Nazarene Theological Seminary

 Nazarene Theological Seminary’s Master of Divinity Degree
to be Offered on Campuses of MVNU and SNU

Nazarene Theological Seminary is pleased to announce a new partnership agreement with Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) and Southern Nazarene University (SNU) that will provide the opportunity for students to earn a NTS Master of Divinity Degree on the MVNU and SNU campuses.  This Multi-Campus Seminary Initiative will begin Fall 2010.  The agreements are subject to the ratification of the respective governing boards and approval of NTS’ accrediting agency (Association of Theological Schools). 

“The NTS Multi-Campus Seminary is being created in direct response to the need to make quality graduate theological education in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition more accessible to ministers across the country,” shared NTS President Dr. Ron Benefiel.  “It will also enable NTS and partner schools to more effectively utilize the combined resources of Nazarene educational institutions to prepare men and women for ministry.” 

Ministers enrolled in the NTS Multi-Campus M.Div. Degree Program will be able to earn the 76 required credit hours via several different class formats: 
• Intensives:  2 NTS courses will be offered on each of the participating campuses each semester, one taught by a professor from the Seminary’s Kansas City campus, and usually the other by a professor from the host campus. 
• Online:  An increasing number of NTS courses are offered online each semester. 
• Video-Conferencing:  NTS is investigating this format which would offer students the option of real time classroom participation from a remote location.  
• Transfer Credits:  Up to 30 credit hours may be transferred in from another program.

According to Dr. Henry Spaulding, MVNU Provost and Chief Academic Officer, “The Multi-Campus Seminary initiative is an important step in recognizing the fact that theological education has changed.  This program will allow students greater flexibility in their theological education, and is important to MVNU because it signals an important partnership between the School of Theology and Philosophy and Nazarene Theological Seminary.  This new program will also allow both institutions to benefit from their combined resources.  There is excitement on our region about bringing the NTS Master of Divinity to Ohio and thereby enhancing the quality of ministerial preparation.”

Dr. Hal Cauthron, Chair of the School of Theology and Ministry at SNU, shared that he was pleased that NTS and SNU are partnering to offer the NTS Master of Divinity Degree on SNU’s campus.  “We see this as an additional opportunity to serve ministers and ministry candidates on the USA South Central Region,” said Cauthron.  “We have worked in other ways, over the years, to make ministry preparation and enhancement available to our regional church constituency through continuing education. This collaborative program will make the NTS M.Div. Degree a possibility for ministers who have been hindered in acquiring additional expertise and skills for ministry.”

In addition to MVNU and SNU, Eastern Nazarene College has also expressed interest in the Multi-Campus Seminary and is working on the possibility of beginning participation in the Fall 2011 Semester.  The proximity of the MidAmerica Nazarene University campus to that of NTS makes it unnecessary for MNU to enter into the formal multi-campus agreement; however, MNU and NTS already collaborate on an M.Div./MA in Counseling Dual Degree and are investigating further collaborative arrangements.  Conversations with Point Loma Nazarene University and Nazarene Bible College, as well as other Nazarene Universities, are also in progress. 
To learn more about enrolling in the NTS Master of Divinity Degree Program through the Multi-Campus Seminary Initiative, contact the NTS Office of Admissions at 800.831.3011, ext. 5452 or at enroll@nts.edu.