The School of Theology is committed to forming lay and ordained leaders for the Episcopal Church and the world.
The School of Theology offers a number of programs to meet the needs of a variety of people. As an Episcopal seminary, our main focus is the formation and education of clergy and laity. We also provide options for those who want in-depth study of theology and advanced study for both clergy and scholars.
The Master of Divinity curriculum is designed to form devout, learned, and useful leaders for the Episcopal Church. To this end, the curriculum includes study of Scripture, the Christian tradition, ministerial skills, and modern cultural contexts, with a view to the reasoned practice of the ministry of Word and Sacrament in both its historical context and its contemporary setting.
The Master of Arts program is designed as a general academic degree for people who wish to begin graduate study of theological disciplines in a church-related setting. It involves a two-year course of study, following either a general program or pursuing a concentration in a particular discipline.
The Diploma of Anglican Studies program is designed primarily for those who already have a divinity degree and have transferred from the ministry of other communions to ministry in the Episcopal Church. Students are introduced to the Anglican ethos through the study of the common heritage and present identity of churches comprising the Anglican Communion, the development of Anglicanism, Anglican theology, history, spirituality, liturgy, preaching, and polity.
The Master of Sacred Theology degree provides the opportunity to gain further mastery in a chosen area of theological study. This program is intended for those who already have a graduate theological degree and may wish to prepare for study at the doctoral level or for various forms of teaching, to enhance their scholarly understanding of ministerial practice, or to engage in disciplined reflection in an area of ministry.
The Certificate of Ministerial Studies offers additional education and theological training for ordained clergy who were formed in a local environment, and who seek to enhance their professional and spiritual formation. The certificate emphasizes coursework in liturgy, homiletics, and parish administration. This program does not require an M.Div., and is offered in a hybrid format which combines online sessions and week-long residential intensive sessions in January or June.
The Certificate of Theological Studies is designed for students who wish to pursue graduate theological education without earning a degree. The Certificate of Theological Studies program is shaped in consultation with the student’s advisor to meet the needs of the individual. It requires full-time study in residence over one or two semesters. Students in this program take part in the worship life of the seminary by attending at least one chapel service on each weekday, including the principal Eucharist on Wednesday.
This certificate is designed for clergy who already have a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and are seeking advanced coursework alongside students in the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) program. Students participate in two summers of in-person study with other D.Min. students and take four courses (12 credits) of their choosing, without completing a thesis.
The Preaching concentration is offered in response to a growing need for post-Master of Divinity study, instruction, and critical practice in preaching. No more than eight students will be accepted into the Preaching concentration each year in order to assure adequate support for their courses of study.
The Liturgy concentration builds on Sewanee’s unique strengths in liturgical studies and is offered in response to a growing need for post-Master of Divinity study, instruction, and critical practice in liturgy. No more than ten students will be accepted into the Liturgy concentration each year in order to assure adequate support for their courses of study.
The Doctor of Ministry program provides persons actively engaged in professional ministry the opportunity to develop further the attitudes, skills, and knowledge essential to their ministry. The program stresses the relationship between the practice of ministry and Biblical, historical, and theological knowledge.
The Liturgy concentration builds on Sewanee’s unique strengths in liturgical studies and is offered in response to a growing need for post-Master of Divinity study, instruction, and critical practice in liturgy. No more than ten students will be accepted into the Liturgy concentration each year in order to assure adequate support for their courses of study and theses/projects.
The Preaching concentration is offered in response to a growing need for post-Master of Divinity study, instruction, and critical practice in preaching. No more than eight students will be accepted into the Preaching concentration each year in order to assure adequate support for their courses of study and theses/projects.
Alternative Clergy Training at Sewanee (ACTS) is a non-degree course of theological studies for ordination for deacons and part-time or non-stipendiary priests in small congregations who have special circumstances that prevent them from attending our residential M.Div. program.
What does it mean to be the University of the South? The answer to that question changes from one generation to the next and from one individual to the next. Being “of the South” means that we are both the beneficiaries and the critics of a rich tradition. While we are deeply invested in this region, we also engage with other communities, locally and globally. Diversity and variety—of the South and of the world—inform and underpin our institution, and all our community’s citizens must confront this question on some level.
Language matters. It shapes our sense of reality and is therefore crucial for our understanding of God and others. Through language we forge and maintain our relationships with God and one another.
The Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation at the University of the South is a six-year initiative investigating the university’s historical entanglements with slavery and slavery’s legacies. Our Project’s name memorializes the late Professor of History, Houston Bryan Roberson, who was the first tenured African American faculty member at Sewanee and the first to make African American history and culture the focus of their teaching and scholarship.
