Joint Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Program:
STRS offers both ecclesiastical and civil degrees. The Master of Divinity degree is a civil professional degree, recognized in the United States and Canada by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). The S.T.B. is a first level graduate ecclesial academic degree. The joint S.T.B./M.Div. degree is designed to integrate ministerial with academic training. Everything said above about the S.T.B. (application procedures, course requirements, etc.) holds for the joint S.T.B./M. Div. except for the following:
- Candidates for the joint degree are required to take two rather than one church history courses for a total of six credit hours.
- Candidates for the joint degree are required to take 9 credit hours of academic electives beyond the 69 credit hours of academic theology required for the S.T.B.
- Candidates for the joint degree are required to take 15 credit hours in the Pastoral Theology area beyond the introductory Pastoral Theology course taken also by S.T.B. students. Candidates for the joint degree are ordinarily required to take two semesters of Basic Supervised Ministry or in lieu of this a unit of CPE plus the Advanced Supervised Ministry course.
- Candidates for the joint degree are required to take 6 credit hours of Ministry Capstone Seminars.
- Candidates for the joint degree may request to have up to 45 credits from course work done at another institution applied to their S.T.B./M.Div. requirements. The Associate Dean for Gradual Ministerial Studies will make the final decision about how many credit hours may be transferred after consultation with the candidate and those involved in the candidate’s academic formation.