Comments on: Please help me find reputable online theology degree options

Question: Please help me find reputable online theology degree options

michellenoel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:01:05 -0800

I am trying to find some reputable graduate schools that offer masters degrees in Christian theology which can be completed mostly or completely online.

This degree is for my own interest and not for professional advancement. I am finding it difficult to easily determine which schools offer their programs via distance education. I have found only one school other than the for-profits that has a page specifically for listing its online degrees.

Thank you in advance.

By: liketitanic

liketitanic — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:06:50 -0800

A number of the schools of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA offer online classes.

By: michellenoel

michellenoel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:17:01 -0800

Looks like their Master of Arts in Theology is not online. Thanks, though and I'll stop posting.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:18:21 -0800

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is quite reputable. The University of Dallas is highly reputable.

Do you have a specific religious perspective you'd prefer? Gordon-Conwell is Evangelical Protestant; University of Dallas is Roman Catholic.

By: mareli

mareli — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:19:54 -0800

Earlham School of Religion offers a lot of its courses online. There is an emphasis on Quakerism. You will probably find that most programs, especially online ones, focus on some particular denomination.

By: michellenoel

michellenoel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:21:54 -0800

I am Lutheran, but the M.A. at Concordia Theological Seminary is not online. Evangelical Protestant would be good. Thanks.

By: michellenoel

michellenoel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:25:10 -0800

Just called Gordon-Conwell. Only a third of their classes for the M.A. in theology may be done online. This is the problem I'm running into. I want a masters degree, not CEUs or just a handful of classes.

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:33:43 -0800

Holy Apostles College and Seminary, which has regional accreditation and a distance learning MA in Theology that can be completed entirely online. It is, however, from a conservative/orthodox Catholic perspective.

By: uncannyslacks

uncannyslacks — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:35:27 -0800

Reformed Theological Seminary. Reformed (Calvinistic), of course.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:36:34 -0800

Southwestern College? They're Methodist.

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:39:22 -0800

The difficulty you're running into is that the Association of Theological Schools which offers accreditation for theology programs requires that the programs be done half in residence and half online (as Regent University explains). So a completely online degree in theology can only be regionally accredited and not accredited by ATS.

Regent (which is conservative and Pentecostal) has some programs accredited by ATS and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and some accredited just by the latter.

Their list of programs is here.

(Also, are we correct in assuming that you are in the U.S.? The situation in some other countries is different.)

By: michellenoel

michellenoel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:49:22 -0800

Yes. I'm in the U.S.

By: biffa

biffa — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:51:00 -0800

St Andrews in the UK has a DL MLitt in Theology. A reputable institution in as much as Prince Andrew studied there. Please check your Memail also.

By: michellenoel

michellenoel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:51:37 -0800

Southwestern looks very promising. I have contacted them and I'll also review the list posted by Jahaza.

Thanks so much, everyone! Mefites rock.

By: biffa

biffa — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:09:17 -0800

Duh, Prince William that should be.

By: novalis_dt

novalis_dt — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:19:01 -0800

A friend of mine is doing something with Harvard Div School where she only has to show up in person like two weeks out of the year. Not really sure how that works, tho.

By: michellenoel

michellenoel — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:38:10 -0800

Thanks!