. Students with previous ministry experience can apply for advanced standing to waive 3 credits of this requirement. 
  • The new curriculum will no longer offer January-term courses. 
  • The intercultural immersion trip will be offered as a more robust summer course.