Issuu

Accreditation Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools 10 Summit Park Drive Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15275-1103, USA Telephone 412-788-6505 Fax: 412-788-6510 Website: www.ats.edu The following degree programs are approved: MA (Theological Studies), MA in Religion, MA in Youth Ministry, MDiv, DMin Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels. Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org). Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a member of The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is related to The Synod of the Sun and to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The Academic Catalogue is published annually by Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 100 East 27th Street, Austin, Texas, 78705-5711. Editor: Penny Baker Summer 2026

Table of Contents Academic Calendar 2026-2027........................... 5 Tentative 2027-2028 Academic Calendar ............ 7 The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary ....... 9 Location of Austin Seminary ................................. 10

Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success .......................................................... 11 Declaration of Intent ............................................ 11 Campus Visitation ............................................... 12

Master’s-Degree Programs ...........................12 Applicant Process ........................................12 Action and Notification ........................................ 14 Medical and Hospitalization Insurance ................. 14

Matriculation ...............................................14 International Student Policies .......................15 Other Classifications of Study .......................18

Academic Probation ............................................ 39 Adding and Dropping Courses .............................. 40 Auditing Courses ................................................. 40 Biblical Language Options - MDiv Program ............ 40 Biblical Language Waiver or Academic Credit ........ 41

Classification and Numbering of Courses ..... 41 Course Open and Close Dates in Brightspace ....... 41

Credit Load: Full-time and Part-time Study .... 41 Cross-registration ....................................... 42 Deadline for Submitting End-of-Term Coursework ................................................ 42 Denominational Requirements ............................. 42 Directed Study Project ......................................... 42

Duration of Programs ................................... 43 Ecclesiastical Endorsement ................................. 43

Extensions .................................................. 43

Auditors .............................................................. 18 Certificate in Ministry Program ............................. 19 Certificado en Ministerio en Español ..................... 19 Dual-Degree Program in Social Work .................... 19 Dual–Degree Program in Business Administration . 20 Provisional Students ............................................ 20 Special Students (Non-Degree) ............................ 20 Applicants with No Earned Baccalaureate Degree (Non-Bacc) .......................................................... 21 Transfer Students ................................................ 21 Global Partner Program........................................ 22 Criminal History Check ........................................ 22 Readmission to a Degree Program ........................ 22

Faculty Advisor Program .............................. 44

Doctor of Ministry ............................................ 23

Transfer of Course Work .............................. 47

Applicant Process ........................................23

Waiver of Requirements ....................................... 48 Withdrawal from the Seminary ............................. 48

Grade Reports and Academic Records .......... 44 Grading System ........................................... 44 Hearer’s Credit Option ......................................... 46 Incomplete.......................................................... 46 Leave of Absence ................................................ 46 Matriculation ....................................................... 46 Ordination Examinations, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ............................................................... 47 Privacy Rights of Students .................................... 47 Satisfactory Progress ........................................... 47 Style Guide.......................................................... 47

Action and Notification ........................................ 25 Deferring Matriculation ........................................ 25

Academic Departments and Course Listings ..... 49

Master’s Degree Programs ............................... 26

The Biblical Department............................... 49

Master of Arts (Theological Studies) (MATS) ....27

Course Descriptions .................................... 49

Master of Arts in Religion (MAR) .....................29 Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM) .........31

Biblical Languages and Introductory Courses ........ 49 Hebrew and Greek Exegesis ................................. 50 Biblical Interpretation .......................................... 51

Master of Divinity .........................................33

The Department of the Church’s Ministry ...... 54

Concentration in Public Theology ......................... 37

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs ........................................................ 39

Course Descriptions .................................... 54 Christian Education Courses ................................ 54 Leadership and Administration Courses ............... 58

Mission and Evangelism Courses ......................... 59 Pastoral Care ...................................................... 61 Preaching, Worship, and Music ............................ 62

Extensions .......................................................... 90

Grading System ........................................... 90 Leave of Absence ................................................ 91 Probation ............................................................ 91 Satisfactory Progress ........................................... 92 Style Editor .......................................................... 92 Style Guide.......................................................... 92 Transfer of Credit ................................................. 92 Withdrawal from the Seminary ............................. 92

Theological and Historical Department ..........66 Course Descriptions ............................................ 67 Ethics ................................................................. 67 History ................................................................ 68 Theology ............................................................. 69

Interdepartmental ........................................74 Ministerial Formation ....................................... 76 Program in Formation for Ministry..................76 Supervised Practice of Ministry: MAYM Program ...................................................................76 Supervised Practice of Ministry: MDiv ............77 Clinical Pastoral Education ...........................78 Elective Options ...........................................78 Additional Academic Opportunities .................. 79 Travel Seminars ...........................................79

Additional Educational Opportunities ............... 93 Certificate in Ministry Program ..................... 93 Programa Certificado en Ministerio en Español ................................................................... 96 Lifelong Learning ............................................. 97 Lifelong Learning at Austin Seminary ............ 97 Clergy Cohort Programs ............................... 98 Workshops.................................................. 98 Strategic Initiatives ......................................... 99

Seminar Descriptions .......................................... 79

•

Houses of Hope .................................... 99

Dual-Degree Program in Social Work .............82

•

The Austin Story Project ........................ 99

Dual MDiv-MBA Program ...............................83

•

The 787 Collective ................................ 99

Huston-Tillotson University 3/3 Program ........84

•

Center for the Arc of Ministry ................. 99

Hispanic Scholars Program ...........................85

•

The Borders and Bridges Initiative .......... 99

Center for Church Innovation ........................85

•

Progressive Youth Ministry .................... 99

Presbyterian Exchange Program ....................85

•

Sharing Faith Initiative .......................... 99

Protestant Theological University of the Netherlands .................................................85 The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program.............. 86 Goals...........................................................86 Requirements for the Doctor of Ministry Degree ...................................................................86 Structure of the Program...............................87 Areas of Concentration .................................87 Adding and Dropping Courses .............................. 89 Auditing Seminars ............................................... 89 Consultation and Advancement to Candidacy ....... 89 Costs .................................................................. 90 Dismissal or Suspension ...................................... 90

Policies and General Information ....................100 Academic Honesty .....................................100 Disability Accommodation Policy ................101 Designated Section 504 Coordinator ............102 Procedure for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation .........................................102 Dismissal ...................................................102 Drug Abuse and Prevention Counseling Policy ..................................................................102 Grade Appeals: Evaluation of Students’ Work ..................................................................103 3

Grade Appeals: Appeal to the Instructor ...... 103

Financial Information .....................................116

Grade Appeals: Appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs ........................................ 103

Seminary Expenses 2026-2027 .....................116

Grievance Procedures ................................ 104 Policy on Inclusive Language Use ................ 104 Medical and Hospitalization Insurance ........ 105

Payment of Fees .........................................117 Refund Policy for Master’s-level Students ....117 Financial Aid ..............................................120 Campus Employment .................................122

Policy on Nonacademic Probation and Involuntary Leave of Absence ...................... 105

Student Housing ............................................123

Policy on Nondiscrimination and Antiharassment ............................................... 105

Campus Resources ........................................125

Sexual Misconduct Policy ........................... 106

Campus Conduct HotlineSM .........................125

Student Code of Conduct ............................ 107

Classroom Technology ...............................126

Statement on Student Rights and Responsibilities ......................................... 107

Computer Lab ............................................126

Title IX Statement ....................................... 107

Emergency Notification System ...................126

Issuance of Transcripts .............................. 108

The Stanley R. Hall Liturgics Lab ..................126

Veterans .................................................... 108

Fellowships, Scholarships, and Awards ...........127

Policy on Weapons ..................................... 108

Merit Awards ..............................................127

Educational Environment ............................... 109

Other Scholarships and Awards...................129

The Seminary Community and the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success ................................................................. 109

Post-Graduate Pastoral Residency ...............129

Relationships with Other Institutions........... 110

Graduate Fellowships .................................132

Smoot Center............................................. 111

Seminary Support ..........................................134

Library Services: The Mary B. and Robert J. Wright Learning and Information Center and Archives at Austin Seminary ........................ 111

Giving to Austin Seminary ...............................134

Lectures and Lecturers .................................. 113 Midwinter Lectures ............................................ 113 Constitution Day Lecture ................................... 114 HESED Lectures ................................................ 114 The George S. Heyer Jr. Lectureship .................... 114 Settles Lectures ................................................ 114 Jean Brown Visiting Scholar ................................ 114 Hoxie Thompson Lecturers................................. 114 The Karen G. and Elgin W. Ware Jr. Endowed Lectureship and Fellowship Fund ....................... 115 The Louis H. and Katherine S. Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership ........... 115

Housing Eligibility and Assignments.............124

Email .........................................................126

Graduate Awards ........................................131

Gifts for Student Support ............................134 Endowment Gifts ........................................135 Memorial Gifts............................................135 Degrees Awarded ...........................................137 Board of Trustees 2026-2027 ............................138 Faculty .......................................................... 139 Additional Instructors and Lecturers ...............141 Administration ............................................... 142 Austin Seminary Association...........................144 Contacting the Seminary ................................147 4

Academic Calendar 2026-2027 August 31-September 4 August 31-September 4 September 4 5:00pm September 7 September 8 8:00am 11:10am 7:00pm September 15 5:00pm October 6 5:00pm October 8-10 October 19-23 October 29 October 30-November 1 November 9-10 November 16-19 November 16-20 November 17 11:00am November 26-27 December 8-11 December 14-18 December 18 5:00pm

Fall Term 2026

MDiv/MAR/MATS New Student Orientation New Special Student/Auditor Orientation (online) Summer 2026 Masters’ grades due Labor Day Holiday Fall term begins Opening Convocation Opening Worship with Signing of the Declaration of Intent Last day to add or drop a Masters’ level course for Fall term Doctor of Ministry grades due MAYM Intensive Fall Break Heyer Lecture Fall Discovery Weekend Fall Board of Trustees Meeting Open Registration for Spring and Summer 2027 MAYM Intensive Worship including MAYM new students Signing Declaration of Intent Thanksgiving Break Reading period Final Examination Week Fall term ends; Christmas Break begins for students 5

January Term 2027

January 4 January 4 January 6 January 7-9 January 11-15 January 11-15 January 18 January 22 January 25 January 25-27

8:00am January Masters’ term begins 5:00pm Fall 2026 Fall Masters’ grades due 5:00pm Last day to add or drop Masters’ level course MAYM Intensive Doctor of Ministry in residence Spring 2027 New Student Orientation opens online Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday 5:00pm January Masters term ends New Special Student/Auditor Orientation opens online Midwinter Lectures

February 1 February 2 February 5 February 5-6 February 8 February 9 February 26-28 March 4-6 March 15-19 March 25-27 March 26 March 29 April 8-9 April 12-15 April 12-16 May 4-7 May 6 May 10-14 May 10 May 11 May 14 May 14-15 May 15 May 16 May 28

8:00am Spring Masters Term begins 11:10am Opening Worship 5:00pm January 2027 Master’s grades due Board of Trustees retreat 5:00pm Last day to add or drop a course 11:10am Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Worship Service Spring Discovery Weekend MAYM Intensive Spring Break 11:10am Triduum Good Friday Holiday – no classes Easter Monday - no classes Settles Lecture

June 7 June 7-11 June 9 August 5-7

Spring Term 2027

Open Registration for Fall ‘27 and January ’28 Masters terms

5:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm

5:00pm

MAYM Intensive Reading period Doctor of Ministry grades due Final Examination Week Final deadline for graduating students' work Final deadline for grade entry for graduating students Spring Term ends Board of Trustees Spring meeting Baccalaureate Commencement Spring Masters’ grades due

Summer Term 2027

8:00am Summer Masters’ Term begins Doctor of Ministry in residence 5:00pm Last day to add or drop Master’s-level course MAYM Intensive 6

August 27

5:00pm Summer Masters’ Term ends

Tentative 2027-2028 Academic Calendar August 30-September 3 August 30-September 3 September 6 September 7

Fall Term 2027

November 25-26 December 7-10 December 13-17 December 17

MDiv/MAR/MATS New Student Orientation New Special Student/Auditor Orientation (online) Labor Day Holiday 8:00am Fall term begins 11:10am Opening Convocation 7:00pm Opening Worship with Signing of the Declaration of Intent 5:00pm Summer 2027 Masters’ grades die 5:00pm Last day to add or drop a course for Fall term Happy Birthday, Austin Seminary! 5:00pm Doctor of Ministry grades due MAYM Intensive Fall Break Fall Discovery Weekend Fall Board of Trustees Meeting Open Registration for Spring and Summer 2028 MAYM Intensive 11:10am Worship including MAYM new students Signing Declaration of Intent Thanksgiving Break Reading Period Final Examination Week 5:00 pm Fall term ends; Christmas Break begins for students and staff

January 3 January 3 January 5 January 6-8 January 10-14 January 10-14 January 17 January 21 January 24-26

8:00am January Masters Term Begins 5:00pm Fall 2027 Masters’ grades due 5:00pm Last day to add or drop Master’s-level course MAYM Intensive Doctor of Ministry in residence Spring 2028 New Student Orientation open online Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday 5:00pm January Masters Term Ends Midwinter Lectures

September 10 September 14 October 1 October 6 October 7-9 October 18-22 October 29-31 November 8-9 November 15-18 November 15-19 November 16

January Term 2028

Spring Term 2028 January 24 January 31 February 1

New Special Student/Auditor Orientation opens online 8:00am Spring Master’s Term begins 11:10am Opening Worship 7

February 4 5:00pm January Masters’ grades due February 4-5 Board of Trustees Retreat February 7 5:00pm Last day to add or drop Master’s-level course February 15 11:10am Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Worship Service February 18-20 Spring Discovery Weekend March 2-4 MAYM Intensive March 13-17 or 20-24 Spring Discovery Weekend *to be determined* April 3-7 MAYM Intensive April 4 11:10am Worship including MAYM new students Signing Declaration of Intent April 13-16 11:10am Triduum April 14 Good Friday holiday – no classes April 17 Easter Monday - no classes April 17-20 Open Registration for Fall and January Masters terms May 8 5:00pm Doctor of Ministry grades due May 9-12 Reading period May 15-19 Final Examination Week May 15 5:00pm Final deadline for graduating students' work May 16 5:00pm Final deadline for grade entry for graduating students May 19 5:00pm Spring Term ends May 19-20 Board of Trustees Spring meeting May 20 Baccalaureate May 21 Commencement

Summer Term 2028 June 2 June 5 June 5-9 June 7 August 3-5 August 25

5:00pm Spring Masters’ grades due 8:00am Summer Masters Term begins Doctor of Ministry in residence 5:00pm Last day to add or drop Master’s-level course MAYM Intensive 5:00pm Summer Masters Term ends

The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary Purpose - The Board of Trustees has adopted the following Statement of Purpose: For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian–Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip people for ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources for the nurture of the church; to practice and promote critical theological thought and research; to engage a range of voices and perspectives within and beyond the life of the Seminary; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God’s people. History - By 1880, Presbyterian churches were being organized west of the Mississippi at a rate which demanded far more new ministers than were available from Presbyterian seminaries east of the Mississippi. The problem deepened as ministerial candidates from the Southwest left to attend seminaries in the east and then frequently remained there. The beginnings of a solution came when Dr. Richmond K. Smoot, pastor of First Southern Presbyterian Church, Austin, and Dr. Robert Lewis Dabney, University of Texas professor of mental and moral philosophy, opened the Austin School of Theology in 1884. It closed in 1895, but the need remained. In 1899, the Synod of Texas authorized the establishment of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Dr. Thornton Rogers Sampson left the presidency of Austin College to begin the Seminary. Along with other gifts, the donation of $75,000 by Sarah C. (Mrs. George) Ball of Galveston enabled Dr. Sampson to commence the academic program of the Seminary in the fall of 1902. The synods of Arkansas (1905), Oklahoma (1908), and Louisiana (1929) joined in support and control of the school. In 1905 the campus moved from the former Stuart Female Seminary building at 9th and Navasota Streets in East Austin to the current campus north of The University of Texas. Sampson helped bring about its affiliation with The University of Texas, a union that set a precedent for denominational schools. He resigned the presidency on June 30, 1905, but continued to teach church history and polity. Robert Ernest Vinson became president in 1909 and resigned in 1916 to become president of The University of Texas. In May of 1917, Dr. Thomas W. Currie became chairman of the faculty which ran the Seminary during the war years when the institution was partially closed. Currie became president in 1922 and served until his death in 1943. During this period the Seminary faculty increased, the campus was enlarged, the student body grew, and the endowment was augmented. A chapel was also erected in 1941. In 1943, Dr. Robert F. Gribble was appointed acting president by the board of trustees to serve until a new president was elected. In 1945, Dr. David L. Stitt became president and served until 1971. During these years the Seminary advanced in every measurable way. The student body grew, and the number of faculty increased. The library, the Trull Building, and McMillan Building were erected. Extensive property on 30th Street was secured, and Currie Hall and student apartments were built. In 1971, Dr. Prescott H. Williams Jr. became acting president, and subsequently the fifth president in 1972. Having brought to the Seminary a special facility in the areas of Old Testament languages and archaeology, Dr. Williams laid emphasis on revision of the curriculum to meet the changing needs of the church’s ministry. In 1976, Dr. Jack Martin Maxwell was called to be the sixth president of the Seminary. In his administration, 9

The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary the physical plant was much improved, with addition to the library, renovation of the dining hall, and construction of new student housing. Moreover, the financial base of the Seminary was made more secure. In January of 1984, Dr. C. Ellis Nelson, retired seminary president, became interim president. On July 1, 1985, Dr. Jack L. Stotts became the seventh president, having already served as president of a sibling Presbyterian seminary for a decade. He retired in July 1996. In May 1997, Dr. Robert M. Shelton, who had been on the faculty since 1971, was elected as the Seminary’s eighth president, after serving one year as interim president. Austin Seminary celebrated one hundred years of service to the church on October 1, 2002. Centennial events included special lectures, historical displays, the construction of the Centennial Trustee Gateway, and the naming of the Seminary Chapel for retiring President Shelton. In November of 2002, the board of trustees elected Austin Seminary’s ninth president, the Reverend Dr. Theodore J. Wardlaw. Under President Wardlaw the Seminary saw improvements to the physical facility with two new student apartment buildings and a renovated and expanded library and information center, new degree and certificate programs in English and Spanish, including a new partnership with The University of Texas at Austin, and significant fundraising for student scholarships. Upon President Wardlaw’s retirement in 2022, the Reverend Dr. José R. Irizarry was called as the tenth president of Austin Seminary. For a more detailed history see Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary: A Seventy-Fifth Anniversary History by Dr. Thomas White Currie Jr. and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary: Completing a Century of Service by Dr. James S. Currie, or visit the Archives at Austin Seminary at www.austinseminary.edu/archives.

Location of Austin Seminary

Austin Seminary is ideally situated in the city of Austin, on the north edge of The University of Texas at Austin and two blocks away from the Seminary of the Southwest. The city of Austin also makes a splendid setting for theological education, for many and varied reasons: • the picturesque setting: an exceptionally attractive city built in the natural beauty of the Texas Hill Country; • the pleasant weather: Austin has gentle season changes and an average of 300 days of sunshine each year; • the extraordinary educational atmosphere provided by The University of Texas at Austin and other outstanding colleges and universities; • the lively churches and ecumenical groups; • the availability of the arts in diversity and abundance with a year-round variety of concerts, plays, and exhibits; • Austin’s status as a major center for high technology; city growth has emphasized clean industry; • The availability of recreation through the city’s park system, on the Colorado River which winds through the city, and the Highland Lakes which stretch upriver for one hundred fifty miles. Also, for

The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary an annual fee students have access to the recreational and sports facilities of The University of Texas at Austin.

Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success

The Admissions Commission at Austin Seminary welcomes your inquiry about theological education and our degree programs. The commission is composed of faculty members, senior students, and administrators. It is their desire to assist you as you discern your vocation. The Admissions Commission reviews and evaluates all applications. The commission seeks to ensure that each applicant is prepared to engage in theological study, is aware of personal strengths and limitations, and is familiar with the educational dimensions of the curriculum. Further, the commission is concerned that applicants have the necessary academic and intellectual preparation to embrace critical theological inquiry. An undergraduate degree with a liberal arts emphasis is an optimal way to prepare for seminary study. You may contact Enrollment Management via email: admissionsoffice@austinseminary.edu or via text: 737.226.3916. International students are invited to use WhatsApp at 737.226.3916.

Declaration of Intent

As an instrument of the church, the Seminary is not merely an institution for academic study, and membership in it is not granted in answer solely to the private interest or personal decision of those who present themselves for admission, however thoroughly qualified academically. For staff, faculty, and students, membership in the community is by invitation and commitment. The call of God and the affirmation of God’s people are appropriately attended by a declaration of one’s commitment and an acknowledgment of one’s obligation to make full use of all means to the cultivation of the gifts of God for fulfilling the ministries to which one has been called. This occurs not only by devotion to study, but also by responsible participation in the whole of the community’s varied life of worship and work, as well as by the exercise of personal prayer. The Seminary, therefore, invites its students to sign the following statement, which has been adopted by the faculty:

The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary “In recognition of the claims of God upon me and in reliance upon God’s grace, I declare my intention to live responsibly in this community, to be persistent in the pursuit of learning, diligent in prayer and praise, responsive to the needs of my fellow members, and open to their efforts to contribute to my equipment for the service of Christ.”

Campus Visitation

If you are considering theological study, you are encouraged to visit Austin Seminary. When arrangements have been made in advance of your arrival, Enrollment Management can assist in the planning of your oncampus visit, meals, and lodging. A campus visit may include class attendance, a campus tour, and personal conversations with faculty members, staff members, and students. Partial travel reimbursement is available to prospective students who want to visit campus before or during their application process. Please contact the Enrollment Office for more details. Those interested in pursuing the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree, please contact Enrollment Management at admissionsoffice@austinseminary.edu. You may also make an appointment to visit the Seminary and meet with the office of ministerial formation and advanced studies, which oversees the DMin program by contacting omfas@austinseminary.edu.

Master’s-Degree Programs

Those applying for admission to the Master of Arts (Theological Studies), Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Arts in Youth Ministry, or Master of Divinity degree program at Austin Seminary are expected to be of honorable character and ordinarily shall provide evidence that they are in full communion with some branch of the Christian church. Applicants shall also provide evidence that they have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the Seminary. As a school of the church, Austin Seminary is not merely an institution for academic study. Academic qualifications alone, therefore, do not qualify applicants for admission. The call of God and the affirmation of God’s people are equally valued in the admissions process. Austin Seminary reserves the right to exercise its discretion in granting or denying admission of applicants to any of its degree programs on any grounds consistent with its educational standards, its stated purpose and mission, its religious commitments, and its self-understanding as a community. Applicants who believe that their academic abilities are inadequately represented by the grade point average of their previous academic work are encouraged to address that matter in the admissions essay and/or the admissions interview. An applicant to the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM) program first completes the application process outlined by the Ministry Leadership Center. All applicants for the MAYM program must meet criteria for both MLC and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in order to be admitted to this degree program. The faculty’s Admissions Commission reviews applications on a monthly basis. For fall semester admission, one must have an application file completed no later than May 1st; for spring semester admission, no later than November 1st; for international applicants, no later than January 1st.

Applicant Process

1. Submit a formal application for admission using the on-line application accessible through this link. 2. Submit an application fee of $50 (payable online by credit card). This fee is non-refundable. 3. Complete the criminal history check process. Refer to page 22 for information.

The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary 4. Provide an official transcript of record from each institution attended (required). Students applying while in the process of completing the baccalaureate degree should provide grades for at least six fulltime semesters (or the equivalent) of college or university work. A final, official transcript indicating the baccalaureate degree earned must be submitted prior to matriculation. This includes any institution from which the applicant received any credits they eventually transferred to another institution. 5. Submit 4 references from unrelated individuals who can speak to the applicant’s call history, service and work history, and educational history and promise. Family members or anyone related to and/or living with the applicant are not permissible. References should be able to speak knowingly of the applicant’s life and character. 6. Submit two essays described as follows: • In an autobiographical essay (5 page maximum), reflect on your spiritual journey and/or call to ministry. Address your personal, educational, and religious background, your work history, your gifts and abilities for ministry and service, and your current vocational goals. Please also identify your area of academic interest (the degree program for which you are applying) and how this study will inform your life and work. A brief description of each program can be found below: o Master of Arts (Theological Studies) (MATS): a general academic degree that provides for foundational studies in the biblical and theological disciplines with advanced concentration in theology, ethics, history of religions, or biblical studies. o Master of Arts in Religion (MAR): a general academic degree. It deepens candidates’ basic knowledge in the biblical and theological disciplines. o Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM): created in partnership with the Ministry Leadership Center, is designed to immerse students in practical experience in local youth ministry settings and nurture them through coaching and peer-to-peer interaction. o Master of Divinity (MDiv): designed to nurture leaders who will give strong, loving, and imaginative leadership to worshiping, learning, and serving communities. o Master of Divinity/Master of Science in Social Work (MDiv/MSSW): designed for students who have a particular interest in non-traditional ministries, including agencybased social service, social justice advocacy, policy-oriented ministries, and clinical counseling, as well as more traditional ministry roles such as pastor or chaplain. o Master of Divinity/Master of Business Administration: merges theological education and business acumen. This innovative four-year program responds to the growing demand for faith-based leaders of non-profit agencies, bi-vocational pastors, faith-based entrepreneurship, and the needs of seminary graduates entering solo pastorates. • In an analytical essay (5 page, maximum), craft a cogent argument on a specific topic of theological interest or concern. This essay should demonstrate your capacity to think critically, write coherently, reflect theologically, and engage scholarly sources. 7. After the application form and essays are submitted, academic transcripts have been requested, and the Enrollment Counselor has reached out to the applicant’s references, the Enrollment Counselor will provide the applicant with a booking link for another member of the EMSS Team. The applicant will schedule a 30-minute virtual meeting with that team member for the Admissions Interview. The interviewer will fill out the Admissions Interview form, upload it to the applicant’s profile, and inform the assigned Enrollment Counselor that it has been completed. 8. Applicants whose primary language of higher education instruction was not English are required to present scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Austin Seminary’s TOEFL 13

The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary institution code is 6018. The minimum acceptable score for the iBT (Internet-based TOEFL) is 79 or greater. Students who have achieved the minimum TOEFL score but whose English language abilities are judged to be weak may be required to take advantage of Seminary-provided assistance in writing and study skills. 9. International applicants please see International Student Policies, pages 16 - 17.

Action and Notification

When the application process is completed, consideration and action will be taken by the Admissions Commission. Notification of such action will be communicated to the applicant no later than one month prior to the term for which the applicant has applied. In most cases, applicants will be informed immediately following the Admissions Commission meeting via email by the Director of Admissions. If accepted, the email will include a letter from the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success and an Intent to Matriculate form. Students wanting to accept the offer will need to return the signed form by the deadline listed therein. If the decision was to decline admittance, the email will include a letter from the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success.

Medical and Hospitalization Insurance

Austin Seminary strongly encourages students to carry health insurance for themselves and, if applicable, for their spouse and dependent children. However, students are permitted to opt out of carrying health insurance. If students freely elect to opt out of carrying health insurance, they assume the risks and responsibilities that could potentially result from the lack of carrying health insurance coverage. Students who have questions about their health insurance status, or questions about the Opt Out Agreement are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Success. To access the 2026-27 Health Insurance Confirmation & Opt Out Agreement, visit this link: 2026-27 HEALTH INSURANCE CONFIRMATION & OPT OUT AGREEMENT.

Matriculation

To complete admission an applicant: 1. must sign and return the Intent to Matriculate form; 2. must have official transcripts on file with Enrollment Management from each institution attended, 14

The Purpose and History of Austin Seminary including official final transcripts which indicate degree(s) obtained and the date(s) of graduation (matriculation into the Seminary cannot be effected until this supplementary record has been received); 3. must be present for and participate in orientation and registration on the days and times specified in the academic calendar and orientation schedule; 4. if age twenty-one or younger, must provide proof of vaccination for bacterial meningitis (contact Enrollment Management for information); and is invited to participate in the signing of the Declaration of Intent.

International Student Policies Application Deadline: January 1 International applicants are considered for fall-term admission only and must complete an application no later than January 1st of the same year. Please ensure that a clear picture of your full passport page is included with the application. Degree Eligibility International Students are only eligible for a student visa if they apply for one of our Master’s Degree programs. Language Proficiency 15

Other Classifications of Study Students must meet English Proficiency Requirements. At Austin Seminary, we require a TOEFL test for all applicants who did not study in English. Students are required to present scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Austin Seminary’s TOEFL institution code is 6018. The minimum acceptable score for the IBT (Internet-based TOEFL) is 79 or greater. Citizenship with an English-Speaking Country If you are a citizen and if your sending degree is from a school in one of the following countries, you will have met the English Language Proficiency Requirement for admission and automatically receive ELP Verification. American Samoa Ghana Anguilla Gibraltar Antigua and Barbuda Grenada Australia Guyana Bahamas Ireland Barbados Jamaica Belize Liberia Bermuda New Zealand The British Virgin Islands Nigeria Canada (except Quebec) Saint Kitts and Nevis Cayman Islands Saint Lucia Dominica Trinidad/Tobago Federated States of Micronesia Turks and Caicos Islands Gambia United Kingdom Funding International applicants must submit proof of adequate financial funding to cover living and educational costs for the duration of the program. International Students can apply for financial aid at the Seminary. Tuition fees for one year are $24,300. International students need $21,500 in living expenses, fees, and housing supplies (Austin Seminary does not offer furnished apartments and all students must bring their own bedding and furnishings). International students who do not receive any form of funding must provide proof of $35,000 of funds per year. International students who receive a scholarship must provide proof of finances of a minimum of $10,000 per year. International students who receive fellowships must provide proof of $5,000 per year. Please note that scholarships and fellowships do not cover Medical insurance, Renter’s Insurance, entrance fees, registration fees, student fees, or graduation fees. Please review the sample students’ budget. International Students Currently in the US An international student currently studying in the United States on an F-1 visa who desires to transfer this status to Austin Seminary is eligible to do so only if their F-1 student status is being maintained. International applicants verify their F-1 student status by completing a Transfer Request for International Student form, available from the Austin Seminary Enrollment Management. This form requires the signature of the international student advisor at the United States institution the applicant most recently attended. When completed, the form is returned to the Enrollment Management. Admission 16

Other Classifications of Study Form I-20 A-B will be issued to international students once all standards for admission have been met and all required items received. After the students obtain their Form I-20 they must pay a I-901 Student Exchange Visa Information System (SEVIS) Fee of $350. This fee is mandatory and must be paid before international students enter the United States. It is the responsibility of the student to pay this fee. Upon payment students will be able to book an appointment with their local consulate and start the process of applying for an F1 visa. Transcripts SpanTran is our international transcript evaluation service. All International Applicants’ transcripts must go through SpanTran. They have created a custom application for Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their application here: SpanTran Application - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Insurance International students are required to have adequate health and hospitalization insurance for themselves and their dependents. See what options are available here: isoa.org Questions? Rev. JD Herrera jherrera@austinseminary.edu Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success Principal Designated School Official (PDSO)

Other Classifications of Study

Other Classifications of Study Auditors

Austin Seminary offers the opportunity to audit courses to those interested in deepening their knowledge of the Bible, theology, and Christian ministry. Auditors are eligible to attend class but do not complete course 18

assignments, take part in discussion, or receive evaluations or academic credit. Audited course work is not recorded on an academic transcript. Auditing requires permission of the course instructor. Auditors are also required to complete the criminal history check process. Refer to page 22 for information. Regularly enrolled degree students, their spouses, other members of the Seminary community, and guests of the Seminary may audit approved classes. Application is made through the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success for all but regularly enrolled degree students who register through the Office of the Registrar. The auditing fee is waived for current degree students, their spouses, regular full- and part-time employees of Austin Seminary. Students are allowed to audit one certificate course per year for the application fee of $25. Thereafter, full tuition must be paid.

Certificate in Ministry Program

The Certificate in Ministry (CIM) is a program for congregational leaders and others seeking substantive theological education but who are not planning to pursue study in a degree program. Persons seeking theological preparation for congregational leadership or wishing to enrich their personal theological understanding will be well served by the CIM. A broader description of the program can be found on page 95 of this Catalogue. Applicants complete the online Certificate in Ministry application and submit it and the $25 nonrefundable, one-time, application fee to the Office of Enrollment Management. A brief enrollment interview with a member of the Office of Enrollment Management is required. Students admitted to the CIM program are not eligible to enroll in master’-level courses, except by application and admission to those programs as described in this Catalogue.

Certificado en Ministerio en Español

Por el momento, el Certificado está en pausa mientras revisamos y actualizamos su programa. Te invitamos a consultar los cursos de Estudios Latinos para la primavera de 2027, que estarán enfocados en temas relacionados con las comunidades latinas. Si tienes alguna pregunta, no dudes en comunicarte con: csilvamccormick@austinseminary.edu.

Dual-Degree Program in Social Work

Austin Seminary and The University of Texas at Austin (UT) School of Social Work have established a dualdegree program of study that provides master’s-level students the opportunity to complete requirements for two degrees concurrently: the Master of Divinity (MDiv) and the Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW). The program is designed to be completed in four years of full-time study. Upon completion, students receive degrees from each institution. Students must be accepted into both programs independently, meeting each institution’s admission criteria. The determination of in-state residency status as it relates to tuition charges at The University of Texas at Austin is the sole discretion of UT. Enrollment in a degree program at Austin Seminary does not qualify one as an in-state resident for tuition purposes at UT. For more information, contact the Office of Enrollment Management, and refer to page 83 of this Catalogue.

Dual–Degree Program in Business Administration

The Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Austin Seminary, combined with the Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Schreiner University, is in response to the growing demands for faith-based leaders of non-profit agencies, bi-vocational pastors, faith-based entrepreneurship, and the needs of seminary graduates entering solo pastorates. The dual-degree program allows for the development of business acumen and ethics and prepares graduates for ongoing leadership in both secular and faith-based communities. The MDiv/MBA Dual Degree program began Fall 2025 and interweaves the 78-credit hour in-person Master of Divinity degree with Schreiner University’s 36-credit hour online MBA in Ethical Leadership. Students finish both degrees in four years while in residence at Austin Seminary.

Provisional Students

Occasionally, an applicant to the MATS or MDiv degree program who does not meet all the academic qualifications for admission to that program, but who has earned a baccalaureate degree, and whom the Admissions Commission considers academically capable to undertake the program, may be permitted to enroll in the regular course of study for academic credit on a provisional basis. Ordinarily, a Provisional Student may matriculate only in the fall semester and must enroll in four required courses determined by the Admissions Commission. In order to continue as a student, a Provisional Student must appear before the Admissions Commission to be removed from provisional status and to be considered for admission to the MAR or MATS degree program upon satisfactory completion of twelve credits, or the MDiv degree program upon satisfactory completion of twelve credits inclusive of one language course.

Special Students (Non-Degree)

The classification of Special Student is for a person not enrolled in any degree program offered by Austin Seminary but who desires to enroll in regular master’s-level courses for academic credit. A person is admitted as a Special Student on a term-by-term basis, may enroll in regularly scheduled master’s-level courses, and may take the maximum course load set for master’s degree students. Special students are allowed to take the equivalent of a year of full-time study, eight courses, and then they must matriculate into a degree program. International students who are not lawful permanent residents of the United States will not be considered for Special Student status. Applicants submit a formal application for admission using the online application accessible at this link and submit the nonrefundable, one-time fee of $50. First-time Special Student applicants are required to schedule a brief enrollment conference with the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success, who makes the decision about that applicant’s enrollment. In addition, each term, Special Student applicants shall attach a brief explanation of why they wish to enroll in the course(s) indicated on the application. Tuition charges and any applicable registration fees must be paid to the Office of Finance and Administration prior to the beginning of the term for which admission is requested. Special Student applicants are required to complete the criminal history check process. Refer to page 22 for information. A person desiring to continue as a Special Student in a subsequent term must reapply for the term in which study is desired. The individual shall complete the Special Student application form and submit it to the 20

Enrollment Management. Approval of enrollment as a Special Student can be granted only if all previous course work has been satisfactorily completed and all financial obligations have been settled with the Seminary. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, in conversation with the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success, reserves the right to exercise discretion in granting or denying enrollment to continuing Special Students. A Special Student wishing to matriculate into the MAR, MATS, or MDiv degree program must complete the admission process for that program. Up to twenty-four credits earned as a Special Student at Austin Seminary may be applied to the MATS and MDiv degrees. In all cases, a review of transfer credit may require conversation between the student and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Applicants with No Earned Baccalaureate Degree (Non-Bacc)

Under extraordinary circumstances, and with the approval of the faculty meeting in executive session, an applicant who does not possess a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent may be admitted to study in the Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Arts in Youth Ministry, or Master of Divinity degree program. Non-Baccs are not eligible to apply for the Master of Arts (Theological Studies) degree program. The application file must be completed no later than April 1st for consideration by the faculty. Non-Bacc applicants are eligible for Fall admission only. Prior to the student’s final semester of study, the faculty, meeting in executive session, will review the student’s record. The quality of the student’s academic work at the Seminary will determine whether the faculty will award a master’s degree or a Theological Certificate.

Transfer Students

A student from another accredited theological school who wishes to transfer into a master’s-degree program at Austin Seminary must first apply and be admitted. Part of the application process includes both an official transcript of record as well as a statement of good standing from the previous theological school. Upon favorable action by the Admissions Commission and after returning the Intent to Matriculate form accepting the Commission’s offer of admission, the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs will evaluate the transcript and provide a preliminary assessment of how the transfer of credits will be handled and what the requirements will be for completion of the degree. Then, after matriculation into the degree program, an official memo regarding transfer credit will be issued by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. In all cases, a review of transfer credit may require conversation between the student and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The student may also be asked to provide a course syllabus for any course being considered for transfer. Only courses with a grade of C or better will be considered for transfer credit. Up to thirty-three credits may be applied to the MATS degree; up to fifty-one credits may be applied to the MDiv degree. These maximums also include any credits earned as a Special Student or as a student enrolled in another degree program at Austin Seminary. International students wishing to transfer from another institution in the United States to a degree program at Austin Seminary, in addition to the requirements noted above, must be in good standing both academically and under the provisions of their visa. 21

Global Partner Program

The Global Partner Program at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary exists primarily to provide theological study and resources for the education of international students. The program provides a course of study that will enrich the practice of ministry in the student’s context of origin. In a year of full-time, graduatelevel, theological study, students enroll in regularly scheduled courses offered in our master’s-level programs. Students are expected to return to their country of origin at the end of the program of study.

Global Partner Program Description

Ordinarily students applying to this program shall come from an institution with which Austin Seminary has a cooperative agreement. Admission is for one year of theological study, ordinarily beginning with the fall semester. Course work may be applied toward the Master of Arts in Religion degree. Global Partners applying for the MAR program must complete a full application and be admitted by the Admissions Commission. Thereafter the Vice President for Academic Affairs will approve the student’s course of study. In order to complete the MAR degree within a year, a Global Partner student must be granted advanced standing. Ordinarily advanced standing is granted by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the registrar. Facility in English is prerequisite. Refer to page 14, item 8, for details.

Criminal History Check

All degree program applicants, special students, and auditors are required to complete the criminal history background check process, including driving records, through CastleBranch, granting Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary permission to access those records. The cost for this service is $36 and is the responsibility of the applicant. Note that charges and past offenses do not automatically disqualify an applicant from matriculation, however, failure to disclose offenses may result in denial of admission. All records will be evaluated in context. Contact the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success for more information.

Readmission to a Degree Program

A student who withdraws from a program of study and subsequently desires readmission shall submit a formal, written request to the Admissions Commission, through the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success. In all cases the Admissions Commission will consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs concerning the circumstances of withdrawal and may require supplementary information or material from the applicant. Readmission may be granted if the Commission considers the person able to complete all remaining degree requirements and if all outstanding financial obligations to Austin Seminary have been settled. A student who withdrew from a program of study while on academic or nonacademic probation shall be considered for readmission on the appropriate probationary status. If the student was dismissed by the faculty, the Admissions Commission shall refer the matter to faculty with or without recommendation, and the faculty shall determine whether to readmit the individual. In such cases, readmission is on the appropriate probationary status.

An applicant readmitted to a program of study ordinarily enters under the current Catalogue and is required to meet current degree requirements. Credits applied toward the MAR, MATS, MAYM, or MDiv degree program must be earned within ten years of the awarding of the degree. In the DMin program, credit earned more than five years prior to re-entry cannot be applied toward the degree. The application deadline for the Global Partner Program is January 1st for matriculation in the fall semester. Ordinarily applications for the Global Partner Program from international students already studying in this country are not accepted. All inquiries should be made through Enrollment Management. Austin Seminary is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant alien students.

Doctor of Ministry

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree is a professional doctorate intended to equip ministers for a high level of excellence in the practice of ministry. The DMin program is for ministers who already possess at least the first theological degree of Master of Divinity or its equivalent. Admission ordinarily presupposes at least three years in the practice of ministry after earning the MDiv degree and continued practice of ministry during the course of study. See Academic Programs, Doctor of Ministry (page 87) for information.

Applicant Process

1. Submit a formal application for admission to the Enrollment Management. The admission file must be completed by September 1st for consideration of admission to a January term or by February 1st for consideration of admission to a summer term. 2. Submit an application fee of $50 (payable online or by credit card). This application fee is not refundable. 3. Complete the criminal history check process. (Refer to page 22.) 4. Provide official transcripts from each college, university, seminary, and graduate school attended, as well as a record of recent nondegree education. Transcripts shall provide evidence that applicants

Doctor of Ministry hold a baccalaureate degree and a Master of Divinity degree from accredited institutions. Ordinarily a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or 2.0 on a 3.0 scale) is required for admission. 5. Submit the completed Letter of Endorsement, signed by the appropriate member(s) of your session, church board, or institution. 6. Submit 4 references from unrelated individuals who can speak to the applicant’s service, work, and educational history. Family members or anyone related to and/or living with the applicant are not permissible. References should be able to speak knowingly of the applicant’s life and character. 7. Complete Track Selection form to select your concentration path. 8. Submit a written statement in two parts.

Part I (750-1000 words; 3-5 pages) In this section you are expected to: • articulate how, since ordination, you have changed personally, professionally, and theologically; • describe the background in ministry which motivates you to seek further competence in ministry; • describe clearly the ministry situation in which the DMin work will be done; • list personal and professional goals and how the area of concentration to be pursued will meet those goals and increase your competence in ministry (refer to page 88 in this Catalogue for a description of DMin concentrations).

Part II Academic Essay (1500 words; 6 pages) o

For applicants for the Leadership for Public Theology Concentration The Israelite prophet Amos (8th c. BCE) uttered this oracle: I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain-offerings I will not accept them; And the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:21-24) Reflect on the significance of judgment upon Israel in light of the call to the present-day church to speak to matters of justice and righteousness. What do the terms “justice” and “righteousness” mean in your context? How do you envision your congregation or ministry context acting so that the prophet’s call to “let justice roll down like waters” becomes a reality in your community? For applicants for the Leadership for Wonder Concentration G.K. Chesterton once wrote: “We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.” Calvin, following Psalm 145:5, advises us to “meditate on the wondrous works of God” commenting that it is “fitting… for us to pursue this particular search for God, which may so hold our mental powers suspended in wonderment as at the same time to stir us deeply.” (Institutes 1.5.9) Write an essay that reflects on why it is difficult for us to wonder at the presence of the holy and how we can do a better job both of participating in, and of inviting others into, such wonder. Include in your discussion your sense of how theology, biblical studies, liturgics, preaching, the arts, psychology, or other disciplines may be of help in thinking about the human encounter with the holy. o

Doctor of Ministry 9. After the application form and essays are submitted and academic transcripts requested, arrange for an admissions conference with the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, or a designated representative of the Seminary’s Admissions Commission.

Action and Notification

Deferring Matriculation

An applicant admitted to the Doctor of Ministry degree program who desires to delay beginning study at Austin Seminary must submit a written request for deferment of matriculation to the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success, with a copy to the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies. Matriculation can be deferred up to one year.

Master’s Degree Programs

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary offers four individual Master’s Degree programs of varying requirements: Master of Arts (Theological Studies) Master of Arts in Religion Master of Arts in Youth Ministry Master of Divinity Students desiring to do so may take a course path concentrating in Public Theology (see page 37).

Master’s Degree Programs

Master of Arts (Theological Studies) (MATS) Goals The Master of Arts (Theological Studies) degree, or MATS, at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a general academic degree. It deepens candidates’ basic knowledge in the biblical and theological disciplines. The MATS degree is designed to achieve the following goals: ♦ promote theological comprehension by requiring a broad, foundational course of study in the three academic departments: Biblical, Church’s Ministry, and Theological-Historical; ♦ strengthen candidates’ skills in research and critical thinking; and, ♦ assist candidates to grow in spiritual and moral depth.

MATS Degree Requirements

1. Have on file with the registrar a complete and official transcript of credits showing graduation with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. 2. Complete satisfactorily 51 credits of required and elective work with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. 3. If granted advanced standing, complete satisfactorily 18 credits of required and elective work with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. 4. Complete satisfactorily at least the last 18 credits of required and elective work while enrolled and in residence at Austin Seminary. 5. Complete all curricular assignments prior to commencement and by the deadline posted in the official academic calendar. 6. Clear all indebtedness to the Seminary by the Wednesday prior to commencement. 7. To participate in commencement exercises, complete satisfactorily all degree requirements noted above.

Master’s Degree Programs

Duration of Program

The program of study leading to the Master of Arts (Theological Studies) degree requires a minimum of two years (i.e., twenty-one months) of full-time academic study. This may be reduced to one year when a student is granted advanced standing on the basis of previous academic work. Students granted advanced standing will be required to complete satisfactorily a minimum of 18 credits in residence at Austin Seminary. F1 students refer to International Student Policies on pages 16-17.

Program of Study

The Master of Arts (Theological Studies) degree requires 51 credits. The program is composed of twenty-seven credits in required course work (i.e., nine required courses) and twenty-four credits in elective course work (i.e., eight three-credit courses), as follows:

Required Coursework for MATS Bi.102

Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

Bi.116

Introduction to the New Testament

TH.100

Early and Medieval Church History

TH.104

Theology: Doctrines and Themes

One 3-credit Ethics Requirement: TH.200 Introduction to Christian Ethics, TH.206 Biomedical Ethics, TH.208 Environmental Ethics, or TH.296 Moral Issues MATS-IS The MAR/MATS Integrative Seminar Three three-credit courses from the Church’s Ministry department: one each from three of the five departmental areas of I. Christian Education; II. Leadership and Administration; III. Mission and Evangelism; IV. Pastoral Care; V. Preaching, Worship, and Music

Elective Options

In order to fulfill the degree requirement of 51 credits, students select twenty-four credits from any of the course offerings. Note that MATS elective work can include no more than three credits from Church’s Ministry department offerings. Cross-department courses (i.e., TH/CM, Bi/CM) are excluded from this restriction. MATS students may participate in CPE courses for elective credit, subject to the requirements of CPE. Students also have the option of taking approved courses through our cross-registration agreements with the other Presbyterian (PC(USA)) seminaries, the Seminary of the Southwest, and graduate-level courses from The University of Texas at Austin and St. Edward’s University. Additionally, elective credit can be earned through Hearer’s Credit (page 46) or, in special cases, through a directed study project (page 42).

Master’s Degree Programs

Master of Arts in Religion (MAR) Goals The Master of Arts in Religion degree, or MAR, is a general academic degree. It deepens candidates’ basic knowledge in the biblical and theological disciplines. The MAR degree is designed to achieve the following goals: ♦ promote theological comprehension by requiring a broad, foundational study in Bible, theology, and church history; ♦ strengthen candidates’ skills in research and critical thinking; and ♦ assist candidates to grow in spiritual and moral depth.

MAR Degree Requirements 1. Have on file with the registrar a complete and official transcript of credits showing graduation with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. 2. Complete satisfactorily 36 credits of required and elective work with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. 3. Complete satisfactorily at least the last twelve credits of required and elective work while enrolled and in residence at Austin Seminary. 4. Complete all curricular assignments prior to commencement and by the deadline posted in the official academic calendar. 5. Clear all indebtedness to the Seminary by the Wednesday prior to commencement. 6. To participate in commencement exercises, complete satisfactorily all degree requirements noted above.

Master’s Degree Programs

Duration of program

The program of study leading to the Master of Arts in Religion degree requires a minimum of one and a half years (eighteen months) of full-time academic study. F1 students refer to International Student Policies on pages 16-17.

Program of Study

The Master of Arts in Religion degree requires 36 credits. The MAR program is composed of fifteen credits in required course work (i.e., five required courses and MAR Seminar) and twenty-one credits in elective course work (i.e., seven courses), as follows: Required Course Work Bi.102 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible Bi.116 Introduction to the New Testament TH.100 Early and Medieval Church History TH.104 Theology: Doctrines and Themes MATS-IS The MAR/MATS Integrative Seminar

Elective Options In order to fulfill the degree requirement of 36 credits, students select a minimum of twenty-one credits from course offerings. Students granted advanced standing will be required to complete satisfactorily a minimum of twelve credits in residence at Austin Seminary.

Master’s Degree Programs

Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM) Goals The Master of Arts in Youth Ministry degree, or MAYM, is offered at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in partnership with the Ministry Leadership Center (MLC). It is intended to educate aspiring youth pastors. MAYM graduates will: • perceive and describe the lived experience of a congregation, especially as it relates to the care and formation of youth; • interpret the cultural contexts in which congregations and youth live and understand how forces of culture enhance or distort their Christian formation and human flourishing; • apply biblical, systematic, and practical theological insights to the lived experiences and cultural contexts in which youth seek to flourish as Christian disciples; and • employ pastoral and pedagogical strategies as Christian responses to the lived experiences and cultural contexts of youth and their congregations.

MAYM Degree Requirements 1. Have on file with the registrar a complete and official transcript of credits showing graduation with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. 2. Complete satisfactorily 45 credits of required and elective work with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. 3. Complete satisfactorily at least the last fifteen credits of required and elective work while enrolled and in residence at Austin Seminary. 4. Complete all curricular assignments prior to commencement and by the deadline posted in the official academic calendar. 5. Clear all indebtedness to the Seminary by the Wednesday prior to commencement. 6. To participate in commencement exercises, complete satisfactorily all degree requirements noted above.

Duration of Program

The MAYM program of study is designed to be completed in exactly three years. The courses are offered in an intensive format with supplemental online components. Two courses are offered each fall and spring semester,

Master’s Degree Programs taught in two intensives per semester, ordinarily five weeks apart. F1 students refer to International Student Policies on pages 16-17.

Program of Study The Master of Arts in Youth Ministry requires 45 credits. The MAYM is composed of thirty credits in required course work (i.e., six foundational courses and four youth ministry courses), six credits in youth ministry practicum, and nine credits in elective course work, as follows:

Required Course Work Bi.104 MAYM: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible Bi.106 MAYM: Introduction to the New Testament CM.104 MAYM: Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling CM.130 MAYM: Engaging Youth in Mission and Evangelism CM.106 MAYM: Communicating the Gospel to Youth CM.108 MAYM: Advanced Studies in Youth, Church, and Culture CM.110 MAYM: Theological Methods for Youth Ministry CM.112 MAYM: Youth Minister as Pastor and Leader TH.108 MAYM: God-Talk and Youth Ministry TH.110 MAYM: Moral Questions in Youth Culture YMP-I/II MAYM: Ministry Practicum I and II (Supervised Practice of Ministry)

Elective Options In order to fulfill the degree requirements of 45 credits, students select from a variety of elective options such as courses in United Methodist studies, Presbyterian polity, travel seminars, and August and January course offerings.

MAYM Stackable Degree Option

An MAYM student wishing to matriculate into the MDiv program upon completion of their MAYM degree must complete the following steps: • After registering for their final spring semester of study, the MAYM student must contact the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success stating their desire to enroll in the MDiv program. The Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success will confirm the student’s graduation status with the Registrar. • Once the anticipated graduation date is confirmed, the student will submit the following three documents to the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success between February 1 and March 1 of the graduation year: 1. A letter from the Vice President for Academic Affairs supporting the student’s academic ability and desire to matriculate into the MDiv program. 2. A letter from an Austin Seminary faculty member supporting the student’s academic ability and desire to matriculate into the MDiv program. 3. A one-page essay written by the student, expressing why they are now pursuing the MDiv, focusing on what has changed in their call to ministry and what they have learned in the MAYM program that will support their pursuit of the MDiv. 32

Master’s Degree Programs •

Once all the documents have been submitted, the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success will submit the student’s documents and MAYM transcript to the Admissions Commission for action.

Master of Divinity Vision and Goals

Austin Seminary’s Master of Divinity degree program welcomes the full diversity of God’s people who seek to be prepared for a variety of expressions of service and leadership. We live in a seminary located geographically near an international border. We teach in a season where the majority of Americans question the importance of organized religion and the seminary becomes liminal space, a borderland between sacred and secular society and a bridge between the two. We live in a fragmented age where the need to question borders and build bridges has become imperative for the church in the world. The Master of Divinity curriculum seeks to prepare “people for ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership” who have wrestled with the biblical, theological, and ministerial implications of Christian service in a liminal space, a space of questionable borders and missing, needed bridges. The faculty and staff of Austin Seminary are committed to fostering in our students the integration of self-understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for this crucial work. To this end, the faculty has adopted the following Vision Statement for the Master of Divinity program:

Master of Divinity Vision Statement

God calls the church to be light, salt, and leaven in a beautiful but broken world. Alive in Christ, the church 33

Master’s Degree Programs must respond to the vitality of God, proclaiming and embodying a prophetic witness to life. Amidst national and international political strife, economic injustice, social and spiritual alienation, and abuse of the natural world, the Spirit bears Christ’s joy and wholeness to broken places. As the church, we sense the call to participate in this reconciling work of God. The task of theological education is to form leaders who will prepare and embolden the church for service to God in offering healing in this world. Thus, the purpose of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s Master of Divinity program is to nurture church leaders who will give strong, loving, and imaginative leadership to congregations that will be worshiping, learning, and serving communities. These leaders and congregations will prize and bear witness to life in God as grounded in Christian tradition, faith, and practices; nurture relationships within the church as the body of Christ; navigate the complexities of contemporary culture; and so recognize and answer God’s call to love God and neighbor. Graduates of the Master of Divinity program will learn to integrate self-knowledge, the traditions of the church, awareness of the world and particular contexts, and ministerial skills in order to minister effectively in contexts to which God calls. Such pastoral leadership may take several forms, including ministries of Word and Sacrament, specialized congregational ministries, chaplaincies, and leadership in the public arena. Based on this vision statement, the faculty has developed the following goals. Our Master of Divinity graduates are leaders in the church and will: ♦ understand the varying perspectives of the Christian tradition, humanities, and social sciences and how they impact personal, ecclesial, and public contexts of ministry; ♦ preach and teach the Word of God through the artful integration of biblical exegesis, theological reflection, historical awareness, and cultural analysis; ♦ demonstrate proficiency in the content and methodology of the pastoral arts, administering and shaping communities as places of worship, care, nurture, learning, spiritual growth, and mission; ♦ pursue and evaluate knowledge through inquiry, research, contemplation, critical thinking and practice, and wide-ranging discussion and collaboration; ♦ communicate effectively in speech and writing to a variety of audiences; ♦ exercise leadership needed for congregations to mobilize for Christian witness in the world; and ♦ possess capacities for self-understanding, self-care, and spiritual practices that foster wholeness, humility, faithfulness, and vocational vitality.

Requirements for the Master of Divinity Degree 1. Have on file with the registrar a complete and official transcript of credits showing graduation with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. 2. Complete satisfactorily 78 credits of required and elective work with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. 3. Complete satisfactorily at least the last twenty-seven credits of required and elective work while enrolled and in residence at Austin Seminary. 4. Complete all curricular assignments prior to commencement and by the deadline posted in the official academic calendar. 34

Master’s Degree Programs 5. Clear all indebtedness to the Seminary by the Wednesday prior to commencement. 6. To participate in commencement exercises, complete satisfactorily all degree requirements noted above. Note: A student who is admitted to the MDiv degree program may receive the Diploma instead of the MDiv degree upon the satisfactory completion of all the degree requirements except Hebrew and/or Greek and any courses for which these languages are prerequisite. Such an exemption must be approved by the faculty, meeting in executive session, and is considered only upon the request of the student and the denominational governing body which has responsibility for the student’s ordination process. The Diploma requires 78 credits, and any language courses waived are substituted with other courses as prescribed by the Vice President for Academic Aﬀairs. Duration of Program The program of study leading to the Master of Divinity degree requires a minimum of three years (i.e., thirtythree months) of full-time academic study. The program is intended to be completed within six years of matriculation into a master’s-level degree program at Austin Seminary. F1 students refer to International Student Policies on pages 16-17.

Program of Study The Master of Divinity degree requires 78 credits. The MDiv program is composed of the following required and elective work (courses are valued at three credits unless otherwise indicated):

Required Course Work Bi.102 Bi.116 Bi.320

Introduction to the Hebrew Bible Introduction to the New Testament Borders and Bridges Topics Course

Two-Language Track (PC(USA) Students and others) Bi.108 Elementary Biblical Hebrew Bi.120 Elementary New Testament Greek One exegesis course in Biblical Hebrew One exegesis course in New Testament Greek

One-Language Track (Non-PC(USA) Students) Hebrew Option Bi.108 Elementary Biblical Hebrew One exegesis course in Biblical Hebrew One additional course in New Testament studies (English-based) Greek Option Bi.120 Elementary New Testament Greek One exegesis course in New Testament Greek One additional course in Old Testament studies (English-based) CM.122

The Church as a Worshiping Community 35

Master’s Degree Programs CM.222 CM.230 CM.236 CM.244 CM.330 CM.340

Introduction to Educational Ministries Mission, Evangelism, and Community Engagement Introduction to Preaching Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling: Care for Stories, Systems, and Self Borders and Bridges Topics Course Borders and Bridges Course in Ministerial Leadership

TH.100 TH.104 TH.106 TH.200

Early and Medieval Church History Theology: Doctrines and Themes Theology: Figures and Movements Introduction to Christian Ethics, or TH.206 Biomedical Ethics, or TH.208 Environmental Ethics, or TH.296 Moral Issues TH.204 Introduction to World Religions TH.320 Borders and Bridges Topics Course I.180 or I.181 World, God, Self, and the Borderlands (travel or non-travel options) SPM or CPE Six credits are required in the form of a field placement in either Supervised Practice of Ministry (SPM) or in Clinical Pastoral Education. Typically, a student in the Master of Divinity program shall satisfactorily complete one year of coursework and has taken the Introduction to Preaching course before beginning SPM.

Elective Options In order to fulfill the degree requirement of 78 credits, students in the two-language track select a minimum of 21 additional credits from any of the course offerings or field placement opportunities; students in the onelanguage track select a minimum of 24 additional credits. The four topical Borders and Bridges electives must be included among the electives chosen. Students also have the option of taking approved courses through our cross-registration agreements with the other Presbyterian (PC(USA)) seminaries, the Seminary of the Southwest, and graduate-level courses from The University of Texas at Austin and St. Edward’s University. Additionally, elective credit can be earned through Hearer’s Credit (page 46) or, in special cases, through a directed study project (page 42).

Master’s Degree Programs

Concentration in Public Theology

The Austin Seminary faculty has strengths in the area of “public theology,” or the way in which Christian traditions engage, shape, and challenge practices of peace and justice in the wider society. Issues of ecological sustainability, racial justice, immigration, human rights, gender and sexuality, and political life more broadly help frame many of the faculty’s exploration of the ongoing vitality and voice of Christian faith. Current and prospective students often express interest in public theology and ministries of justice, reconciliation, and transformation in our broken world. This concentration in three of our master’s programs is an outgrowth of current faculty strengths and a desire among many students for a degree program that allows for a focus on public theology, without sacrificing the broad exposure to theological disciplines that our degrees already provide. Successful completion of a concentration in our degree programs would entail the following: • Students in the MDiv program would take a total of 3 elective courses (out of 7 or 8 total electives) from the following list: • Students in the MATS program would take a total of 3 elective courses (out of 8 total electives) from the following list: Bi.191 Reading the Old Testament from the Margins Bi.195 Immigration and the Old Testament Bi.235 Contextual Bible Study Bi.240 Activism and Old Testament Scriptures Bi.315 Womanist and Feminist Readings of the New Testament 37

Master’s Degree Programs CM.189 Communication for Ministries of Social Justice CM.191 Your Money and Your Life CM.240 Difficult Conversations CM.254 Ministry and Mental Illness CM.300 The Church’s Prayer Life in a Time of “Thoughts and Prayers” I.123 Sharing Our Faith Traditions TH.155 African American Religious Ethics TH.206 Environmental Ethics* TH.208 Biomedical Ethics* TH.219 Theologies of Gutiérrez and Moltmann TH.253 Feminist Theologies TH.275 Theological Ethics of Martin Luther King Jr. TH.309 Religion and American Public Life TH.310 Social Justice *These two courses cannot simultaneously fulfill both the ethics requirement and the public theology concentration requirement. Satisfaction of the concentration will include the completion of a final project in public theology in one of the Borders and Bridges Topics courses approved by the faculty for application to the concentration (MDiv) or the submission of a paper in public theology for the MATS integrative seminar. Additional courses can be added to this list (or deleted from it) by a vote of the Seminary faculty.

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs Academic Probation

A student enrolled in the MATS, MAR, MAYM, MDiv, Diploma, or Theological Certificate program, or any student admitted on provisional status is placed on academic probation for any of the following: • failure to maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point average; • receiving one F in each of two consecutive terms; or, • receiving two Fs in a given term. A student receiving two Fs in a given term will also be liable for dismissal by the faculty. Each student’s progress is monitored by the Office of Academic Affairs. Students placed on academic probation are notified of their status by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and a copy of the notice is placed in the student’s file in the student information system. During the period of academic probation students ordinarily are restricted with regard to extracurricular activities, including leadership of student groups. They are not allowed to participate in the occasional pulpit supply arranged through the Office of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, to serve on a faculty committee, or to assume the duties of a student senate officer. Exceptions to these restrictions may be made by the Student Academic Standing Committee. To be removed from academic probation a student must achieve a cumulative 2.0 grade point average and complete satisfactorily (i.e., with no grade lower than C) all course work in the subsequent fall or spring semester in which they are enrolled as a full-time student. Any student on academic probation who has been

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs on academic probation in a previous term and is placed again on academic probation will be liable to dismissal by the faculty. Should a student become liable to dismissal by the faculty, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall notify both the student and the chair of the Student Academic Standing Committee. This Committee shall promptly and fully review the student’s status with the student and formulate a recommendation to the next meeting of faculty in executive session.

Adding and Dropping Courses

A student can add, drop, or change courses to audit status during the add/drop period of each academic term. For fall and spring terms, the add/drop period extends through the first six class days of the term. For the January and summer terms, the add/drop period extends through the first three class days of the term. It is a student’s responsibility to review their registration and ensure its accuracy prior to the end of the add/drop period, reporting to the registrar and course professor any discrepancies. F1 students refer to International Student Policies on pages 16-17. After the add/drop period, a student can drop a course and/or change a course to hearer’s credit or audit status ordinarily only in very special cases such as sickness, family emergencies, or other unusual circumstances, but not for reasons issuing from the normal pressures of academic life. The request should be made through the linked document on the Academics/Registrar portion of the Seminary’s Community Resource page. Permission is granted by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. For any course dropped after the add/drop period, a grade of Q is recorded. Barring significant extenuating circumstances, the last day to drop a class with a “Q” is 5:00 p.m. on the last academic day before Fall Break or Spring Break begins. Until there is an official change in registration, the original registration stands, and the student is responsible for all requirements of the course(s).

Auditing Courses

Auditors are eligible to attend class but do not complete course assignments or receive evaluations or academic credit. Regularly enrolled degree students may audit approved classes. Auditing requires permission of the course instructor. Registration is handled through the Office of the Registrar. The auditing fee is waived for current degree students. Information on auditing procedures for those not enrolled in a degree program is found in the Admissions section of this Catalogue, under Auditors. Registration for non-degree seeking students is handled through Enrollment Management.

Biblical Language Options - MDiv Program

Biblical study at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary presupposes facility with the original languages. In the Master of Divinity degree program, this facility can be gained through one of two tracks. The two-language track is required of all Presbyterian MDiv students and is open to all other students. It consists of language and exegesis courses in both biblical Hebrew and New Testament Greek. In the two-

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs language track, in addition to the Hebrew and New Testament Greek language courses, students take two exegesis courses: one in biblical Hebrew and one in New Testament Greek. The one-language track, in which students choose study of either Hebrew or Greek, satisfies the biblical language requirements for non-Presbyterian students. In the one-language track, students choose to study either biblical Hebrew or New Testament Greek and enroll in the corresponding language course. This course is followed by one exegesis courses in the particular language. In addition, an English-based course is required, either in New Testament studies for those following the Hebrew exegesis track, or in Old Testament studies for those following the Greek exegesis track.

Biblical Language Waiver or Academic Credit

A student who has satisfactorily completed academic work in biblical Hebrew or in classical or koiné Greek at an accredited college, university, or theological school may be qualified, in the case of undergraduate study, to receive a waiver of the elementary language requirement(s), or, if the work is graduate-level, to receive academic credit. Before a student is granted a waiver or awarded transfer or cross-registration credit for a biblical language, they are to be examined for proficiency in a manner established by the Biblical Department. If proficiency is not demonstrated, the student will be required to audit appropriate portions of the relevant biblical language course(s) as determined by the examining professor. After auditing the course, and upon successful demonstration of proficiency, a waiver will be granted or transfer or cross-registration credit will be awarded.

Classification and Numbering of Courses

Courses are classified according to the following faculty departments: Bi Biblical TH Theological-Historical CM Church’s Ministry I Interdepartmental CPE Clinical Pastoral Education SPM Supervised Practice of Ministry Courses numbered 100-199 are foundational courses for which there are no course prerequisites. Students are expected to complete all 100-level requirements before enrolling in upper-level courses. Courses numbered 200-299 and 300-399 are upper-level.

Course Open and Close Dates in Brightspace

Austin Seminary uses the Brightspace/My Learning platform as its Learning Management System. Master’slevel courses open to students one week before the first day of a semester or term. Courses close three weeks after the grading deadline for each semester or term.

Credit Load: Full-time and Part-time Study

For fall or spring semesters: The standard load is 12 credits; the maximum load is 15 credits, and the minimum full-time load is nine credits. Enrollment in fewer than nine credits is considered part-time study. Students are required to be enrolled for credit in the fall and spring semesters.

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs For January terms: The standard load is three credits; the maximum load is six credits, and the minimum load is zero credits. Enrollment in fewer than three credits is considered part-time study.

For summer terms: The standard load is three or six credits; the maximum load is six credits, and the minimum load is zero credits. Enrollment in fewer than six credits during a ten-week period in a summer term is considered parttime study; enrollment in fewer than three credits during a six-week period in a summer term is considered part-time study. To exceed the maximum credit load for a given term, as noted, requires permission of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. F1 students refer to International Student Policies on pages 16-17. Credit Value The credit value of each course is noted in its course description. One master’s-level credit is defined as the equivalent of fifty hours of student involvement over the course of a term.

Cross-registration

Cross-registration agreements with the Seminary of the Southwest, and for PC(USA) students other PC(USA) theological schools (through the Presbyterian Exchange Program), allow degree candidates at Austin Seminary to enroll in approved, graduate-level elective courses only at these institutions. Under these agreements, Austin Seminary students register for course work through Austin Seminary and tuition and fees are charged and collected by Austin Seminary at the same rate per credit as comparable Seminary courses. Seminary financial aid can also be applied to these credits as it would be to Austin Seminary course work.

Deadline for Submitting End-of-Term Coursework

For non-graduating students, all course work for a particular term is due no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the term. For graduating seniors, spring semester work is due no later than the date published in the Academic Calendar. In all cases, an earlier deadline may be set by the instructor.

Denominational Requirements

On a regular basis, the Seminary offers master’s-level courses that satisfy particular denominational requirements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and The United Methodist Church, specifically in the areas of denominational polity, doctrine, and history. In addition, every effort is made to assist students of other denominations with particular course requirements of their denominations. These efforts include developing directed studies as well as permitting denominational requirements to be taken at other theological institutions and, if necessary, transferring credit for this work into a master’s-degree program at Austin Seminary.

Directed Study Project

A student or group of students who are enrolled in a degree program may undertake a directed study project (DSP). During any term, the credit value of a DSP can range from one to three credits. Ordinarily, students may undertake only one DSP per degree program, with the exception of denominational requirements. 42

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs To initiate consideration for a DSP, the student, or students, should gather all pertinent information regarding the project and complete the project design using the Directed Study Project Application Form, found on the Academics/Registrar portion of the Seminary’s Community Resources page. The completed project design is signed by the student(s) and professor and is then submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs office for final approval.

Duration of Programs

The program of study leading to the MATS degree is designed as a two-year (i.e., twenty-one month) program of full-time study, with the MAR degree designed as a one-and-a-half year program with advanced standing. In order to complete the MATS in two years, a student must average 12 credits in each fall and spring semester and take three credits in one January term. The program of study leading to the MAYM degree is designed as a structured three-year program of study. The courses are offered in an intensive format with supplemental online components. Two courses are offered each fall and spring semester, taught in two intensives per semester, ordinarily five weeks apart. The program of study leading to the MDiv degree is designed as a three-year (i.e., thirty-three month) program of full-time study, exclusive of any year-long internship. In order to complete the MDiv degree program in three years, a student must average twelve credits in each fall and spring semester, three credits in each January term, and three to six credits each summer term.

Ecclesiastical Endorsement

Ordinarily, students enrolled for the Master of Divinity degree intend to become ordained ministers. Thus, they plan their seminary training in consultation with responsible officials of their respective denominations. Seminary officers, especially the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, will remind degree candidates of their need to keep in regular communication with their denominational officials and will help them to do so. It is to the student’s advantage to have ecclesiastical endorsement established as quickly as possible. Presbyterian students who have not entered the preparation for ministry process of a presbytery when they enter seminary are urged to begin the process of becoming an inquirer by the end of their first year of study. Obtaining and maintaining a proper relationship with church officials or governing bodies are responsibilities of the degree candidate.

Extensions

All course work for a particular term is due no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the term. For graduating students, spring semester work is due no later than the date published in the Academic Calendar. In all cases, an earlier deadline may be set by the instructor. A student may submit a request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for an extension in order to complete the requirements for a particular master’s-level course. The request must be made before 5:00 p.m. on 43

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs the last day of an academic term, with the exception that extensions for final exams must be requested no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day of reading week. Extensions are granted only for very special cases such as sickness, family emergencies, or other unusual circumstances, but not for requests issuing from the normal pressures of academic life. If the request for an extension is granted, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify the student and the professor in writing. Extensions for spring semester work are not available to graduating seniors. The duration of an extension shall be no more than three weeks beyond the end of the course. A second such extension may be requested and granted for each course. A grade of I (for Incomplete) is recorded when an extension is granted by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A grade of I becomes a grade of F if the work is not completed by the date determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If a professor does not submit a final course grade for a student and the student has neither completed the requirements for the course, nor been granted an extension by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, a grade of F shall be posted. In this instance, the F is not remediable.

Faculty Advisor Program

Upon admission to a master’s-level degree program, each student is assigned a faculty advisor by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The faculty advisor counsels the student with respect to the planning of the student’s course of study, assists the student with course registration, and serves as a special guide for the student in making decisions about academic goals. The faculty advisor is available to reflect with the student with respect to their spiritual pilgrimage. After one year, a student may make a request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for a different faculty advisor. In the MAYM degree program, the director of the MAYM program serves as advisor to students.

Grade Reports and Academic Records

After each academic term, students’ individual grade reports are available in CoreCampus. Students can request that the registrar provide grades, in the form of a transcript, to presbyteries, conferences, and other denominational bodies or agencies. These requests are made through Parchment. The link is provided on the Community Resources page in the Academic Affairs/Registrar section. The registrar takes measures to ensure accuracy and security from loss or unauthorized use of student grades, according to federal law. In compliance with the laws of the State of Texas and the policies of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges, it is Austin Seminary’s policy that legal names of graduates must be printed and match on transcripts and diplomas, however preferred names may be printed in the bulletin and read aloud at the Commencement ceremony. Students must submit documentation regarding name changes to the Registrar.

Grading System

The grading system employed by Austin Seminary for all academic work is as follows: 1. Academic performance for all students will be evaluated by means of one of the following two options: 44

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs LETTER GRADE option A 4.00 grade points per credit A3.67 grade points per credit B+ 3.33 grade points per credit B 3.00 grade points per credit B2.67 grade points per credit

C+ 2.33 grade points per credit C 2.00 grade points per credit C- 1.67 grade points per credit D 1.00 grade points per credit F 0.00 grade points per credit

PASS/FAIL option P Satisfactory academic performance. No grade points. F Unsatisfactory academic performance. 0.00 grade points. 2. All required courses in the MATS, MAR, MAYM, or MDiv program are graded by letter grade, except as noted in items 3 and 4. 3. MAYM students may take only one elective pass/fail during their program. 4. The biblical language courses Bi.108 and Bi.120 and all elective courses shall be graded by letter grade or pass/fail at the option of the student for each particular course. 5. The following academic work shall be graded pass/fail only: CM.214; I.123; all travel seminars; all SPM work, including Ministry in a Hospice Setting, Pastoral Care in a Hospital Setting, and Clinical Pastoral Education. 6. Students shall be registered for a letter grade but may change to pass/fail during the add/drop period for the given term. After the add/drop period the grading preference cannot be changed. 7. In the pass/fail option, the grade of P has no effect on the student’s grade point average, while the grade of F has a negative effect. 8. A course for which the grade of D or F is earned will not be applied to a student’s degree program. A required course must be repeated. 9. When a grade of D or F is earned and the course is repeated, all instances of the course appear on the student’s transcript. The grades earned for all courses are counted in the student’s grade point average. 10. If a final course grade is not submitted by an instructor for a student who did not complete the requirements for a course and was not granted an extension by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, a grade of F shall be posted. In this instance, the F is not remediable. 11. If a student receives a failing course grade that the professor determines is remediable, the student may be granted permission through the Vice President for Academic Affairs to remedy the failing grade. The deadline for remedying the grade is three weeks after the end of the term. A second and final three-week period can be requested. 12. Final course grades will be submitted by faculty members into Brightspace no later than two weeks after the end of a semester or term, or two weeks after the deadline for an extension. Fall term grades will be due the second day of the January term. 13. Letter grades will be recorded for coursework transferred from institutions with which Austin Seminary has a formal Memoranda of Understanding; otherwise, grades of P/F will be recorded.

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs In order to receive a Master of Arts (Theological Studies), Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Arts in Youth Ministry, or Master of Divinity degree, or the Diploma or Theological Certificate, a student must have a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale for all academic work. The grade point average is computed by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credits for which a letter grade has been recorded. The following grades are given in special situations: I Incomplete. The academic work is not complete for reasons beyond the student’s control; requires an extension approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. I becomes F if the work is not completed by the deadline. Q Dropped (quit) course after the add/drop period. W Withdrew from the Seminary.

Hearer’s Credit Option

Students already heavily engaged in course work who are interested in other courses being offered but have insufficient study time to elect them for full credit may request enrollment for hearer’s credit. In providing this option for degree students, the Seminary operates under the following guidelines: 1. The professor(s) may permit, limit, or deny hearer’s credit enrollment in any given course. 2. Students enrolled for hearer’s credit are required to attend all class sessions regularly and are evaluated by means agreed upon by the professor(s) and the student, with documentation provided to the registrar. 3. Students are limited to one hearer’s credit enrollment in any given term. 4. For the successful completion of a course taken for hearer’s credit the student receives one credit toward the degree. 5. Credit received through the hearer’s credit option ordinarily does not count toward the fulfillment of the departmental requirements and is always graded pass/fail.

Incomplete

An Incomplete (I) is the temporary grade posted when a student is granted an extension in a course by the Vice President for Academic Affairs (see Extensions).

Leave of Absence

A request for a leave of absence ordinarily is made only for reasons of health, to make possible a period of study in another theological seminary, or to enable the student to engage in noncredit practice of ministry. Such a request is addressed in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs who considers the request and presents it to the faculty in executive session for approval. A leave of absence is granted for a particular period not to exceed one academic year. It is the student’s responsibility to register for future classes during the published registration period, even when said period coincides with an approved Leave of Absence. F1 students refer to International Students Policies on pages 16-17.

Matriculation

Matriculation into the MATS, MAR, MAYM, or MDiv degree program is permitted in any academic term. A Provisional Student admitted to one of these programs can matriculate only in the fall semester. F1 students refer to International Students Policies on pages 16-17. 46

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs

Ordination Examinations, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) expects a minister of the Word and Sacrament to be knowledgeable and to be able to apply that knowledge in five areas: Bible Content, Open Book Bible Exegesis, Theological Competence, Worship and Sacraments, and Church Polity. Seminary courses contribute to such knowledge and application. The Bible Content examination is given on campus on the Friday before Labor Day and on the first Friday of February each year. The examination is open to any student who registers for it. A passing score is required to meet the ordination requirements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Privacy Rights of Students

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, students are entitled to examine their education records. These records are confidential and in most circumstances may be released to third parties only by written consent of the student. See FERPA in the Student Handbook.

Satisfactory Progress

A student is judged to be making satisfactory progress toward a MATS, MAR, MAYM, or MDiv degree by maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and by ongoing enrollment in sufficient course work to complete the degree.

Style Guide

The Chicago Manual of Style (18th Edition) is the Seminary’s preferred style guide and resource for student writing assignments. It is available online to all students and faculty free of charge. A link to this resource is available at https://www.austinseminary.edu/citations.

Transfer of Course Work

A student may request transfer credit for graduate-level academic work from accredited institutions. For admitted students who have submitted the Intent to Matriculate form, the Office of Vice President for Academic Affairs will evaluate their transcript(s) and provide 1) a preliminary assessment of how the transfer credit will be handled, and 2) the remaining requirements necessary for completion of the MATS, MAR, or MDiv degree. After matriculation into the degree program, the student will receive an official memo from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs regarding transfer credit. A request for transfer credit initiated after matriculation into a master’s-level degree program should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. In all cases, transfer of credit is granted at the discretion of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A review of transfer credit may require conversation between the student and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The student may also be asked to provide a course syllabus for any course being considered for transfer. Only courses with a grade of C or better will be considered for transfer credit. Letter grades will be recorded for coursework transferred from institutions with which Austin Seminary has a formal Memoranda of Understanding; otherwise, grades of P/F will be recorded.

Academic Information for Master’s-Level Programs

Waiver of Requirements

Students who have completed work in an accredited college or university comparable to courses at Austin Seminary may be permitted to waive some or all required courses. Requests for such waivers are made through the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Withdrawal from the Seminary

Should a student enrolled in a master’s-level degree program at Austin Seminary decide to withdraw from the Seminary, the student shall 1) make an appointment with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and 2) notify the president in writing (email is acceptable) indicating the reason for withdrawal and providing an effective date. The president will report this information to the faculty at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The student’s academic record will reflect the date of withdrawal. If the withdrawal occurs prior to the end of an academic term in which the student is registered for course work, then, depending on the student’s standing in each unfinished course, a grade of W (withdrew) or F (failure) will be posted. If a student withdraws while on academic or non-academic probation, or while on involuntary leave of absence, the transcript will reflect this status. F1 students refer to International Students Policies on pages 16-17.

Academic Departments and Course Listings

Academic Departments and Course Listings The Biblical Department

Austin Seminary recognizes the value of biblical studies for theological education and preparation for ministry. Introductory courses in master’s-level degree programs provide an overview and survey of the biblical witness in its proper context. Additional requirements in the MDiv program serve to develop students’ abilities to integrate biblical exegesis, theological reflection, historical awareness, and cultural analysis.

From Left to Right: Dr. Margaret Aymer, Dr. Rodney Caruthers, Dr. Gregory Cuéllar, Dr. Donghyun Jeong, and Dr. Song-mi Suzie Park

Course Descriptions Biblical Languages and Introductory Courses

Bi.102 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible - Three credits Profs. Cuéllar or Park This course is a study of the Hebrew Bible as shaped by the varied circumstances in which the faith and life of the believing communities found expression. Bi.104 MAYM: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible - Three credits Prof. Park Through close readings of stories in the Hebrew Bible, this course explores the ways in which ancient Israelite and modern interpreters imagined their world, community, and religion. Special attention is placed on the use and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in believing communities in contemporary settings. Bi.106 MAYM: Introduction to the New Testament - Three credits Profs. Caruthers or Jeong This course introduces the writings of the New Testament as influenced by the cultural and literary contexts of the world of the first-century Mediterranean world. Attention is given to higher critical questions such as authorship and the Synoptic problem. Special emphasis is placed on the use of New Testament in contemporary youth ministry. Bi.108 Elementary Biblical Hebrew - Three credits Profs. Cuéllar or Park This intensive course is designed to equip a student with basic reading skills in biblical Hebrew making extensive use of selected readings from the Hebrew Bible. 49

Academic Departments and Course Listings Bi.116 Introduction to the New Testament - Three credits Profs. Caruthers or Jeong This course is a study of the New Testament as shaped by the varied circumstances in which the faith and life of the early Christian community found expression. Bi.120 Elementary New Testament Greek - Three credits Prof. Jeong This course is designed to equip a student with basic reading skills in New Testament Greek, making extensive use of audio and visual instructional materials and concentrating on the fundamentals of grammar and the vocabulary occurring most frequently in the New Testament. Bi.171 Hebrew Reading - Three credits Profs. Cuéllar or Park This course is designed to increase a student’s ability to read and translate the Hebrew Bible. Prerequisite: Bi.108.

Hebrew and Greek Exegesis

Exegesis courses presuppose a working knowledge of the biblical languages and involve in-depth work with the Hebrew or Greek text. The courses listed below carry a value of three credits. The prerequisite for Hebrew exegesis courses is Bi.108 Elementary Biblical Hebrew; the prerequisite for Greek exegesis courses is Bi.120 Elementary New Testament Greek.

Hebrew Exegesis Taught by either Prof. Cuéllar or Prof. Park Bi.214 Genesis 1-11: The Primeval History Bi.215 Genesis 12-50: The Matriarchal and Patriarchal Narratives Bi.219 Isaiah 40-66 Bi.223 Ruth and Jonah Bi.224 II Kings Bi.227 Daniel Bi.255 Esther Bi.259 I Samuel: Samuel, Saul, and David Stories Bi.260 II Samuel: The Rise and Fall of David Bi.275 Lamentations Bi.277 Psalms 120-134: Songs of Ascent Bi.283 Joshua Bi.285 Judges Bi.339 Jeremiah Bi.361 Hosea Bi.363 Exodus Bi.369 Selected Old Testament Texts Bi.377 Amos

Academic Departments and Course Listings Greek Exegesis Taught by Prof. Aymer, Prof. Caruthers, or Prof. Jeong Bi.201 Matthew Bi.205 Romans Bi.207 Galatians Bi.209 Luke Bi.217 I Corinthians Bi.243 Mark Bi.249 Philippians Bi.251 James Bi.303 Acts Bi.307 Ephesians Bi.335 John Bi.359 I & II Thessalonians Bi.367 The Book of Revelation

Biblical Interpretation *Bi.108 Elementary Biblical Hebrew and/or Bi.120 Elementary Greek are prerequisite courses for all Biblical Interpretation courses. Bi.185 Jesus and the Gospel Parables (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Caruthers The course presents the parables attributed to Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament Gospels, and examines their meaning, structure, function, and content. Students learn a variety of interpretive approaches, including social, literary, and historical. They consider the impact of the form and placement of parables in the wider gospel narratives on their interpretation, investigate how and why Jesus implemented them as didactic instruments, and examine the insights offered by these parables into the daily life, customs, and beliefs of firstcentury Palestine and surrounding Roman provinces. Students also explore the reception history of parables in later church traditions and their relevance for the contemporary church and culture. Bi.191 Reading the Bible from the Margins (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Cuéllar This course examines readings of the Old Testament produced by individual readers marginalized because of color, class, gender, disability, and sexual orientation. We explore the ways social locations shape and inform readings and interpretations of the biblical texts. How do the social locations of minority community members impact the questions they put to the biblical texts? Also pertinent to this course is the potential value of marginalized modes of reading and interpreting the biblical texts for diverse ministry contexts. Bi.195 Immigration and the Old Testament: Perspectives from Latine/x Experiences (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Cuéllar The primary focus of this course is to engage in a critical reading of immigration in the Hebrew Bible. Privileging the final form of the text, students engage in a critical analysis of biblical texts that center on

Academic Departments and Course Listings themes of immigration, deportation, exile, return, and diaspora. Informing our reading is the broader context of the U.S. Latina/o perspective(s) on diaspora and immigration. Bi.230 Jesus and Judaism - Three credits. Prof. Caruthers This course explores the life of Jesus within the historical and theological landscape of Judaism. Students analyze the expansion of Jewish literature, including the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as the rise of Jewish sectarianism and Messianic expectations. Key historical events, such as the Maccabean Revolt and Hasmonean rule, will be examined for their influence on Jewish religious thought and practice. The course also investigates the impact of Hellenistic and Roman cultures on Judaism, offering essential context for understanding the early Jesus Movement and the emergence of Christianity. Bi.233 Topics in Biblical Studies - Three credits Faculty In this course students engage topics of importance for the history, development, and study of scripture as text(s) within the context of the ancient church and its contemporary counterpart. Bi.234 Love in the Hebrew Bible (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Park Language and concepts about love permeate the Old Testament. Indeed, the declaration to love the Lord is daily recited as part of the Shema, one of the central prayers in Judaism. Likewise, Jesus in the Gospel of Mark states that the most important commandment is to love the Lord. In this course, we will examine the various understandings and definitions of love that emerge from the Old Testament. Furthermore, we will explore biblical concepts related to love such as hesed (loving-kindness), covenantal fidelity, divine love, and sexual and romantic love. Bi.235 Contextual Bible Study (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Aymer This class teaches students to develop Bible studies aimed to assist communities to think theologically and ethically and to respond in practical ways. Based on Contextual Bible Study methodologies developed in South Africa, and Popular Bible Reading methodologies developed in Cuba, Contextual Bible Study uses the tools of literary, narrative, and historical exegesis to help communities to think and respond biblically to concerns that they themselves have identified. As part of this class, students develop and lead a contextual Bible study. No knowledge of ancient languages is presumed. Bi.237 Postcolonial Trauma and the Minor Prophets (English-based) - Six credits Prof. Cuéllar This course explores the postcolonial traumas inscribed in the writings of the minor prophets. Emphasis is given to postcolonial theory on trauma and the narratives of modern colonized people to understand the legacies of violence and traumatic impact of colonization on the prophetic writers. Bi.239 How to Interpret the Bible: Methods, Approaches, and Application (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Park How does one interpret the Bible? Is interpretation the same as reading the Bible or is it similar to Bible study? What separates a good interpretation from a bad one? Focusing on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, this course examines various exegetical methods – such as feminist, postcolonial, structuralist/historical-critical approaches – that have been used to interpret the biblical text. The course examines the history and the theoretical assumptions that undergird each method and also asks students to apply a particular method to their interpretation of a biblical text. Through discussion and application, students discover the strengths and

Academic Departments and Course Listings the limitations of the various exegetical approaches. In so doing, students become better and more attuned readers and interpreters of the Bible.

Bi.240 Activism and Old Testament Scriptures (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Cuéllar This course focuses on the role of Old Testament Scriptures in activism. Students read and discuss a variety of activist readings of the Old Testament that gave impetus to revolutions, political uprisings, decolonization movements, and other mass social movements. Particular attention is given to Social Movement Studies and the signifying work and framing processes that mobilize or activate adherents so that they move, metaphorically, from the balcony to the barricades. Bi.241 Acts of the Apostles: Colonization and Migration - Three credits Prof. Jeong This course approaches the Acts of the Apostles, focusing on three interconnected goals. First, it engages in a close reading of Acts in English. Second, it examines key aspects of Acts, including its literary, historical, and theological issues. Finally, it analyzes Acts through the critical lenses of colonization and migration in the firstcentury Mediterranean world. The course explores how the theological language of migrant subjects and communities in the narrative of Acts is shaped by the Roman empire’s colonial/imperial projects. Students also reflect on how Acts resonates with (post)colonial and migration issues in today’s global context. Bi.245 Perspectives on Paul (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Jeong This English-based course surveys various perspectives (Old/New perspectives on Paul, Paul-within-Judaism, the Apocalyptic Paul, and other contextual approaches to Paul such as feminist, postcolonial, AfricanAmerican, Asian-American, Latinx, etc.) and encourages students to develop their own perspectives when reading Paul’s letters. Bi.305 Romans (English-based) – Three Credits Prof. Jeong Bi.311 Topics in New Testament Theology - Three credits Faculty A seminar which considers selected areas in New Testament theology, such as Christology, womanist and feminist readings of the New Testament, Jesus and Judaism, Sermon on the Mount, etc. May be taken more than once for credit. Prerequisite: Bi.120. Bi.315 Womanist and Feminist Readings of the New Testament (English-based) - Three credits Prof. Aymer This course explores the implications of feminist and womanist perspectives for the reading and interpretation of the writings of the New Testament. Students explore how the truism that women are people has undergirded feminist thought, arguing against the marginalization of women, body, mind, and spirit. We further explore how womanist thought has pushed further, calling for a consideration of the intersectionality of race, class, and gender on women and their communities. How do these interpretations change what and whom we notice? Of what value are these questions for those preparing for ministry in the twenty-first century? Bi.318 Christianity, Exorcisms, Healing, and Magic in the Papyri - Three credits Prof. Caruthers The course explores the various ways that miracle, magic, exorcism, and healing were understood and how they functioned during the formative years of Christianity. The course introduces Christian descriptions of 53

Academic Departments and Course Listings magical practices in papyri (ancient manuscripts) to demonstrate the beliefs and concerns of early Christians. Students read examples of magical spells and incantations in the papyri, alongside New Testament texts, extrabiblical sources, and artifacts (e.g., amulets). Studying the magical papyri prepares students to critically analyze intersections between New Testament teachings, material artifacts, and the embedded theology of real-world practices in antiquity.

The Department of the Church’s Ministry

The Department of the Church’s Ministry engages in practical theology, which consists of critical and constructive theological reflection on the practices of the community of faith. God calls people through the church to engage in a number of diverse practices in the course of Christian ministry. This department organizes these practices into the following areas: Christian Education; Leadership and Administration; Mission and Evangelism; Pastoral Care; and Preaching, Worship, and Music. Each of these areas of theological inquiry finds its roots in scripture, its foundational doctrines articulated within the tradition, its practices changing throughout history, and its methods in conversation with the social sciences. Consequently, through biblical and historical study, theological analysis, and interdisciplinary dialogue, this department assists students to gain the understandings and skills necessary to being faithful participants in the ministry of the church.

(Top Row) Left to Right: Dr. Sarah Allen, Dr. Patricia Bonilla, Prof. Ted Foote, Dr. Carolyn Helsel, Dr. Philip Browning Helsel (Bottom Row) Left to Right: Dr. José R. Irizarry, Dr. Jennifer Lord, Dr. Crystal Silva-McCormick, Dr. Andrew Zirschky

Course Descriptions Christian Education Courses

CM.106 MAYM: Communicating the Gospel to Youth— Three credits Profs. Bonilla or Zirschky 54

Academic Departments and Course Listings In this course students explore seven contemporary approaches for communicating the Gospel to adolescents and assess them theologically and in light of our sociocultural situation. Students test these approaches by crafting and teaching lesson plans that draw from each of them. In the process, students formulate a personal philosophy of youth ministry to guide the formation of youth. Students gain from this course a deeper understanding of approaches to faith formation and a more developed skill set for engaging in the work of communicating the Gospel to young people. CM.108 MAYM: Advanced Studies in Youth, Church, and Culture - Three credits Profs. Bonilla or Zirschky This course introduces students to the notion of youth as a historical phenomenon, including the relatively recent construction of the institution of adolescence, with special attention to recent trends related to technology, brain research, gender and racial differences, generational research, and emerging adulthood. As more complete and intersectional descriptions of contemporary adolescence emerge, students engage them theologically with a view toward developing more adequate approaches to congregations’ ministries with youth. CM.110 MAYM: Theological Methods for Youth Ministry - Three credits Profs. Bonilla or Zirschky This course explores various sources and methods for reflecting theologically on youth ministry contexts. Students identify themes that are particularly relevant for the formation of youth in contemporary contexts: physiological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual. Students engage these themes utilizing a range of theological methods, including postliberal, narrative, mutually critical, liberation, hermeneutical, emerging, constructive, and practical approaches. This course assists students in developing important skills for engaging youth ministry in participation with the Word and work of God. CM.112 MAYM: Youth Minister as Pastor and Leader - Three credits Profs. Bonilla or Zirschky This course introduces various roles played by the youth leader in ministering to the spiritual, personal, and social needs of adolescents in American congregations. It examines the role of youth minister as leader in the Christian community in light of systems theory, cultural intelligence, and theological reflection. Additionally, an exploration of the role of youth minister as pastor and caregiver are considered in light of the developmental needs and realities of contemporary American youth. CM.120 MAYM: Pedagogies of Hope for Youth Ministry – Four credits Prof. Bonilla This course explores educational practices and theories to help youth leaders think about the creation of educational spaces (face-to-face, virtual, hybrid) in the shadow of divisiveness, violence, isolation, and banned language and books. Students learn the importance of creating spaces that implicate us in each other’s wellbeing, with presence, integrity, solidarity, affection, mutuality, and hope. Theories of critical and emancipatory pedagogies are highlighted for their creative potential to educate and offer hope for young people. CM.132 MAYM: Youth, Secularization, and Experiences of Religious Doubt - Three credits Prof. Zirschky Research shows a majority of Christian youth doubt their faith. Few ever talk about it, leaving teenagers to doubt alone. This course prepares students to journey alongside young people who are doubting their faith. Students examine historical and contemporary accounts of religious doubt, explore a theology of doubt, consider the influence of secularization, and investigate the varieties of doubting experiences that beset youth.

Academic Departments and Course Listings CM.133 MAYM: Relational Youth Ministry in an Age of Networks - Three credits Prof. Zirschky Youth ministry has been nearly universally conceived as relational in nature. These forms of relational ministry are being challenged by a change in the meaning of relationality fostered by life in a networked society. This course explores the challenges posed to relational youth ministry by the sociological shift to networked individualism, and seeks to guide students in reimagining relational ministry for the networked age through a practical theological framework. CM.148 Progressive Youth Ministry: Exploring Praxis in Contemporary Contexts - Three Credits Prof. Zirschky This course offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the principles, practices, and challenges of undertaking just, inclusive, and compassionate ministry through active participation in the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference. Students attend and engage the diverse range of sessions, workshops, and plenary addresses offered at the November conference in Austin, gaining firsthand insights into innovative approaches to youth ministry within progressive Christian contexts. CM.192 MAYM: Your Money and Your Life - Three credits Faculty This course explores money as a social construct, occasion for idolatry, and genuine problem for Christians. Specific attention is given to one’s personal relationship with money, theories of stewardship, and the use of money in contemporary American congregations. CM.196 MAYM: Sustainable Faith in a Secular Age - Three credits Prof. Zirschky This course explores the rise in religiously unaffiliated youth and young adults in North America, and evaluates theology, theories, and strategies for addressing this trend through the efforts of Christian congregations and other religious communities. Drawing from sociology, students learn about various perspectives within secularization theory and conduct research interviews to help them understand firsthand the religious concerns and perspectives of unaffiliated and disaffiliated young people. Students consider and evaluate diverse theological proposals for fostering faith in young people that is sustained beyond adolescence, and they propose a plan of action for ministry by their faith communities. CM.202 MAYM: Youth & Social Justice, Environmental Justice, & Urban Gardening - Three credits Prof. C. Helsel This course invites youth ministers to deepen youth engagement with local forms of social justice through participating in sustainable agriculture and urban gardening. The need to feed the hungry, as called by Jesus, is an ongoing form of justice ministry in which youth can actively participate. Students visit a Nashville-based non-profit that provides gardening training for local schools in impoverished areas where children lack access to fresh food. In addition to learning about non-profits that offer fresh food and gardening training for families, students theologically engage issues of environmental racism and its impacts on communities of color. Finally, students also get their hands dirty by learning about the local soil structure. CM.203 MAYM: Beyond Youth Group: Exploring Community-based Ministry - Four credits Prof. Zirschky This course explores community-based youth ministries outside of traditional ecclesial spaces. Grounded in the missio dei and ecclesiological practice, these new forms of youth ministry are being pursued in urban spaces and other under-resourced neighborhoods by faith-based youth development organizations. Some of these ministries have strong ties to congregations, while others operate independently, but all seek the holistic 56

Academic Departments and Course Listings flourishing of youth in aspects both spiritual and material. Through field trips, in-person guest lectures, and live video interviews, students meet and hear from a variety of youth ministers who are actively leading opportunities that seek to empower and promote the agency of youth. CM.204 Queer Youth Ministry - Three credits Prof. Zirschky Exploring the intersection of theology, ministry, and LGBTQ+ identities, this course focuses on the unique experiences and needs of queer youth within the context of Christian communities. Students engage in examination and reflection on queer-affirming ministry principles as they delve into the theological foundations of practices that embrace LGBTQ+ identities and the inherent dignity and worth of all individuals. Topics include developing inclusive and affirming practices for youth ministry programs; navigating challenges and obstacles in advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion within Christian communities; cultivating pastoral care skills to support queer youth in their spiritual journeys; and collaborating with LGBTQ+ organizations and allies to create welcoming spaces for youth. CM.218 Educating for Prophetic Witness in the 21st Century—Three credits Profs. Bonilla & SilvaMcCormick This course engages a variety of ways of knowing that will inform students’ theological perspectives and prepare them to engage the public sphere, centering the land and the stories of people on the margins. Readings from indigenous, Latina, and Chicana feminists serve as the primary texts for this course. CM.222 Introduction to Educational Ministries - Three credits Prof. Bonilla This course invites students to explore a broad range of perspectives and theories for analyzing approaches and practices in religious education, with the awareness that teaching and learning are not neutral. Students survey classical/modern and contemporary models through a critical lens, being attentive to the ways in which race, culture, gender, class, national status, human sexuality, and ability impact our educational approaches and practices within ecclesial and non-ecclesial settings. CM.233 Building Christian Communities of Presence in an Age of Artificial Intimacy (Hybrid) - Three Credits Prof. Zirschky This course explores how Christian congregations can reclaim the theological gift of presence and cultivate communities of koinonia that embody depth, vulnerability, reciprocal care, and the ongoing practice of imperfect Christian relationality. In this cultural moment, social media, networked individualism, and emerging AI companions increasingly mediate how people experience intimacy, friendship, and emotional support — particularly among children, youth, and young adults. Drawing on interdisciplinary research on loneliness and digital culture, and emerging scholarship on the effects of artificial intelligence, students examine how contemporary systems encourage curated identities, transactional relationships, and shallow connection. Woven together with an exploration of trinitarian and relational theology, the course then focuses on how congregations might become countercultural spaces that form people for authentic presence, covenantal belonging, and deeply shared life. CM.255 Special Topics - Three credits Faculty This course explores a select topic in pastoral care, preaching, worship, music, Christian education, leadership, administration, mission, or evangelism. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing.

Academic Departments and Course Listings

Leadership and Administration Courses

CM.191 Your Money and Your Life - Three credits Faculty This course explores money as a social construct, occasion for idolatry, and genuine problem for Christians. Specific attention is given to one’s personal relationship with money, theories of stewardship, and the use of money in contemporary American congregations. CM.194 Person as Pastor, Pastor as Pilgrim - Three credits Faculty This course explores classical and contemporary approaches to pastoral identity and the relationship between the minister’s sense of self and the role of “pastor.” Students explore relational, psychological, and spiritual wholeness, with an emphasis on gaining clarity about their individual calls and confidence in receiving their ecclesial calls. Additionally, on personal renewal sustaining a’s health and well-being helps students develop practices for mindfulness, meditation, and attending to the world. Students participate through readings, written and oral reflections, and physical and spiritual practices. CM.195 Collaboration and Adaptivity in Ministry – Three credits. Prof. Foote This course examines collaboration and adaptivity as primary methods of leading faith communities and nonprofit service organizations and institutions. Modifying leadership models which are characterized as visionary, assertive, and goal-objectified, students evaluate the intentional development of authentic relationships as basic and related to both member constituents and organizational officers. Students explore how – when navigating serious individual and organizational challenges – priorities of rooted trust and perceived credibility are essential for negotiating conflict and embodying healthy leadership. CM.209 Personality and Methods in Pastoral Ministry Roles – Three credits Prof. Foote This course examines how a pastor’s unique personality becomes engaged with various aspects and roles of ministry within a congregation. Students explore how to distinguish between essential clergy responsibilities and faith community expectations. Students discover how to balance and interweave institutional duties and personal life with health and integrity. CM.214 Seminar in the Work of the GA of the PC(USA)- Three credits Faculty The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a large, rapidly moving, and complicated gathering whose decisions have profound impact on the life and work of the church. Students familiarize themselves with the inner workings of the Assembly and issues to be addressed. They then attend the Assembly itself, observing both plenary and standing committee sessions, and debrief each night after the day’s events. Among other requirements, students follow a particular issue of interest through the committee and plenary process and reflect on their observations. CM.227 Congregational Planning and Visioning - Three credits Faculty This course examines models of planning. It considers dynamics of change, the role of the pastor, and the value and limits of visioning in the life of the congregation. Students learn thoughtful and effective practices for encouraging a culture of “purpose over preference” and building productively on the congregation’s mission history.

Academic Departments and Course Listings CM.235 Polity and Discipline of The United Methodist Church – Three credits Prof. Bonilla This course seeks to acquaint students with how The United Methodist Church orders and structures itself in its total life, doctrine, ministry, and mission. This course fulfills the disciplinary requirement for all United Methodist students seeking ordination as a deacon or elder in The United Methodist Church (UMC). This course offers practical ministry-oriented information with a focus on effective conversations that will enhance successful local church ministry. CM.255 Special Topics - Three credits Faculty The course explores a select topic in pastoral care, preaching, worship, music, Christian education, leadership, administration, mission, or evangelism. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing. CM.301 The Polity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - Three credits Faculty In this course students become acquainted with the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with special attention to the Book of Order. An emphasis is placed on the theological roots of Presbyterian government. Students explore the practices of government that grow out of Presbyterian polity in order to further the faithful mission of the church. CM.302 Approaching the Threshold of Ministry - Three credits Faculty The first year of ministry is a time of extraordinary transition. This course helps students prepare for the realities of ministry, gain a deeper understanding of the character and skills required for leadership, and develop a more profound knowledge of how their own personalities intersect with first-year tasks and opportunities. Historical development and current pastoral roles, congregational dynamics, financial stewardship practices, and specific first-year milestones are explored in depth. Readings, reflection papers, and final project are required. CM.329 The History and Polity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) - Three credits Faculty In this course students critically examine the historical context for the origin of the Disciples of Christ denomination and explore the development of that church up to the present day. Participants also study the polity of the denomination in order to gain further understanding of that tradition. CM.339 Workshop in Church Administration - Three credits Faculty Congregational leadership demands that pastors have mastered, and are theologically responsible for, a variety of skills, from the management of staff and program to team building among lay and professional leaders, from the raising of funds and financial management to ministry through conflict. This workshop focuses on various areas of church administration, familiarizing students with relevant resources, providing a context in which appropriate skills can be developed, and allowing students to critically evaluate the biblical and theological adequacy of specific approaches to church administration. Workshop topics include, among others, church management, conflict, stewardship, and leadership.

Mission and Evangelism Courses

CM.109 MAYM: Crossing Borders: Engaging Youth and Congregations in the Realities of the U.S.-Mexico Border – Four credits Prof. Silva-McCormick This class provides an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the context of the southern U.S.Mexico border. Students travel to El Paso, Texas, and gain knowledge about the historical and present-day 59

Academic Departments and Course Listings realities of immigrants crossing the border and use a theological lens to assess the sociopolitical realities that force migration. Students learn to facilitate spaces for youth and congregations to reflect theologically on the realities of the borderlands and in what ways the borderlands exist in their own communities. Texts engaged in the course are rooted in Latine/x theological discourse as well as decolonial praxis. CM.130 MAYM: Engaging Youth in Mission and Evangelism - Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick This course is designed to equip students to engage constructively in the theology of mission and evangelism through the Missio Dei lens while at the same time reflecting critically on how they have been practiced in Christian history. Attention is paid to current issues, challenges, and trends in global Christianity, and to appropriate mission and evangelism models for youth ministry. Students study leading figures in mission and evangelism and develop their own missiologies. CM.211 Spiritualities of the Borderlands - Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick In this course, students will have the opportunity to explore the different expressions of Christianity that exist on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border where migrants and asylum seekers from various parts of the globe seek to cross. CM.228 Reclaiming the Gospel: Indigenous Christianities and the Undoing of Empire – Three credits Prof. McCormick This course examines diverse expressions of indigenous Christianities and the ways faith has served as a source of resilience against colonial erasure, cultural suppression, and violence. Students in this course engage themes of colonialism, Manifest Destiny, the Doctrine of Discovery, and the historical realities of chattel slavery, alongside theologies of resistance such as indigenous and liberation theologies. In particular, the course highlights theological traditions that center the Land, honor indigenous cultures, and reclaim the liberating dimensions of the gospel. CM.230 Mission, Evangelism, and Community Engagement - Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick; Fall This course is designed to equip students to lead congregations in the practice of mission and evangelism with theological integrity. Students gain an overview and understanding of major historical and contemporary issues in mission and evangelism as these pertain to the connections between mission and evangelism and imperialism and colonialism. Special attention is given to social justice, global awareness, ecumenism, and lay ministry in the world. Prerequisites: Bi.116, TH.100, TH.104. CM.255 Special Topics - Three credits Faculty The course explores a select topic in pastoral care, preaching, worship, music, Christian education, leadership, administration, mission, or evangelism. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing. CM.258 Church in the Streets: Redefining Christian Mission – Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick This course explores how Christians can reimagine the practice of mission through engagement in communitybased activism rooted in faith. Drawing on readings from liberation theologians and other scholars from diverse religious and spiritual traditions, students examine how Christian faith has historically inspired movements for justice, solidarity, and social transformation. In addition to engaging course texts, students learn from practitioners who embody this work in their communities. The course includes visits to local sites where clergy and community leaders practice faith grounded activism, as well as conversations with guest 60

Academic Departments and Course Listings speakers whose work connects theology and social justice. Guest speakers represent organizations that have a history of Christian activism in the U.S. Through these experiences, students reflect on how Christian mission can move beyond traditional models of outreach to become a form of faithful presence, solidarity, and public witness in the pursuit of justice.

Pastoral Care

CM.104 MAYM: Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel Students explore pastoral care for adolescents with an eye toward the ends of psychological wholeness, Christian discipleship, and teens’ own advocacy for social justice. Loss, trauma, and self-destructive behaviors are addressed within a family-counseling context. The course teaches competent care for immigrant youth, African American youth, LGBT youth, and working class youth, with special attention to the distinctive struggles of adolescents in a technology-saturated culture. CM.150 Graphic Novels as Pastoral Care - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel This course deals with themes of sin, justice, and redemption in graphic novels, a medium especially suited to exploring limit situations. Students learn to read graphic novels as multilayered documents, linking them to their everyday lives. Students examine the psychological and spiritual significance of graphic novels. Students reflect on how graphic novels make theological meaning, thus exploring the connection between image and text in sequential art. CM.238 Pastoral Care of Family and Kin Networks - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel This course explores theological, psychosocial, and cultural perspectives on family life and development as these inform pastoral work with families. Biblical and theological resources are placed in conversation with the human sciences as a means for reflecting on and practicing pastoral care and counseling with couples and families in contemporary contexts. CM.244 Intro to Pastoral Care & Counseling: Care for Stories, Systems, & Self - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel This course promotes a holistic vision of the person-in-context, indicating how to develop relationships of trust across differences with special attention to rural contexts. Students study the structural factors, including prejudice and poverty, that impact families and kin networks within congregational systems. The course examines special topics such as suicide, intimate partner violence, and addiction. Bringing practices of care and counseling to the minister’s self-care means prioritizing opportunities for reflection and savoring life. CM.246 Pastoral Care in Loss, Death, and Dying - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel This course familiarizes students with contemporary issues in death and dying so that they can better provide care for the dying and their loved ones, helping them to make narrative sense of their grief. Ministers are liminal figures who frequently meet death in their work and engage in care for the dying and their families. This course examines how the work of congregational ministers involves balancing the grief of individuals facing loss, communities in transition, and the unjust circumstances of loss brought about by social oppression. CM.254 Ministry and Mental Illness - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel This course examines how best to care for persons with mental illness and their families within the context of ministry focusing on pastoral care and ministerial leadership that reduces stigma and provides support. Students learn about the treatment of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and bipolar and borderline 61

Academic Departments and Course Listings disorders, developing resources for referral. The course explores the role that poverty may play in the development of mental illness resulting from social oppression. Special attention is given to the impact of mental illness on families. CM.255 Special Topics - Three credits Faculty The course explores a select topic in pastoral care, preaching, worship, music, Christian education, leadership, administration, mission, or evangelism. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing. CM.264 Positive Dispositions in Pastoral Care - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel In this elective course in pastoral care, students explore the dispositions of curiosity, awe, attention, gratitude, serenity, compassion, humor, and joy. Rather than being extraneous to serious pastoral care, such dispositions become even more essential in times of disruption, linking to creativity and spiritual practice. Students reflect on how problem-based pastoral care marginalizes these dispositions. A final paper will be an in-depth study in one of these dispositions, including its theological and biblical horizon. CM.310 Literature and the Life Cycle - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel This course explores the life cycle in conversation with contemporary literature so that students can provide empathic care across the seasons of life. Students study life-cycle theory, but the primary content of the course is literary fiction. Course sessions explore links between spiritual, psychosocial, and cultural perspectives of the literature and students’ own contexts for ministry.

Preaching, Worship, and Music

CM.122 The Church as a Worshiping Community - Three credits Prof. Lord; Spring This course is designed to equip students to function responsibly in local congregations as leaders of corporate worship. Students study the character and shape of the corporate worship of congregations during various periods in the history of the church. In addition, students investigate how liturgy and theology have been and continue to be related to each other in the Christian movement. Then on the basis of this inquiry, which includes the examination of various worship forms and expressions, the participants in the course are required to produce in writing a theological rationale for the corporate worship of a particular church. An examination of the place of music in corporate worship and of the role of the pastor as a leader of worship on the occasions of funerals and weddings is an additional emphasis of the course. CM.127 Seminary Choir - One credit or no credits Faculty The Seminary choir rehearses once a week and sings weekly for chapel worship. It also participates in special worship, such as Advent, the Martin Luther King Celebration, Ash Wednesday, and Triduum. Students may participate in the Seminary choir for no credit or for pass/fail credit. CM.145 MAYM: Youth and Intergenerational Worship - Three credits Prof. Allen Adolescent participation in worship is often limited to one Sunday a year. This sidelines and silos youth into prescribed roles and diminishes the worshiping life of the congregation by ignoring the gifts and graces of adolescents in the community of faith. This course explores creative and developmentally appropriate ways to fully engage adolescents in the intergenerational worship of the congregation throughout the liturgical year, utilizing their particular gifts and vocations. 62

Academic Departments and Course Listings CM.187 Music and The Church - Three credits Faculty This course looks at song as participatory theology, enabling the people’s prayer and the church’s witness. Topics include streams of song, resources for planning, style and language, aesthetics and context, faith formation, and implications for ethics and justice. Students read practitioners and scholars of music, study the relationship of music to scripture and liturgy, and explore the imaginative possibilities of music in the church’s life. Students plan and lead worship services in the semester chapel schedule. CM.189 Communication for Ministries of Social Justice - Three credits Prof. C. Helsel This course prepares students to communicate with broad audiences about issues of social justice. Examples of this type of communication include preaching about social justice in congregations comprised of diverse sociopolitical standpoints, writing letters to raise funds for faith-based non-profit organizations, and presenting a position informed by religious convictions within a secular forum. Students examine the challenges to communicating about faith and social justice and practice communication models within these various contexts. CM.197 A Practical Theology for Eco-Justice - Three credits Prof. C. Helsel Who are the communities most impacted by environmental degradation? How are groups already disenfranchised through systemic discrimination working to restore the earth and reconnect to nature? How are we called to join their lead? This course identifies ways eco-justice intersects with the call of Jesus to feed the hungry and “consider the birds” by bringing in voices from the greater Austin community and beyond. Through engagement with guest speakers, field trips, and resources from the Christian tradition, students develop their own practical theology for ministering alongside various groups working to care for all of God’s creation. CM.232 MAYM: More than Youth Sunday: Worship and Music with Youth and their Communities Three credits Faculty This course looks at ways that liturgy and music can enfold youth into worshiping communities. Students consider a variety of worship and music resources that are both youth-specific and multi-generational. Students practice creating specific elements of services that can be used in their contexts. By exploring prayer, reading, proclamation, music, and other arts, this class identifies ways to help youth bring their whole selves to worship. This class meets in conjunction with the Montreat Youth Conference at Montreat Conference Center, North Carolina, and students have opportunities to observe and participate in the conference. This course takes place in Montreat, NC. CM.236 Introduction to Preaching - Three credits Prof. C. Helsel Among different ecclesial traditions, the expectations for what constitutes preaching vary. This course equips students by rooting them in their own denominational backgrounds while offering instruction on sermon preparation, from biblical interpretation to embodied delivery. Students view the biblical text from different perspectives and exegete their audience to effectively communicate Good News. This course is required for all MDiv students, but another preaching course may be substituted in its place with permission of the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs for those who come with extensive previous preaching experience. Prerequisites: Bi.102, Bi.116, CM.122.

Academic Departments and Course Listings CM.240 Difficult Conversations - Three credits Prof. C. Helsel This course follows the argument made by homileticians Lucy Rose and John McClure that preaching needs to include a “roundtable” in which preachers consider their listeners as dialogue partners and co-creators of meaning. Students simulate opportunities for discussion around difficult topics, viewing these conversations as part of the task of preaching. Topics to be discussed include race, gender, and sexuality, as well as additional topics of interest. Students receive guidance for leading and engaging in such conversations to equip them to facilitate discussions successfully in various ministry contexts. CM.252 Good News and the World of Harry Potter - Three credits Prof. C. Helsel Informed by studies that have shown readers of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series develop greater empathy for others, this course examines how these texts can influence our communication in ministry. Students study a particular pericope that models themes of redemption or moral formation found within the Harry Potter series and build this into a sermon. This course includes travel to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. Prerequisite: CM.236. CM.255 Special Topics - Three credits Faculty The course explores a select topic in pastoral care, preaching, worship, music, Christian education, leadership, administration, mission, or evangelism. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing. CM.260 Pilgrimage: A Study - Three credits Prof. Lord This course is a study of historic and contemporary pilgrimage with special attention to its place in Christian ecclesial traditions and its current popularity among “nones.” Utilizing ethnographic, religious, ritual, and social science studies, students explore the phenomenon of pilgrimage journeys, destinations, and experiences. Additionally, students examine pilgrimage in relation to migration, religious tourism, and leisure tourism. This course does not include a travel component but may include local outdoor excursions. CM.262 Music, Liturgy, & Imagination: Pastors and Musicians as Partners - Three credits Faculty This course informs and equips students to explore and understand the content, context, biblical and theological foundations, and role of music in the worship life of the local church, as well as methods for promoting creative and cooperative pastor-music director relationships. Students in this course experience weekly partnership with musicians in the congregational worship of God. Students work with faculty preachers in the preparation of chapel worship. CM.271 Preaching and the Revised Common Lectionary - Three credits Prof. Lord Students investigate the relationship between lectionary preaching and celebration of the sacraments in the ongoing life of the worshiping assembly. Attention is given to how the readings of the day interact with each other and relate to the church’s calendar and the homiletical issues involved. Hermeneutical assumptions are explored throughout the course. Prerequisites: CM.122 and CM.236. CM.283 Workshop in Liturgical Ministry: Sunday and Sacraments - Three credits Prof. Lord This course helps students develop and enhance their skills in planning corporate worship and presiding at the principal services of worship of a congregation. Working as part of a planning team, students plan, lead, and critique services based on the Book of Common Worship (1993), or equivalent liturgical resources of the 64

Academic Departments and Course Listings student’s denomination. The Sunday liturgy and the services for baptism and Eucharist are studied, with attention to the leading of prayer, public reading, and presiding at the corporate celebration of the sacraments. Prerequisite: CM.122 or instructor’s permission. CM.287 Workshop in Liturgical Ministry: The Pastoral Celebrations - Three credits Faculty This course helps students develop and enhance their understandings and skills for leading occasional and special services of worship, including the rites of marriage, funerals, healing and ministry with the sick, ordination, and reaffirmation of baptism. Students also reflect on the place of the sacraments in pastoral ministry and develop pastoral skills for sacramental ministry with those who are unable to attend public worship. Prerequisite: CM.122 or instructor’s permission. CM.289 Workshop in Liturgical Ministry: From Page to Practice - Three credits Prof. Lord This course helps students develop skills for preparing corporate worship in a variety of settings. Participants use and critique resources of their own denomination as well as those available through different publishing media. Attention is given to the ways that the integrity of rites and coherent theology inform choices drawn from various resources. Attention also is given to practical implications of moving from resources and ideas to the worship event. CM.291 Women, Voice, and Preaching - Three credits Prof. Lord This course focuses on the history and present experience of women who are preachers. Using current homiletical theory, we engage historical and contemporary discussions of vocation, voice, authority, and purposes of preaching in relation to the experience of women in ministry. Students preach in class. Prerequisites: CM.122 and CM.236. CM.300 The Church’s Prayer Life in a Time of “Thoughts and Prayers” - Three credits Prof. Lord How do we value Christian practices of prayer in a time when prayer can be perceived as clichéd in relation to the needs of the world? Is prayer helpful? Do our prayers lead to social action? What is faithful prayer? Students engage these and other questions as they study the church’s received traditions of daily and Sunday prayer in light of how these practices relate to the church’s actions in the world. Additionally, students study liturgical understandings of the relationships between prayer, belief, and social action, and examples of assessing and strengthening prayer in the public sphere and in congregations. CM.308 Preaching and Storytelling - Three credits Prof. C. Helsel This course provides students theoretical background on narrative theology and the role of narrative in hermeneutics, spiritual memoir, and preaching during times of transition. Students practice storytelling and read spiritual narratives to develop their own skills in narration. Prerequisite: CM.236. CM.321 Sermon Workshop - Three credits Faculty This course examines and explores the significant components of a sermon and works at developing the students’ skills in producing, shaping, and using these various elements of a sermon. Attention is focused primarily on how one can most effectively communicate through the preaching event and the insights gained from one’s experience and study. May be offered for three or six credits.

Theological and Historical Department

Academic Departments and Course Listings

The courses in the Theological and Historical Department are designed to provide grounding in Christian theology, history, ethics, and comparative religion. Theology courses survey the history, significance, and philosophical dimensions of the major doctrines and issues of the faith, exploring their significance for contemporary life and ministry. These courses consider the thought of major theologians and philosophers, both past and present, with emphasis on the Reformed tradition and perspectives from the wider church and society. Ethics courses address both fundamental matters and specific topics and thinkers. The courses encourage students to bring theological, philosophical, and ethical insights to bear upon contemporary moral and cultural issues. Courses in history of the church acquaint students with its diverse expressions throughout the centuries and lead them to view the contemporary church against this historical background. This approach provides perspective on the challenges and opportunities that confront the church today. In addition, students investigate the origins and development of their own denominations so that they can fulfill informed and constructive roles in the lives of their churches. Courses in comparative religion explore basic concepts of religion, the particularity of protestant Christianity within the diversity of religious thought and practice, and the beliefs and nature of other religions. Students explore ways that religious diversity affects their ministry, missions, and work in local, national, and international settings.

From Left to Right: Dr. Ángel Gallardo, Dr. Bill Greenway, Dr. David Jensen, Dr. Cynthia Rigby

Academic Departments and Course Listings

Course Descriptions Ethics

TH.110 MAYM: Moral Questions in Youth Culture - Three credits Faculty Today’s youth are confronted by many difficult moral issues including abortion, suicide, eating disorders, and sexuality. The goals of the course are to give students a practical understanding of the moral challenges many youth face and to equip students with the tools to think about these issues from various modes of Christian moral reasoning. TH.155 African American Religious Ethics - Three credits Faculty This course examines major historical and contemporary trends in African American theology and ethics. Special attention is given to the ways that African American theologians and ethicists formulate theology, critically engage a constellation of social and theological problems, and promote liberation and empowerment. Objectives of the course are to give students an understanding of the historical trajectory of African American theology and ethics, to increase understanding of American society from the perspective of black religious thought, and to introduce students to a set of problems specific to the discourse. TH.200 Introduction to Christian Ethics - Three credits Faculty This course serves as an introduction to basic themes, concepts, and methodologies of Christian ethics, understood as Christian reflection on the sources, norms, practices, and ends of human (moral) life. Among topics addressed are: natural law, virtue theory, liberationist ethics, and Christian feminist ethics. Objectives of the course are to gain a clear understanding of our moral commitments, to assist in developing a basic vocabulary in moral theory and theology, and to introduce students to a number of approaches to Christian moral discernment. TH.206 Biomedical Ethics - Three credits Prof. Greenway This course focuses upon issues in biomedical ethics especially pertinent to Christian pastors, chaplains, and counselors. Special attention is given to beginning- and end-of-life issues (e.g., genetic screening, abortion, euthanasia), issues in animal (including human) experimentation, transhumanism, and issues related to distribution of scarce resources and access to health care. Students gain familiarity with the four-fold focus on the principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice that inform contemporary Western biomedical ethics and legal theory as well as the distinctive principles invoked by various Christian confessions. TH.208 Environmental Ethics - Three credits Prof. Greenway This course focuses on issues in environmental ethics from a Christian perspective. Issues that may be considered include climate change, distribution and accessibility of potable water, preservation of habitat, valuing and treatment of non-human animals, endangered species, genetic engineering, environmental racism, population, conservation, wilderness, as well as the use, preservation, and distribution of limited resources. The course attends both to major contemporary secular ethical and legal approaches to issues and to major Christian ethical approaches.

History

TH.100 Early and Medieval Church History - Three credits Prof. Gallardo This introductory course on early and medieval Christianity covers the major figures, movements, schools, and doctrines as they develop from the Apostolic to the Scholastic Era (200-1450 C.E.). Students probe intellectual and ecclesial developments in their periodic and diverse expressions by engaging foundational primary sources that highlight encounters and conflicts between Christian communities and the “non-Christian” world. This course approaches ecclesial history as an intellectual discipline that culminates with a deepened understanding of the Christian tradition, which, in the end, is vital for faithful ministry in the 21st. TH.118 History of Christianity in the U.S. - Three credits Prof. Gallardo This course analyzes developments in Christianity from the dawn of the modern era to the present and explores issues such as Christianity and the Enlightenment, the emergence of the modern states, political and industrial revolutions, as well as the emergence of missionary and ecumenical movements. Particular attention 68

Academic Departments and Course Listings is given to issues surrounding developments in Christianity in the United States as students develop their own topics for in-depth historical research. TH.210 The Birth of Christianity in the “New World” - Three credits Prof. Gallardo This course explores the emergence of Christianity in the “New World.” It begins by examining the religious and geo-political context of late medieval Iberia. Students examine how scholastic debates about “purity of blood” (limpieza de sangre) shaped early modern ideas about race and religion post-1492 and how these impact Christian ministry in the 21st century. Special attention is given to the role of Scholasticism in the writings of Christopher Columbus, Bartolomé de Las Casas, and other theological figures involved in the colonial enterprise. TH.213 The Life, Theology, and Legacy of Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566) - Three credits Prof. Gallardo This course explores the life and thought of the Dominican theologian and bishop, Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566). Named “defender of the Indians” by Pope Alexander IV, Las Casas sheds light on a critical moment in world and church history. By studying his life and writings, students reflect on the ways Christian theology helped undergird and undermine colonial projects. This course focuses on human rights, colonialism, and indigenous religion/spirituality. Prerequisite: TH.100. TH.235 Special Topics - Three credits Faculty This course explores a select topic of timely interest or controversy in theology, history, ethics, philosophy, or religion. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing.

Theology

TH.104 Theology: Doctrines and Themes - Three credits Prof. Rigby This course explores the basic doctrines and themes of Christian systematic theology, including: revelation, Trinity, creation, humanity, sin, Christology, atonement, Holy Spirit, church, and eschatology. Students learn basic theological vocabulary and are invited to explore some of the main questions people of faith have always raised about the relevance of Christian doctrine to their actual lives. Students study the theology of John Calvin and are also introduced to a broad range of thinkers and ideas that have shaped theological discourse through the centuries and into today. TH.106 Theology: Figures and Movements - Three credits Prof. Greenway This course explores the significance of several influential theologians and theological movements, with a particular focus on the modern and postmodern eras. Attention is given to the diversity and vitality of the Protestant and Reformed traditions, to their continual transformation, and to their constructive restatement in the church’s life today. Figures and movements ordinarily include Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Barth, John Wesley, Catherine Keller, and Gustavo Gutiérrez. TH.108 MAYM: God-Talk and Youth Ministry - Three credits Prof. Rigby Are the historic teachings of the Christian church relevant to the lives of youth and the “real world” issues they face today? In this course, students explore Christian doctrines, always with an eye toward how they might be seen, interpreted, and even re-shaped by issues of concern to youth and youth ministry. Topics may include climate change, terrorism, poverty, human rights abuses, discrimination, pluralism, economic

Academic Departments and Course Listings pressures, stress, depression, and religious hypocrisy. The doctrines of revelation, Trinity, creation, sin, Christology, redemption, Holy Spirit, church, and hope are among those that are explored and examined. TH.204 Introduction to World Religions - Three credits Prof. Jensen In this course students study the origin, history, basic beliefs, practice, and internal diversity of several of the major religious traditions of the world—Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam—as well as two indigenous traditions. Students engage participants in each of these traditions and visit worship sites for several traditions. This course focuses on the process, etiquette, and challenges of studying and engaging another religious community and the particular theological issues that each of these traditions raises for Christians. Prerequisites: TH.104 or TH.106. TH.218 Christopher Columbus’s Theological Imagination - Three credits Prof. Gallardo Few historical figures have received as much attention or derision as Christopher Columbus. While Columbus’ legacy is widely contested in public and academic circles, Columbus’ theological imagination remains vastly misunderstood. To address that misunderstanding, this course explores how a reading of history rooted in the scholastic tradition informed the Columbian Enterprise. This course invites students to probe Columbus’ thought by analyzing his corpus (e.g., journals, letters, maps, religious writings) in light of the intellectual and economic developments sparked by the Age of Exploration. In doing so, this course traces how theological ideas about the natural order informed the racial and geographic hierarchies that shaped the early modern world. Ultimately, this course enables students to develop an historically informed perspective on the current challenges and possibilities for faithful Christian ministry in the wake of 1492. Prerequisite: TH.100. TH.219 The Theologies of Gutiérrez and Moltmann - Three credits Prof. Rigby In this course, students study primary texts by Gustavo Gutiérrez and Jürgen Moltmann, theologians who have been instrumental in bringing the explicit concerns of liberation theologies into productive conversation with more traditional approaches to Christian theology. Special attention is paid to how their work has changed contemporary understandings of doctrines including creation, the Trinity, the cross, the resurrection, the church, and Christian vocation. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106. TH.221 Figures/Topics in Philosophical Theology - Three credits Prof. Greenway This seminar brings the approach and tools of philosophical theology to bear upon a select figure or topic particularly influential or significant for Christianity (e.g., Plato, Ireneaus, Pascal, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Weil, Ricoeur, Pannenberg, aesthetics, animal rights). The seminar emphasizes critical analysis, constructive research, and discussion of primary texts. TH.229 Christian Creation Spirituality - Three credits Prof. Greenway This course explores the theological, spiritual, and ethical aspects of the relationship of human beings to nature. Major Christian theological approaches to nature are contrasted both to one another and to other approaches influential in the West (e.g., scientific, Native American). Correlative spiritualities are considered and key biblical texts investigated. Additionally, the class delves into ethical questions regarding the status and treatment of animals, biodiversity, the idea and significance of “wilderness,” and issues of sustainable development and conservation.

Academic Departments and Course Listings TH.235 Special Topics - Three credits Faculty This course explores a select topic of timely interest or controversy in theology, history, ethics, philosophy, or religion. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing. TH.237 Hermeneutics, Critical Theory, and Religion - Three credits Prof. Greenway Hermeneutics and its countervailing twin, critical theory, upended modern Western notions of rationality, giving rise to the catchphrase “postmodern.” This profoundly reshaped the humanities, philosophy, theology, religious studies and ethics in the 20th century and gave rise to a plethora of new theories (for instance, critical race theory, postcolonial theory, decolonial theory) and movements (for instance, Black, womanist, Latinx, or ecological theologies). This course studies major philosophers in the hermeneutical and critical traditions (for example, Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, Habermas, Ricoeur) along with 20th and 21st century philosophers who clearly articulated the challenges to ethics and religion in the light of hermeneutics and critical theory (for example, Butler, Levinas, Rorty, Spivak). Students gain foundational understanding of the revolutionary philosophical trajectories behind our current, contested understandings of rationality, ethics, and religion, preparing them to contribute to emerging movements and debates. TH.245 Karl Barth and Theologies of Freedom - Three credits Prof. Rigby When Barth did a lecture tour in the US at the end of his life, he noticed that Americans were especially committed to freedom and suggested that we develop a theology grounded in it. In this course, we examine Barth’s own uneven relation to liberation theologies, critiquing and confessing the ways in which some aspects of his thinking and teaching reinforce the oppressive dynamics of Empire (his views on gender roles and sexuality, for example) and others promote freedom and life (his views on capitalism and socialism and his defiance of Hitler, for example). Reading left-wing interpreters of Barth (Timothy Gorringe, Karl Barth Against Heterodoxy and the recent Karl Barth and Liberation Theology, eds. Dugan and Jones) alongside substantial excerpts from volume IV.2 of the Church Dogmatics, students will create “dialectical journals” with eyes toward shaping their own theologies of freedom. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106. TH.250 Open and Relational Theologies - Three credits Prof. Rigby This course explores the constructive theological work of process theologians and those in close conversation with them, focusing especially on reconstruals of God’s sovereignty, the creation ex nihilo, the relationship between divine and human agency, and Christian hope. Attention is given to the work of thinkers including Charles Hartshorne, John Cobb, Marjorie Suchocki, Catherine Keller, Thomas Oord, Jürgen Moltmann, and Tripp Fuller. Prerequisite: TH.104. TH.253 Feminist Theologies - Three credits Prof. Rigby In this course participants explore a broad range of figures and themes in feminist theology, considering the history of its development, the critiques it has made of traditional Christian doctrine, the constructive alternatives it proposes, and the impact it has on the life of the church today. A significant portion of the course is devoted to the womanist and Mujerista literature and to the challenges women of color are making to the theologies of white feminists. Thinkers to be considered include: Rosemary R. Ruether, Sallie McFague, Jacquelyn Grant, Rita Nakashima Brock, Delores S. Williams, Elizabeth A. Johnson, and Elsa Tamez. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106.

Academic Departments and Course Listings TH.264 The History and Doctrine of The United Methodist Church - Three credits Prof. Gallardo The course provides an overview of the history and doctrine of the Methodist movement from 1726 to the early twentieth century. Students explore the life, work, and theology of John Wesley, the roots of Methodism, and the early American Methodist experience. Close attention is paid to the theology and history of the predecessor denominations of The United Methodist Church (such as Moravians, Anglicans, Dissenters, and the Evangelical United Brethren) and successor denominations (such as the African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, and a range of Holiness churches). TH.271 Theology and Literature - Three credits Prof. Rigby In this course students read and analyze works of literature with an eye toward reflecting on how knowledge of Christian doctrine shapes our readings of texts and discovering what great literature has to teach us about the relevance of Christian doctrine to everyday life. Readings are selected from both classic and contemporary literature, with some attention given to writings which explicitly reflect on the relationship between writing fiction and thinking theologically. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106 TH.289 Eschatology and Christian Hope - Three credits Prof. Jensen In this course students explore multiple voices within the Christian tradition that speak of the “last things,” eternal life, and the consummation of creation. This exploration is not restricted to theological understandings of future events, but includes ways in which differing articulations of hope and eschatology permeate all Christian understanding. Beginning with patristic and medieval understandings of the doctrine, the course also highlights more recent critiques of Christian eschatology and reformulations of the doctrine in light of them. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106. TH.299 Calvin and His Interpreters - Three credits Prof. Rigby This seminar examines the contribution and impact of John Calvin on Protestant theologies, approaches to pastoral ministry, and Western understandings of religious freedom. Students read and discuss primary works by Calvin, including Institutes of the Christian Religion, his biblical commentaries, selected sermons, and excerpts from his tracts and treatises. Significant attention is given to conflicting interpretations of Calvin’s thinking: to what degree does his understanding of the doctrine of election, for example, serve to foster fear, religious bigotry, and empire, and to what degree does it support humanization and egalitarianism? Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106. TH.302 Reformations of the Atlantic World - Three credits Profs. Gallardo and Jensen Traditionally scholars have studied the Columbian Enterprise and the Protestant Reformation in isolation, thereby failing to grasp the theological and historic connections between these two pivotal events in Western Christendom. To address this shortcoming, this course probes how the “discovery” of the New World shaped the sixteenth-century reformation movements in both Catholic and Protestant Christianity. It explores topics such as Church and Empire, The Black Legend, Globalization, and the Origins of Race. Students study the life and thought of Christopher Columbus, Bartolomé de Las Casas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others within a transatlantic context. Prerequisites: TH.100 and TH.104 TH.305 Christologies and Atonement - Three credits Prof. Rigby This course examines various approaches to Christology and atonement theory, beginning with the Christological debates of the fourth and fifth centuries and the basic approaches to atonement developed through the scholastic period. Particular attention is given to the exploration of the ways theologians have 72

Academic Departments and Course Listings appropriated, rejected, or reconstrued the Chalcedonian formulation and how their understandings of the figure of Jesus Christ have affected both their assessments of the human condition and their understandings of atonement. Readings for this course are drawn from the early creeds of the church, the teachers in the early church, and contemporary authors, particularly feminist and liberationist authors. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106. TH.313 Approaches to the Doctrine of God - Three credits Prof. Rigby Students in this course consider classical, scholastic, Reformed, process, and liberationist models for understanding God. Attention is given to the following topics: divine mystery and the limits of language; the development and impact of trinitarian thinking; reason and revelation; divine attributes; the relationship between divine power and human agency; and the use of female analogies for God. Each student explores his or her own approach to the doctrine of God in relation to Christian ministry. Readings include selections from Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Karl Barth, John Cobb, James Cone, and Elizabeth A. Johnson. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106. 9 TH.315 Queering Theology - Three credits Prof. Jensen Is theology inherently a queer enterprise? Students explore how Christian faith questions, confirms, and subverts predominant cultural understandings of gender, sexuality, identity, and doctrine. Students attend not only to the contemporary movement(s) of queer theology, but also influential figures throughout history who have critically examined these topics. TH.321 The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life - Three credits Prof. Jensen This course explores the church’s confession of belief “in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life.” Students attend to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as it relates to both the Trinity and the Christian life and grapple with different interpretations and meanings of “life in the Spirit.” Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106 TH.325 Theology and Science - Three credits Prof. Greenway In this course students study how versions of rationality and reality dominant in the sciences relate to Christian understanding of the nature of knowledge, reason, faith, belief, and truth. Students study the impact on Christian theology of scientific advances from the Enlightenment to the present and the implications of the divide between the social and the natural sciences. They also evaluate current debates over the theological relevance of scientific theories regarding topics such as evolution, cosmology, quantum theory, sociobiology, and genetics. Prerequisite: TH.104. TH.331 The Theologies of Kierkegaard and Tillich - Three credits Prof. Rigby This seminar focuses on in-depth study of the works of Søren Kierkegaard and Paul Tillich, with particular attention given to the issue of humanity’s search for and relationship to God. In the first half of the term students explore Kierkegaard’s Diary of the Seducer, Fear and Trembling, The Concept of Anxiety, and The Sickness Unto Death, concentrating on Kierkegaard’s understanding of the human condition and what takes place on the journey of a human being toward faith. In the second half of the term students consider Tillich’s Systematic Theology alongside selected sermons by Tillich, analyzing his conception of the nature of human existence, the position of God in relationship to this existence, and the difference it makes to claim one’s identity as a Christian. Students are encouraged to set the thought of these thinkers’ conversation within the contemporary context, assessing how the understandings of Kierkegaard and Tillich are helpful and unhelpful in developing approaches to pastoral ministry. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106. 73

Academic Departments and Course Listings TH.359 Reformed Confessions - Three credits Prof. Jensen As a confessional church, the Reformed tradition understands particular statements of faith to be guideposts to its interpretation of Christian faith. This course examines some of the important creeds, confessions, and catechisms of the Reformed traditions and attempts to identify the distinctive features of Reformed theology. The confessional documents are examined in their historical contexts and in their systematic relation to each other. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.106.

Interdepartmental

I.123 Sharing Our Faith Traditions - Three credits Faculty This course builds upon the Sharing Our Faith Traditions (SOFT) program, a retreat sponsored by the Multicultural Alliance that brings protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim seminarians together to engage each other around a particular theme related to interfaith dialogue and to explore the richness of each tradition. Scholars from each tradition lecture on the theme of the year. Students conduct worship services, meet in plenary and small groups, and complete written assignments. The retreat ordinarily is scheduled for four days during the first week in January. I.150 Engaging Midwinter Lectures - Three credits Prof. Aymer The Midwinter Lectures bring important voices of the academy and the church to Austin Seminary from around the nation and even the world. This course invites students to engage these voices by attending and reflecting on the Midwinter Lectures and worship service. I.180 World, God, and Self in the Borderlands (nontravel) – Three credits Faculty This course examines how the Southwestern region of the United States gives rise to diversity, conflict, reconciliation, and collaboration, all of which are important elements in community as God's people. Students explore varied and changing cultural contexts and how religion, politics, education, economics, and other factors have evolved and are always emerging in the Borderlands. I.181 World, God, and Self in the Borderlands (travel) – Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick In this section, students immerse themselves in the context of the Borderlands through a travel seminar to the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. Students learn about the historical and present-day realities of immigrants crossing the border and use a theological lens to assess the sociopolitical realities that force migration. Students gain knowledge to assist congregations in reflecting theologically on the realities of the Borderlands and how borderlands exist in their communities. Texts engaged in the course are rooted in Latine/x theological discourse and decolonial praxis. The course requires travel into Mexico. I.310 Senior Capstone Seminar - Three credits Faculty In this seminar students practice the work of integration through engaging components common to topics in theological education. The components include: hermeneutics, tradition, theological analysis, contextual analysis, deepening self-awareness, and ministry activity. The seminar may include both written and performative assignments. The Senior Capstone Seminar is designed to help students explicitly and purposefully integrate their theological education, better preparing them for Christian leadership beyond graduation. The Senior Capstone Seminar also represents an opportunity for students to explore a variety of interests and questions that are relevant to their vocational commitments. Senior Capstone Seminars are team74

Academic Departments and Course Listings taught by two professors. One seminar is required of each MDiv student, to be taken in the final year of the program, and, if space permits, a student can elect a second seminar. At least one seminar on proclamation will be offered each year, and there will be a regular offering of a seminar on leadership. Other seminars may be developed by faculty on topics of their own choosing. Capstone Courses are ordinarily limited to students who have completed 120 credits, and preaching capstones are limited to those who have completed CM.236 Introduction to Preaching. MAR/MATS-IS The MAR/MATS Integrative Seminar - Three credits Prof. Greenway In this seminar students work together and in consultation with the instructor and a designated faculty member in the framing, research, and production of a term project which demonstrates scholarly work and applies expertise garnered through studies in their respective courses of study in the MATS and MAR degree programs. Students evaluate and provide written and oral responses to others’ projects. This seminar can be taken no earlier than one’s final spring semester of study. YMT.001 MAYM: Special Topics - Three credits Faculty This course explores a select topic of timely interest or controversy in youth ministry. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, writing, and practice.

Ministerial Formation

Ministerial Formation Program in Formation for Ministry

The Program in Formation for Ministry at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary prepares MAYM and MDiv students to minister in a variety of contexts with increased self-awareness and self-understanding. It provides opportunities for field experience guided by trained supervisors, advanced elective courses with field components, and individual vocational counseling. Through this approach to formation, students have vocational guidance and preparation available to them throughout their program of study. The components of the Program in Formation for Ministry are: • Field placement for Supervised Practice of Ministry (SPM) and/or Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) • Consultation with the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies regarding vocation guidance and preparation • For MDiv students, either six credits of SPM or six credits of CPE is required for graduation. (Some denominations require both for ordination.) • For MDiv and MSSW students, the field requirement is met through a placement coordinated by the MSSW program at UT Austin.

Supervised Practice of Ministry: MAYM Program

MAYM: Youth Ministry Practicum I & II (YMP-I, YMP-II) - Three credits per semester. In this two-semester practicum, students in the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry degree program reflect upon and integrate their concurrent work as youth ministers, peer learning within their cohort, classroom instruction, and the mentoring of their coach.

Ministerial Formation All MAYM students participate in a Supervised Practice of Ministry placement during the duration of their enrollment in the MAYM degree program. Placement is ordinarily done in conjunction with MLC’s (Ministry Leadership Center’s) residency program. MAYM students who are not participants in the MLC residency program must be engaged in a Supervised Practice of Ministry placement, overseen by the Office of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, during the duration of their enrollment in the MAYM. SPM placements for MAYM students are ordinarily between 15 and 25 hours per week. The requirements for a supervisor include 5 years of ministerial experience and an MDiv degree or its equivalent. MAYM students are required to enroll in Youth Ministry Practicum I and II during their first two semesters. During this period an MAYM student will meet weekly with a ministry coach in their local community who has at least 5 years of ministry experience with children or youth. The coach will also meet regularly with the SPM supervisor. Coaches are ordinarily paired through the MLC program. If the student does not use MLC to pair them with a coach, OMFAS will work with the MAYM Director and the Youth Ministry Practicum instructor to identify a suitable coach for the student. The coach must be approved by OMFAS and will submit to training by the practicum instructor. The student will be assessed a fee of $600 per semester for the first two semesters to pay for costs of ministry coaching.

Supervised Practice of Ministry: MDiv

Supervised Practice of Ministry is a component of the program in formation for ministry critical for theological education at Austin Seminary. It provides opportunities for students to reflect critically on the practice of ministry and to develop knowledge and skills under the direction of competent supervisors who have been trained and/or certified by the Seminary. All MDiv students are required to participate in either an SPM field placement or in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). SPM placements ordinarily begin after an MDiv student has completed one year of coursework and has taken the Introduction to Preaching course. All students meet with the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies prior to beginning SPM. Students also participate in SPM colloquies during their placements. In preparation for an SPM placement, students are required to attend the Ministerial Formation Orientation conducted prior to the conclusion of the spring semester of the junior year and the SPM orientation at the beginning of the fall semester of the middler year. Through SPM orientation and individual consultation with the associate dean, students develop their SPM plan of study. All SPM placements and supervisors are subject to the approval of the associate dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The work done in SPM is understood to have the same academic value as classroom courses. In order to earn academic credit for SPM, in addition to documentation required by the Office of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, students must be registered for SPM through the Office of the Registrar. Congregational Ministry This track prepares students for service in a congregation, according to one of the following patterns: • Full Time Intensive (ordinarily 10 weeks, June-August following the middler year), six credits

Ministerial Formation • •

Concurrent Placement (two consecutive semesters, part-time, twelve to fifteen hours per week), taken while enrolled in regular on-campus course work, three credits per term; or, Year-long Internship (nine to fifteen months, full-time), ordinarily between one's middler and senior year, six credits.

Non-Congregational Ministry This track prepares students for chaplaincy in a variety of settings or ministry other than congregational ministry, according to one of the following patterns: • Institutional Setting (hospice, nursing home, educational institution, or non-profit agency); or, • Military Chaplaincy (participation in an approved training program). Non-ordination Track: This track is designed to provide vocational experience for students who are not seeking ordination. The field requirement can be fulfilled by any of the above options. Dual-degree Track: The field requirement (for MDiv and MSSW) is met through a placement coordinated by the MSSW program at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work.

Clinical Pastoral Education

Austin Seminary, through various clinical settings, offers Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as a part of its program of study. In this specialized program, students clarify and increase their understanding of the resources, methods, and meaning of the Christian faith as expressed in pastoral care and develop skills critical for the practice of ministry. This educational experience is clinical in setting and interdisciplinary in character and is conducted under the supervision of an ACPE Certified Educator. Ordinarily, CPE is taken during the middler or senior year for a period of at least ten weeks in the summer. There are also concurrent CPE opportunities that students may take along with their other course work during the academic year. Six credits are awarded for a basic unit of clinical pastoral education. A student engaged in a year-long CPE residency also earns six credits. All students meet with the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies prior to beginning CPE.

Elective Options

Supervised Practice of Ministry: MDiv Students may elect to engage in further field-based courses after completing SPM requirements. These may include Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and elective SPM placements in a selected aspect of ministry such as pastoral counseling, evangelism, stewardship, church administration, ministry with the elderly, institutional chaplaincy, campus ministry, social action and service, pastoral care, worship, children’s work, and youth ministry. Ordinarily, students cannot arrange an elective SPM at the same site in which they fulfilled the SPM requirement. The opportunity to take part in such elective supervised practice of ministry must be arranged in advance through the Office of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies. Ordinarily students are permitted to register for no more than three credits of elective SPM in any given fall, January, or spring term. The total credit earned through the Program of Formation for Ministry shall not exceed eighteen.

Additional Academic Opportunities

Additional Academic Opportunities Travel Seminars

Travel seminars at Austin Seminary offer cross-cultural experiences and exposure to religious histories and traditions that are important for students of the Christian story. Visiting locations of historical events significant to the Christian faith gives students insight that expands their horizons and enhances their understanding of the faith. Exposure to various Christian communities makes students more cognizant of the global church. Each seminar, in its distinctive way, provides opportunity for cross-cultural and experiential learning. Students can apply credit for one travel seminar to their degree program. A student desiring to participate in additional travel seminars can do so as an auditor. Students must adhere to deadlines for deposits and payments.

Seminar Descriptions

APCE Conference - Three credits Prof. Allen This course includes attending the annual Association of Partners in Christian Education (APCE) Conference held in Portland, Oregon, January 27- 30, 2027. The theme for the January 2027 conference is “Can Theses Bones Live? Rediscovering What Matters”. The seminar invites students into Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones to explore how God brings life to places of weariness in their ministries. In a world that drains energy and hope, students gather in Portland to reconnect with the foundations that sustain Christian education and to imagine renewed, inclusive practices.

Additional Academic Opportunities Over four days, students move through themes of breath, sinew, flesh, and spirit as they reconsider what truly matters in shared ministry. Through worship, keynotes, and practical workshops, students reflect, reconnect, and experience how God’s renewing presence brings dry bones to life. Students will be charged $750 for this conference. (Use of Gunther funds are not eligible for this course.) Black History and ReStory – Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick This travel seminar examines the history of the Black struggle in the U.S. across eight days and seven nights of travel through the U.S. South, including Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Offered in conjunction with Telos, an organization committed to peacemaking and conflict resolution, students meet with peacemakers including civil rights leaders, movement builders, nonviolence educators, public historians, artists, and community stakeholders. Students reflect on the intersection of issues like mass incarceration, slavery, and segregation through a theological lens, while also participating in Kingian Nonviolence training. A final project related to course themes is required following travel completion. Church at the Crossroads Conference in Glen Ellyn, Illinois - Peacemaking in the Context of Palestine and Israel – Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick This course explores the themes of justice and peacemaking in Palestine and Israel, with a particular focus on Christian perspectives. Students engage with leading U.S. Christian voices on justice, faith, and the region’s challenges. Central to the course is participation in the three-day Church at the Crossroads conference in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, which includes sessions offering historical and contemporary insights on Palestine and Israel, highlighting voices and organizations working for peace, and reflecting on the church’s call to justice and peacemaking. Following the conference, students complete assigned readings, engage in discussion sessions, and submit a final project synthesizing key themes and insights. Cuba - Three credits Prof. Aymer Based at the Seminario Evangélico de Teología in Matanzas, Cuba, this travel seminar introduces students to the history and culture of Cuba. Students study the churches’ roles and responses to the Cuban Revolution and to more recent historical events. Students learn what it means to read the Bible and do theology within Cuban contexts. Students also spend time with Cuban pastors, seeing ministry in Cuba firsthand. The Lands of the Bible - Three credits Prof. Jensen The purpose of this seminar is to introduce participants to the history and geography of the biblical period. The seminar consists of lectures, readings, visits to sites and museums, and a research paper due at the end of the course. Countries visited may or may not include Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Greece, and Turkey. Ministry in a Thai Context - Three credits Prof. P. Helsel This course fosters international relationships with the ecumenical church in Thailand in order to better understand the church universal. Students engage ministry and preaching contexts in conversations with Thai theological students and encounter prominent areas of cultural interest. Goals include meeting the church in a minority-Christian context and expanding students' vision beyond what Joseph Kitagawa called the “western captivity of the church.” National Museums and the Bible - Three credits Prof. Cuéllar

Additional Academic Opportunities This travel seminar visits four major national museums with artifacts linked to the Bible. The seminar visits the Museum of the Bible (Washington, DC), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, NY), and the British Museum (London, UK). Here students learn how these national museums became centripetal sites for the study of the Bible. Pilgrimage to Palestine and Israel - Three credits Prof. Silva-McCormick The purpose of this seminar is to introduce students to the history and geography of the region, paying careful attention to biblical sites and interfaith relations in the region. The seminar includes visiting sites in Palestine and Jordan. The Pauline Mission - Three credits Faculty The purpose of this travel seminar is to introduce participants to the history, culture, and geography of the Mediterranean World at the beginning of the Christian era. The seminar consists of lectures, readings, visits to sites and museums, and a research paper. The seminar focuses on the cities of the Pauline mission in Turkey and Greece. Places visited may or may not include Ephesus, Antioch of Pisidia, Pergamum, and Athens. Theology and Race in South African Contexts - Three credits Faculty This travel seminar to South Africa focuses on learning about the relationship between theology and race in South African contexts. Students meet with faith leaders, academics, and activists who occupy a range of social locations to gain insight on theology. Students also reflect on theology and race at the intersection of monuments, museums, and theological texts and figures. The Way of St. James: On the Pilgrimage Trail - Three credits Prof. Lord The purpose of this travel seminar is to introduce participants to and walk the way of a major historical Christian pilgrimage trail: The Compostela de Santiago, the Way of St. James. The seminar consists of preparatory meetings and walking, readings, journaling, reflection on the movement of the traveler in community, visits to sites, and hiking the initial portion of the primary French section of the Camino. The Church’s Life and Mission in Zambia and Malawi - Three credits Prof. Greenway This travel seminar explores the witness of the Reformed churches in Zambia and Malawi. This seminar includes travel to Lusaka, Zambia, to Justo Mwale Theological College, where students share activities and lectures with Zambian students. It also includes travel to Lilongwe, Malawi, and rural areas of Malawi and eastern Zambia for exposure to the church’s witness in those regions. Finally, the seminar includes travel to Lake Malawi to explore the beauty and wonder of that ecosystem. Prophetic Imagination and Child Advocacy with the Hall-Proctor Institute – Three credits Prof. Zirschky This immersive travel course situates theological education within the living laboratory of the Hall-Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry. Through the Dale P. Andrews Freedom Seminary (DAFS), students engage in the moral urgency of prophetic ministry by learning alongside communities that contend against systemic injustices affecting children and youth. Over the course of one intensive week, participants join national faith leaders, scholars, and activists to explore liberative theologies and practices that center the flourishing of young people.

Dual-Degree Program in Social Work

Additional Academic Opportunities

Austin Seminary and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) have established a dual-degree program of study that provides master’s-level students the opportunity to complete requirements for two degrees concurrently: the Master of Divinity (MDiv) and Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW). The program is designed to be completed in four years of full-time study. Upon completion, students receive a degree from each institution. Students must be accepted into both programs independently, meeting each institution’s admission criteria. As much as possible, the program of study will be tailored to meet students’ individual vocational needs as approved by an oversight committee. The determination of in-state residency status as it relates to tuition charges at The University of Texas at Austin is the sole discretion of UT. Enrollment in a degree program at Austin Seminary does not qualify one as an in-state resident for tuition purposes at UT. This program agreement with The University of Texas at Austin provides resources that extend Austin Seminary’s current offerings for students with particular interests in non-traditional ministries, including agency-based social service, advocacy, policy-oriented work, and clinical counseling. This program also provides added resources for students planning to serve in more traditional ministry settings as pastors or chaplains, including opportunities for enhancing understanding of, and skills in, the following: negotiating concrete services related to the social welfare system, public advocacy, programming assessment, community organizing, service to organizations that set or influence public and/or ecclesiastical policy, and clinical and community counseling. This program is also a response to the growing demand for social workers to be sensitive toward and proficient in their understandings of their clients’ religious and spiritual lives and also to work with faithbased communities to foster both individual and community well-being as they strive to alleviate critical social problems. For dual-degree students, the MDiv and MSSW degrees are awarded upon satisfactory completion of all course work required for both degrees. A dual-degree student (MDiv/MSSW) who by May of an academic year has fully satisfied all requirements for the degrees except the second field practicum in the MSSW, and who will complete the practicum as an extended block placement by August of the same year, will be presented to the Seminary Board of Trustees in May with the recommendation that upon completion of the remaining UT/MSSW course work (by August) the MDiv be awarded. This allows a dual-degree student who has completed all MDiv course work by May and who then completes the UT/MSSW field practicum in August to be granted the MDiv degree at the time the MSSW is granted. The student also will be allowed to participate in the Seminary’s May commencement exercises prior to his or her August completion. Note that the Seminary's grant-based financial assistance (e.g., tuition grants, including the tuition grant portion of merit awards) is not transferable from Austin Seminary to The University of Texas at Austin. 82

Additional Academic Opportunities

Dual MDiv-MBA Program

Austin Seminary and Schreiner University have partnered to offer a dual Master of Divinity-Master of Business Administration program of study that will allow students to complete both degrees in four years of full-time study. The MDiv is offered in residence on the Austin Seminary campus, and the MBA is offered entirely remotely. Upon completion, students receive a degree from each institution; however, it is important to note that both degrees must be completed for the student to receive either degree. Students who complete only the requirements for the MBA or MDiv will receive neither degree. In the case of this dual degree, there is only one admissions process through Austin Seminary. The MDiv/MBA dual-degree program is offered in response to the growing demand for faith-based leaders of not for-profit agencies; bi-vocational pastors; faith-based entrepreneurship; and the needs of seminary graduates entering solo pastorates. The dual-degree program allows for the development of business acumen among those grounded in Christian faith and ethics, and prepares graduates for ongoing leadership in both secular and faith-based communities. Societal trends and constituent demands call for greater integration of the knowledge and skills shared by business administration and theological education. Pastors are increasingly called upon to be solo leaders, overseeing not only spiritual formation but also the ethical administration of community and faith-based not-for-profits. Business administrators benefit from contextualizing their work within the range of issues faced in society, which, again, often involve spiritual/religious considerations. The MDiv/MBA dual-degree program targets students who wish to combine business administration and theological education. This kind of educational program is critically important in that faith leaders, whether in not-for-profit or pastoral positions, frequently find themselves serving not only as spiritual and theological leaders but also as administrative and financial leaders. 83

Additional Academic Opportunities

Huston-Tillotson University 3/3 Program

Austin Seminary has entered into an educational partnership with Huston-Tillotson University (HT) that will allow students to complete both baccalaureate and master’s-level degrees within six years. The program is intended to serve HT students who are preparing for ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, and African Methodist Episcopal denominations, among others. Students will complete core requirements for the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree at HT over three years of full-time study. Students may apply to Austin Seminary in the fall of their junior year for admission the following fall. Huston-Tillotson University will be the primary institution for financial aid until students have completed 90 credits of their undergraduate degree. Once HT students matriculate at Austin Seminary, the Seminary will be the primary institution for need-based financial aid and federal student aid. Additionally, HT juniors applying to the MDiv before February 1 of their application year will be eligible to be considered for Austin Seminary merit awards and scholarships. Upon successful completion of enough Master of Divinity coursework to earn the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree at HT, Austin Seminary and HT will work to transfer the requisite number of graduate credit hours to HT to complete the undergraduate degree requirements. The appropriate Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree will be awarded by HT. Upon successful completion of the Master of Divinity coursework, the Master of Divinity degree will be conferred by Austin Seminary.

Hispanic Scholars Program

Additional Academic Opportunities

The Hispanic Scholars Program (HSP) offers each summer a two-week program which provides theological students the opportunity to study in a Hispanic setting with Latino/a peers and professors. Austin Seminary is one of forty ATS-accredited theological schools which sponsor the program. Courses are offered in both Spanish and English. Students may do their academic work and participate in class discussions in either Spanish or English, but they must be able to read materials both in Spanish and English. Students take one course during the program. Each course includes assignments to be completed prior to the beginning of the program and work that must be completed within two weeks after the end of the program. Each course is valued at three Austin Seminary credits and is transferred from the hosting school to the student’s Austin Seminary record. In addition to registering for the course at Austin Seminary, students must apply and be admitted to the program. Application information is online at Summer Courses in Hispanic Theological Education & Latine Studies. or you may contact Elizabeth Niang, Administrator, Hispanic Scholars Program, 646-389-8447.

Center for Church Innovation

Austin Seminary students are eligible to take part in the educational offerings of the Center for Church Innovation, an ecumenical program in mission and theological leadership, through their Faith + Justice Fellowship. These courses include both distance learning and an immersive experience in urban ministry in San Francisco, during the January term. For more information, contact the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Center for Faith and Justice website: Seminary | Academic Cohort - Center for Faith and Justice

Presbyterian Exchange Program

This program of cross-registration between the ten theological institutions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is designed to enhance the theological education of persons preparing for ministry in the denomination by making available to students the particular strengths of each institution. Presbyterian students registered in a master’s-degree program in one of the ten institutions can take courses at any of the other institutions without payment of additional tuition and fees. Tuition and fees are charged and retained at the school in which a student is enrolled as a degree candidate. Students may spend up to the equivalent of one semester in this program.

Protestant Theological University of the Netherlands

Through a mutual exchange agreement, Austin Seminary students may take one semester of coursework at the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands. PThU is the primary theological school for Protestant clergy in the Netherlands and hosts a significant number of theological students from other parts of the world in a vibrant, ecumenical setting. English is the language of instruction in the exchange program. Austin Seminary tuition costs cover the cost of tuition at PThU. Housing and additional costs are borne by the student. Students interested in taking part in this exchange program should contact the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program Goals

The Doctor of Ministry program is designed for persons who hold a ministerial degree from an ATS-accredited seminary and who are actively engaged in the practice of ministry. The program provides ministers the opportunity to increase significantly their competence in areas of their professional interests. In the course of this program students will be expected to: • demonstrate functional integration of self-understanding, practice of ministry, and theological knowledge; • demonstrate theological understanding of particular acts of ministry; • demonstrate a high level of competency in the practice of ministry; • acquire new skills and develop new resources for the practice of ministry; and, • identify areas of personal growth in spiritual awareness and moral sensitivity.

Requirements for the Doctor of Ministry Degree

1. Have on file with the registrar complete and official academic transcripts showing graduation with a baccalaureate degree and a Master of Divinity degree (or its equivalent) from accredited colleges, universities, or theological schools. 2. Complete satisfactorily thirty-six credits of work with at least a 2.67 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. At least twenty-four of the thirty-six credits must be completed at Austin Seminary. 3. Clear all indebtedness to the Seminary by the Wednesday prior to commencement. 86

Structure of the Program

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree program is composed of two concentrations, Leadership for Public Theology (Concentration One) and Leadership for Wonder: Re-Enchanting the Christian Life (Concentration Two). Upon entering the DMin program, students declare a concentration and take five seminars in that concentration, one per term. Each seminar requires a paper or project appropriate to the seminar’s content and related to the student’s ministry context. During the DMin term following the student’s final seminar, the student will be in residence on campus for a course entitled Writing the Doctoral Project (TDP.902). This seminar, generally one week in length and led by the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, focuses on planning the student’s writing schedule, outlining the steps toward accomplishing the project, and meeting with the student’s faculty reader to finalize elements of the project proposal. It is the aim of TDP.902 that the student will complete the project proposal and have submitted it to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by the end of the seminar. Seminars are ordinarily taught in an on-campus format. DMin seminars are offered in January for one week and one week in June each year. Students enroll in one seminar per term. The Doctor of Ministry program is designed to be completed in four years and ordinarily is completed within six years. For each seminar, students shall place at least one artifact from the seminar into their integrative portfolio, together with a reflection on that artifact. After completing course work in the chosen concentration, the student will complete the portfolio by designing and creating an integrative project drawing on and extending themes from the seminars and applying them to a specific ministry context. This rhythm of study and reflection through the seminars, combined with papers written and projects carried out in the student’s ministry context, provides a community of peers as well as an integration of theory and practice that serves to deepen skills and knowledge for ministry. Additional information about the program is available in the DMin Student Handbook provided to students upon matriculation.

Areas of Concentration

Concentration One – Leadership for Public Theology This concentration focuses on reclaiming the presence of the church at the intersection of the Good News and the Common Good. Seminar work includes instruction by Austin Seminary faculty in collaboration with practitioners in fields such as the justice system, immigration policy and practice, public health, etc. Seminars will be offered on the following topics: • DMin.01 Religion in American Life: The United States and the Bible • DMin.02 Power: Creation, Creatures, and Creation Spiritualities • DMin.03 Justice • DMin.04 Freedom (features travel to the Texas-Mexico borderlands) • DMin.05 Preaching and Communication Course Offering for January 2027: DMin.03 Public Theology: Justice – Six credits Prof. Greenway 87

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program Course Offering for June 2027: DMin.04 Freedom (Travel: Texas-Mexico Border) – Six credits Prof. Cuéllar Concentration Two – Leadership for Wonder: Re-enchanting the Christian Life This concentration focuses on the “re-enchantment” of theology and Christian witness with a sense of wonder and awe, even as they exist in a technological, consumer-driven age that often shuns the practices of wonder and attentiveness. Seminars will be offered on the following topics: • • • • •

DMin.07 Wonder and the Mind: Living Thoughtfully DMin.08 Wonder and the Body: Living Justly DMin.09 Wonder and Relationships: Living with Others DMin.10 Wonder and the Soul: Living Before God DMin.11 Creativity and Imagination: Travel Seminar

Course Offering for January 2027: DMin.07 Wonder and the Mind: Living Thoughtfully – Six credits Prof. Budwey DMin.10 Wonder and the Soul: Living Before God - Six credits Prof. Lord Course Offering for June 2027: DMin.11Travel Seminar: Creativity and Imagination, Mo Ranch -- Six credits Prof. Greenway The Integrative Portfolio Over the course of study in their chosen concentration, students will compile an integrative portfolio of their work. Components of the portfolio are artifacts, reflections, the integrative project, and assessments of the student’s work in individual seminars, the integrative project, and the curriculum as a whole. The Integrative Project Each candidate will design and execute an integrative project that serves as the capstone of the candidate’s work. During the final seminar of one’s chosen concentration, the candidate consults with the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies to identify and describe an integrative project idea. The associate dean assigns a faculty reader who guides the candidate through the creation and approval of a project proposal and the completion of the project. The integrative project is a substantive piece of work that draws on what the candidate has learned in seminars and engages in exploration of a theme as it relates to the candidate’s ministry context. It may be a written thesis, a collection of shorter works closely connected to a research issue or question, a mixed-media presentation, or other form as described in the project proposal and approved by the candidate’s faculty reader and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. When the candidate and faculty reader agree that the integrative project is complete, the Office of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies will schedule an assessment of the student’s integrative portfolio, with special attention to the integrative project. The assessment will be conducted by the faculty reader with the 88

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program assistance of the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies. Satisfactory completion of the integrative project and the assessment is required for the degree.

Adding and Dropping Courses

A student can add or drop a course during the DMin add/drop period for each DMin academic term. For the January and June terms, the add/drop period extends for three weeks after the registration period closes. It is the students’ responsibility to review their registration and ensure its accuracy prior to the end of the add/drop period, reporting to the registrar and associate dean any discrepancies. After the DMin add/drop period, a student can drop a course ordinarily only in very special cases such as sickness, family emergencies, or other unusual circumstances, but not for reasons issuing from the normal pressures of academic life. The request should be made through the linked document on the Academics/Registrar portion of the Seminary’s Community Resources page. Permission is granted by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. For any course dropped after the DMin add/drop period, a grade of Q is recorded. Until there is an official change in registration, the original registration stands, and the student is responsible for all requirements of the course(s).

Auditing Seminars

Doctor of Ministry graduates may return to audit a DMin seminar. Permission of the instructor is required. Auditors are required to complete all assigned readings and may participate fully in class discussions. An auditor may choose to undertake a project with the understanding that it will not be supervised or evaluated. The standard Seminary audit fee applies.

Consultation and Advancement to Candidacy

Students who satisfactorily complete all five seminars in their chosen concentration are eligible for advancement to candidacy for the degree. Students must demonstrate the capacity for doctoral-level work, and this demonstration is a prerequisite for continuation in the program. Advancement to candidacy is based on the following criteria: • satisfactory academic performance in three seminars; • capacity for critical self-awareness; • capacity to reflect critically on the practice of ministry; and • overall readiness to succeed in the program. Following completion of each seminar taken, each instructor makes a recommendation to the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies concerning each student’s advancement to candidacy. At the completion of the final seminar, the associate dean reviews the student’s academic performance and may, as needed, invite instructors or others to participate in the review. A recommendation regarding a student’s advancement to candidacy is then referred to the Vice President for Academic Affairs who presents it to the faculty in executive session for a final decision. A student not advanced to candidacy cannot continue in the program and must withdraw or will be dismissed. Students must be advanced to candidacy before beginning work on the integrative project.

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program

Costs

Fees are payable at registration for each term. There is a non-refundable basic entry fee of $300. In addition, tuition of $2,180 per seminar is charged for all courses, including the final project, each valued at six credits. A travel seminar fee for room and board will be charged in addition to tuition for the term in which it is taken. The travel seminar fee may fluctuate depending on the location of the seminar; the fee is communicated by the Office for Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies prior to registration. A continuation fee of $150 is assessed annually if the student exceeds twenty-four months in their final project phase. Final phase of the project begins three months after completion of TDP.902. A graduation fee of $400 is assessed of each candidate prior to the commencement at which the degree is conferred. This non-refundable fee covers graduation expenses, the style editor for the final project, and preservation of the project through ProQuest.

Dismissal or Suspension

The faculty may suspend or dismiss a Doctor of Ministry student for reasons including, but not limited to, unsatisfactory academic performance, academic dishonesty, or conduct unbecoming to Christian community. All such actions shall be recorded in the faculty minutes with a statement of the reason(s). A student dismissed prior to the completion of a Doctor of Ministry course will receive a grade of Q or F in the course(s) in which they are enrolled, depending on the circumstances of the dismissal.

Extensions

A student must submit a request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (with a copy to the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies) for an extension to the deadline for completing work in a particular DMin course. The request must be made before the work for the course is due. Extensions are granted only for very special cases, such as sickness, family emergencies, or other unusual circumstances, but not for requests issuing from the normal pressures of academic life. If the request for an extension is granted, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify the student and the professor in writing. The duration of an extension shall be for no more than three weeks beyond the due date for final course work. A grade of I (for Incomplete) is recorded when an extension is granted by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A grade of I becomes a grade of F if the work is not completed by the date determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If a professor does not submit a final course grade for a student and the student has neither completed the requirements for the course nor been granted an extension by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, a grade of F shall be posted. In this instance, the F is not remediable.

Grading System

All courses in the DMin program, with the exception of the integrative project, are graded by letter grade. A student receiving a grade of B- or higher will pass the course. A grade of C+ or lower does not demonstrate doctoral-level proficiency and no credit will be counted toward degree requirements. A student who earns two course grades below B- will be liable for dismissal from the program by the faculty. A student whose cumulative grade point average falls below B- (2.67 on a 4.0 scale) also will be liable for dismissal by faculty.

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program The integrative project is graded pass/fail. In addition to course grades, written evaluations are given to the student and become part of their permanent file. Letter Grade System A 4.00 grade points per credit C+ 2.33 grade points per credit A- 3.67 grade points per credit C 2.00 grade points per credit B+ 3.33 grade points per credit C- 1.67 grade points per credit B 3.00 grade points per credit D 1.00 grade point per credit B- 2.67 grade points per credit F 0.00 grade points per credit Note: A course in which a student earns a C+ or lower will not be counted toward DMin degree requirements. Pass/Fail System P Satisfactory academic performance. No grade points. F Unsatisfactory academic performance. Negatively affects GPA. The following grades are given in special situations: I Incomplete. The academic work is not complete for reasons beyond the student’s control; requires the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A grade of I becomes a grade of F if the work is not completed by the date determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Q Dropped (quit) course. Requires approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. W Withdrew from seminary.

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence ordinarily is made only for reasons of health, a change in ministry setting, or vocational uncertainties. Such a request is addressed in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who, after consultation with the student and the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, considers the recommendation and presents it to the faculty in executive session for approval. A leave of absence is granted for a particular period, not to exceed eighteen months. During an approved leave of absence, a DMin student is not charged a continuation fee.

Probation

A student in the DMin program will be placed on academic probation if they receive a grade of C+ or lower, signifying unsatisfactory academic performance, for any seminar in which they are enrolled. The student can be removed from academic probation by receiving a grade of B- or higher in a seminar taken during the following DMin term. A student also will be placed on academic probation for failing to maintain satisfactory progress in the DMin program as outlined in the section Satisfactory Progress. When probation is the result of failing to enroll in course work for two consecutive DMin terms, the student can be removed from probation by enrolling in a seminar in the next DMin term subsequent to being placed on probation and completing, with a grade of B- or higher, the course work undertaken during that term. A student may be placed on nonacademic probation or dismissed from the program by the faculty for violating the Seminary’s Student Code of Conduct, including engaging in academic dishonesty. A student placed on probation is liable for dismissal from the program by the faculty, as is a DMin student not removed from probation within a period of one academic year. 91

The Doctor of Ministry Degree Program

Satisfactory Progress

A student is judged to be making satisfactory progress in the Doctor of Ministry degree program by: 1. 2. 3. 4.

being in residence (enrolled in a DMin course) at least once every twelve months, except when writing the final project; maintaining a valid ministerial context in which to do doctoral research projects, and notifying the Office of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies of any changes in ministry context; passing all courses within their deadlines; being advanced to candidacy; and, progressing through the program on a schedule that allows for the timely completion of degree requirements. (The Doctor of Ministry program is designed to be completed in four years and ordinarily is completed within six years.)

Candidates working on the integrative project must submit written evidence of progress on their projects in a timely manner, as agreed upon with their faculty reader(s) and in accordance with their written timelines. Projects for which no written work has been submitted within twelve months ordinarily will be considered unsatisfactory unless otherwise approved by the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies. Any student may be asked to withdraw from the Doctor of Ministry program if satisfactory progress is not being made by the student on the integrative project.

Style Editor

All students have the opportunity to publish their final integrative project. Students who elect to publish will be assigned a style editor. Ordinarily editing and publishing takes place within four months of graduation.

Style Guide

Transfer of Credit

DMin students who have previously earned credit for doctoral-level academic work (beyond the basic theological degree) that includes study, practice of ministry, and evaluation may apply for credit for this work. All requests for transfer of credit should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Ordinarily, a student can transfer no more than two courses into the DMin program. No credit will be given for academic work completed more than five years prior to a student’s matriculation.

Withdrawal from the Seminary

Should a student enrolled in the DMin degree program at Austin Seminary decide to withdraw from the Seminary, the student shall 1) make an appointment with the Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies, and 2) notify the president of the Seminary in writing (email is acceptable) indicating the reason for withdrawal and providing an effective date. The president will report this information to the faculty at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The student’s academic record will reflect the date of withdrawal. If a student withdraws while on academic or non-academic probation, or while on an involuntary leave of absence, the transcript will reflect this status.

Additional Educational Opportunities

Additional Educational Opportunities Certificate in Ministry Program General Information The Certificate in Ministry (CIM) is a program for congregational leaders and others seeking substantive theological education but who are not planning to pursue study in a degree program. The CIM is designed to equip Christian leaders with a foundation in Bible, theology, preaching, and the pastoral arts. Persons seeking theological preparation for congregational leadership or wishing to enrich their personal theological understanding will be well served by the CIM. Additionally, the CIM may meet presbytery requirements for preparation of ruling elders commissioned to pastoral service in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and may be helpful preparation for leadership in other Christian traditions. In order to receive the Certificate, students must satisfactorily complete seven (7) courses within four years. However, students may enroll in as many courses as they choose and in any order. Students cannot miss more than two consecutive terms without reapplication to the program.

Additional Educational Opportunities Certificate in Ministry courses are offered in ten-week sessions, three sessions per year, two courses per session. Students may enroll in one or both courses taught in each session. Courses in the CIM program may be added no later than one week after a term has begun. A full refund or credit toward a future course is given for a course dropped within the first three weeks of the term. Thereafter, no refund is available. The majority of the program is taught online. Two courses, CIM.03 Worship and Preaching, and CIM.04 Christian Education, are hybrid courses that require one weekend of on-campus instruction in addition to the online components. Typical courses include video lectures, online discussion, written papers, and responses to readings. Courses are presented in an asynchronous manner, meaning that they do not require simultaneous participation of the students and instructor. Courses are self-paced with assignments and schedules set by each instructor. Course materials are available online to students at all times. There are no prerequisites to CIM courses. Students are allowed to audit one certificate course per year for the application fee of $25. Thereafter, full tuition must be paid. A student may transfer credit from a certificate program at another institution with approval of the Office of Lifelong Learning. For consideration, students must supply both the syllabus and evidence of satisfactory completion of the course for which they seek transfer credit. Students admitted to the CIM program are not eligible to enroll in master’s-level courses, except by application and admission to those programs as described in this Catalogue. Students who have been inactive for two years or more are considered to be dismissed from their program. Technical Requirements CIM courses are taught online through pre-recorded lectures housed in and accessed through the Austin Seminary MyLearning platform. Technical requirements include: computer with internet connectivity capable of streaming video and audio; speakers or audio capability; Internet browser (supported browsers include the current versions of Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, any mobile browser); Flash or HTML5 capability; word processing software; Adobe Acrobat Reader. Courses CIM.01 Church History This course surveys the development of Christianity from the earliest communities established by the apostles through the contemporary era. Attention is given to critical turning points for Christianity in relation to the state, development of doctrine, institutional changes, spiritual ideals, and practices of worship. CIM.02 Theology In this course, students explore major teachings (“doctrines”) of the Christian faith and why they matter not only to Christian believers and church communities, but to the healing of the world. Particular attention is given to learning theological vocabulary and to developing the capacity for students to talk about doctrines themselves, so they will be prepared to teach, preach, and assist others in reflecting theologically in the context of their ministries. CIM.03 Worship and Preaching The Christian church is a community at worship. In this course, students explore the historical roots, theology, and practice of Christian worship. Students learn the basic components of the Lord’s Day service, including sacraments, and design services for weekly worship, weddings, and funerals. Included is a basic introduction 94

Additional Educational Opportunities to preaching within the context of worship. This is a blended course, with online components and face-to-face interactions that include performative practice. Students are required to attend one weekend workshop on the Austin Seminary campus. CIM.04 Christian Education This course provides a theological and practical vision for the church’s ministry of education. Students explore theories of teaching and learning, alternate approaches for teaching, and strategies for organizing the ministry of education in congregations. The course is appropriate for pastors, Christian education directors, and teachers who wish to improve their craft. This is a blended course, with online components and face-to-face interactions. Students are required to attend one weekend workshop on the Austin Seminary campus. CIM.05 Pastoral Care This course is designed to introduce students to the practice of pastoral care. It explores pastoral care as it has evolved from and been implemented within the context of the Christian faith community. Attention is given to learning and developing caring skills and understanding our role as caregivers in the life of the church. Attention also is given to the ways pastoral care both shapes and is shaped by pastoral leadership in the various aspects of ministry in the church. CIM.06 PC(USA) Polity This course is designed to orient students to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and especially to the Book of Order. Students learn the structure and content of the four sections of the Book of Order and explore polity as a tool for effective ministry. The course also offers exposure to basic parliamentary procedure and acquaints students with the role of moderator in planning and managing session meetings. CIM.07 Ethics This course introduces students to topics, themes, and problems in Christian ethics. These may include moral virtue and character, the Bible and Christian ethics, moral relativism, sexuality and marriage, and economic justice. CIM.08 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible This course exposes students to the wide array of literature in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), as they learn about the historical and literary circumstances out of which the writing arose. As the course moves through the various sections of the Hebrew Scriptures—Torah, Prophets, and Writings—assigned readings discuss both the history and the theology of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings; lectures highlight major themes and examine particular texts; student discussions explore questions of interpretation. CIM.09 Introduction to the New Testament This course provides an overview of the New Testament to assist students in their teaching, preaching, and service in the church. Particular attention is given to the Gospels, major Pauline writings, and Revelation. Through lectures and assigned readings, students learn key concepts and themes while exploring the historical and cultural contexts that shape these texts. Additional information about the Certificate in Ministry Program is available from the Seminary’s Lifelong Learning Center.

Programa Certificado en Ministerio en Español

Lifelong Learning

Lifelong Learning Lifelong Learning at Austin Seminary

The Center for Lifelong Learning (LLL) is a branch of Austin Seminary designed to meet the needs of two main groups: 1) people who have a hunger for theological education but do not desire a theological degree, and 2) people who have theological degrees and are looking for continuing education. In short, LLL exists to serve everyone! Our offerings are shaped around four main principles: • Race - the prevailing theological issue in the West • Place - our understanding of land and location • Grace - freely given and received for all • Space - our relationship with our neighbors Our Center for Lifelong Learning creates real-time responses to learning needs among clergy and churches, drawing from the Seminary faculty and others with wisdom and knowledge. We host signature learning cohorts from pastors doing public theology to Latinas growing in Christian leadership to self-designed groups for clergy renewal. Our Center for Congregational Innovation develops congregational initiatives to support churches dealing with the changing landscape of ministry. The schedule of current offerings is available on the Seminary’s website at Lifelong Learning - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. 97

Clergy Cohort Programs

Lifelong Learning

Facilitating the development of supportive peer communities. • Grants: The College of Pastoral Leaders makes two-year grants of $10,000 to self-selected groups of pastors so they may pursue their own self-designed program for renewal, vitality, and pastoral excellence. Latinx Leadership Renewal grants are one-year grants of $3,500 awarded to leaders of Latinx churches for renewal and refreshment. Applications available online mid-May each year.

Workshops

Learning new ideas and generative practices in community online and in person. Workshops range from 1/2 day to multi-day affairs: • Just-in-time online and in-person workshop events developed in response to emergent needs and the changing landscape of our times. • Online multi-week courses that have live, facilitated sessions and asynchronous content. Available to individuals and small, private groups. • Events for Christian Educators, leaders of the Horizons Bible Study, and youth ministers. • Workshops by partners like 1001 Worshipping Communities, PC(USA) Board of Pensions, and Lake Institute on Faith and Giving. • Writing and storytelling workshops on topics relevant to religious leadership. • Innovative Practice workshops, including art, music, contemplation, and other creative explorations. • Interdisciplinary workshops for pastors, counselors, social workers, and other professionals to address spiritual dimensions of the human condition such as disability, loss, and mental health or illness.

Strategic Initiatives

Strategic Initiatives •

Houses of Hope connects the Seminary and the church to build greater possibilities for small congregations. www.ourhousesofhope.org.

•

The Austin Story Project catalyzes new stories of Christian faith and life by training

storytellers, leading pilgrimages and producing films. www.austinstoryproject.org •

The 787 Collective works in the borders of young adults and the church, fostering connections

through The Collective Voice podcast, the Next is Now project, and resourcing third spaces. www.787collective.org. •

Center for the Arc of Ministry partners with faith-based high schools and colleges to

engage high school and college students in vocational exploration through experiential and cohortbased learning. •

The Borders and Bridges Initiative seeks to equip faithful and creative leaders for a

changing church. The grant has three initiatives: the Bridge to Ministry new clergy cohorts for ministers in their first three years post-seminary, lifelong learning certificates in spiritual formation and “the business of the church”, as well as additional student support in conflict resolution, spiritual formation, and cross-cultural competency.

•

Progressive Youth Ministry equips leaders to cultivate compassionate, just, and inclusive faith in young people. Progressive Youth Ministry

•

Sharing Faith Initiative seeks to empower congregations in Texas and beyond to deepen their

faith-sharing practices through the Faithful Preaching Project and Children’s Sermons by Children. Sharing Faith Initiative | Enhance Faith Sharing Today

Policies and General Information

Academic Honesty

Policies and General Information

Academic honesty is essential to the spirit of Christian community in a seminary environment. Such integrity is requisite to productive collegiality among students and faculty as well as for genuine and creative learning. All members of Austin Seminary are expected to practice academic honesty and to hold one another faithful to this mark of scholarly inquiry. No form of cheating, collusion, or plagiarism will be tolerated. Students who disregard the basic requirements of academic honesty by any such acts are liable to course failure and dismissal from the Seminary. Modern scholarship in most fields rests upon the work of many individuals, depends upon a great body of common knowledge, and is highly dependent upon the achievements of people who are no longer credited with them individually. Nevertheless, research work, such as that represented by essays, projects, and term papers, is expected to acknowledge indebtedness to the published work of others, as well as to any unpublished sources. When written work is submitted under an individual’s name, it is implied that the ideas, form of expression, and supporting arguments are one’s own, unless by footnote indebtedness to another for an idea, an argument, or verbiage is acknowledged. It is incumbent upon every writer to acknowledge indebtedness fully, in order to assist the reader to pursue the matter further, and in order to make clear the writer’s own sense of obligation to others. There are various forms of indebtedness in scholarly writing. General indebtedness can be acknowledged in a prefatory note, in the bibliography attached to the work, or in the body of the essay. Particular indebtedness for materials such as quotations, phrases, ideas, and sentences that originated with someone other than the essayist must be indicated in footnotes. Acknowledgment of indebtedness should disclose the exact source of the material adduced. All essays should be considered incomplete until a full bibliography of all the sources used has been attached, including unpublished sources such as a professor’s lecture, or an unpublished essay by the author or by someone else. All sources referred to in footnotes should be listed in the bibliography. Therefore, when a student at Austin Seminary submits an essay, it will be understood that the paper, apart from the obligations indicated, is presented as the student’s own work and has been written with full recognition of the above standards. The Chicago Manual of Style (18th Edition) should be used to ensure that footnotes, bibliographies, etc., are in adequate form to acknowledge all indebtedness to the work of others. Faculty and students are referred to The Chicago Manual of Style section titled “The Author’s Responsibilities” for information on avoiding charges of plagiarism, and to “Section 14, Documentation I: Basic Patterns” for instruction on proper citation. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is available to all faculty and students free of charge. A link to this resource is available at https://www.austinseminary.edu/citations. 100

Policies and General Information Academic dishonesty also includes the unacknowledged use of one’s own work in two different contexts (selfplagiarism). Students may not submit identical assignments for two different courses. Students may adapt, revise, and edit previously submitted assignments for another course, but if they choose to do so must: 1) seek approval from the professors of both courses and 2) make significant revisions in the original assignment so that the second submission differs substantively from the original submission. Instances of academic dishonesty and plagiarism disrupt the spirit of Christian community in a seminary environment. In cases in which the professor has concluded that academic dishonesty has occurred: 1. The professor will discuss the incident with the student and take measures appropriate to the nature of the assignment and course. 2. The professor will submit a written report, together with a copy of the student’s work in question, to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and to the registrar. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will provide the student with an opportunity to view the professor’s report and to respond in writing. Upon the first incident of academic dishonesty, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, at his or her discretion, may refer the student to the Student Academic Standing Committee, which will make a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the faculty regarding that student’s continuance at or dismissal from the Seminary. 1. A subsequent incident of academic dishonesty will result in an additional written report, including an opportunity for the student to respond, and automatic referral to the Student Academic Standing Committee, which will make a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the faculty regarding that student’s continuance at or dismissal from the Seminary. It is the aim and hope of the Seminary that an atmosphere of respect for one another and of commitment to disciplined inquiry will prevail and constructively guide personal and professional development.

Disability Accommodation Policy

Austin Seminary does not discriminate against students with conditions that may require disability accommodation. The Seminary prohibits harassment or retaliation against any individual for requesting an accommodation or for filing a complaint related to disability discrimination or failure to accommodate. The Seminary will attempt to make all reasonable arrangements necessary to ensure that students with disabilities are able to attend class, study, and live at the Seminary. Disabilities that may require accommodation include but are not limited to the following: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, psychological disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairments, mobility impairments, hearing impairments, other health and chronic medical disabilities, and/or temporary disabilities.

101

Designated Section 504 Coordinator

Policies and General Information

The Seminary’s designated Section 504 Coordinator who is responsible for administering this policy is Dr. Margaret Aymer, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Trull Administration Building, second floor, 100 East 27th Street, Austin, Texas, 78705, 512-404-4821, dean@austinseminary.edu.

Procedure for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation

Students seeking disability accommodation on the basis of a diagnosed disability must submit to the Section 504 Coordinator a written request regarding the need for an accommodation. This written request should include documentation from the student’s treating health care provider that verifies the student’s eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/disability/index.html), the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, (www.ada.gov), or the ADA Amendments Act. (http://www.eeoc.gov/ada/amendments_ notice.html). The written request should not disclose the student’s diagnosis or medical condition. It should address proposed accommodations that will address the student’s needs. Students are encouraged to contact the Section 504 Coordinator as soon as possible in their academic program should they anticipate needing accommodations, even if they are still in the process of receiving a diagnosis. The Seminary reserves the right to request additional documentation if the initial documentation the individual provides is incomplete or inadequate to determine the need for accommodations. The Seminary will keep all medical-related information confidential (unless disclosure is necessary for business-related purposes) and will retain such information in the Core Campus system. Accommodations are handled on a case-by-case basis. Reasonable accommodation can be made only after the written request and the written statement have been filed with the Section 504 Coordinator. The following procedure should be utilized to address complaints of disability discrimination, retaliation, harassment, or failure to provide a reasonable accommodation: any aggrieved individual may file a complaint in writing, containing the name and address of the person filing the complaint and describing the discriminatory act. The complaint shall be filed in the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs within 30 days after the complainant becomes aware of the allegedly discriminatory act. Should the Section 504 Coordinator be a party to the complaint, the complaint should be filed with the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success.

Dismissal

The faculty may suspend or dismiss any student for reasons including, but not limited to, unsatisfactory academic performance, academic dishonesty, or conduct unbecoming to Christian community. All such actions shall be recorded in the faculty minutes with a statement of the reason(s). A student dismissed prior to the completion of an academic term will receive a grade of Q or F in the course(s) in which they are enrolled, depending on the circumstances of the dismissal. If a student is dismissed while on academic or nonacademic probation, or while on an involuntary leave of absence, the student’s transcript will reflect this status.

Drug Abuse and Prevention Counseling Policy

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in its concern for the growth, equipment, and maturation of students, makes counseling services for students available when such services are indicated. The Seminary 102

Policies and General Information identifies personnel and institutions that provide such services. It also provides limited funds to students to subsidize the cost of services of physicians, therapists, and counselors doing substance abuse counseling, treatment, and prevention. The Seminary’s full policy on drug abuse and prevention counseling can be found in the Student Handbook.

Grade Appeals: Evaluation of Students’ Work

The process of grading is essentially a private matter between individual students and instructors, ruled by principles of academic proficiency, professionalism, and confidentiality. Grading a student’s work is the responsibility and prerogative of the instructor and, in principle, any alteration in a student’s grade rests in the discretion of the instructor. As people responsible for their own quality education and as mature participants in the evaluation process, students are encouraged to discuss course grades and the multiple factors supporting the evaluation with the instructor(s).

Grade Appeals: Appeal to the Instructor

If a student has a question about a final course grade received, the student is expected to contact the instructor directly and within fourteen days from the date posted on the student’s grade report. A student has the right to ask an instructor to review the student’s work (copies of which the student shall provide), and the professor has an obligation to explain the grounds upon which the grade was rendered, enlisting the opinion of another faculty member when appropriate. Ordinarily the professor shall respond to the appeal in writing no more than fourteen days after receiving the student’s written request. Should an appeal to the instructor result in a changed grade, the instructor shall complete and submit to the Vice President for Academic Affairs an Update of Student Academic Record form.

Grade Appeals: Appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs

In the event that the appeal to the professor has failed to resolve the matter, the student may immediately submit a formal appeal in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, using the Grade Appeal form (available in the Student Handbook and in the dean’s office). If the grade being appealed is a passing course grade, the appeal process ends with the decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. To be considered, appeals to the Vice President for Academic Affairs must meet one or more of the following criteria: • Instructor violated the terms of the syllabus. • Instructor made an error in calculating or recording a grade. • Instructor violated a Seminary policy when they gave assignments, administered exams, or assigned grades. • Instructor applied an inconsistent grading standard across students. • Instructor did not allow the student to complete assignments or exams missed before the student added the course. • Instructor violated a written agreement with the student. The following supporting documentation is required (unless otherwise noted): • explanation of what occurred and how the criteria previously noted apply to the situation; • correspondence from instructor indicating that the appeal has been denied; 103

Policies and General Information • • • • • •

course syllabus; timeline of events relevant to the appeal; assignment or exam in question (if applicable); correspondence with instructor (if applicable); copy of appropriate Seminary policy (if applicable); and any other documentation supporting the appeal.

After reviewing the appeal documents, the Vice President for Academic Affairs consults with the instructor and the student and may also consult colleagues with expertise in the subject matter. The Vice President for Academic Affairs communicates the decision in writing to both the student and the instructor. In the case of the appeal of a passing course grade, the Vice President for Academic Affairs’ decision is final. If the student chooses to appeal the decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the student submits a written request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs asking that the matter be referred to the Student Academic Standing Committee. The referral and materials related to the appeal are provided to the chair of the Committee and copied to the registrar. If the instructor whose grade is being questioned is a member of the Committee, the instructor will be recused. In this case, or if the Committee’s faculty members are unavailable to meet, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will make necessary substitutions. At its next scheduled meeting, or called meeting, if necessary, the Committee convenes to deliberate the case. The instructor and the student will each be offered the opportunity to meet separately with the Committee. The Committee will review all material pertaining to the case and, after deliberation, arrive at a decision regarding the issue. This decision is communicated in writing to the student and the instructor, with copies to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and registrar. A decision to change the grade is carried out under the direction of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The decision of the Committee shall be binding and conclusive on the matter.

Grievance Procedures

Students with grievances related to their life and work in the Seminary should speak first with the person causing the grievance or the administrator into whose hands are entrusted the policies causing the grievance. If this initial conversation does not resolve the concerns, the student should put the grievance in writing. Where it is not clear to whom the written grievance should be addressed, the student should consult the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success or the Vice President for Academic Affairs for a recommendation.

Policy on Inclusive Language Use

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is committed to equality for people of every background. Recognizing that language is a key to understanding and shaping people’s perceptions of themselves, of others, and of the God we worship, the Seminary urges students, faculty, and staff to use language in the community’s worship, in public discourse, in classroom discussions, and in their writings that is respectful of persons regardless of sex, gender identity, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, economic condition, or disability. 104

Policies and General Information

Medical and Hospitalization Insurance

Policy on Nonacademic Probation and Involuntary Leave of Absence

In the exercise of its oversight of all students, the faculty’s Student Life Committee may place on nonacademic probation or involuntary leave of absence any student whose continued enrollment at the Seminary is in question on other than academic grounds. Reasons for such action include, among others, persistent failure in moral responsibility, intellectual dishonesty in academic and ministerial tasks, irresponsibility in financial obligations and dealings, behavior that is deemed to be dangerous to the student or others (see Student Code of Conduct, Student Handbook). After review with the student, according to procedures outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, the Committee shall make known by written report to the student and the Vice President for Academic Affairs its action in placing the student on non-academic probation or its recommendation to the faculty in executive session that the student be placed on involuntary leave of absence. The report shall include the nature of the problem in question, the specific course of discipline which is proposed to the student to correct the difficulties or inadequacies, and the specific length of the probationary or leave period. Nonacademic probation or an involuntary leave of absence shall be applied for a period of not more than one calendar year, during which time there shall be full opportunity for the student to meet the conditions set by the Committee. During an involuntary leave of absence, the student is not enrolled in course work and does not live in campus housing. If at the end of the designated probationary or leave period the student has not corrected the difficulties or inadequacies, the Student Life Committee shall review the situation with the student and may decide to recommend to the faculty that the student be dismissed.

Policy on Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment

The Seminary is committed to creating a respectful and courteous environment free of discrimination and unlawful harassment of any kind. It is the Seminary’s policy not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, status as special disabled veterans or qualified veterans of the Vietnam era, or status in any group protected by federal or state or local law (i.e., Protected Categories). In accordance with the Seminary’s Disability Accommodation Policy (page 87), the Seminary will provide reasonable accommodation for both qualified applicants for study and 105

Policies and General Information enrolled students who have disabilities, except where such an accommodation would create an undue hardship. The Seminary expressly prohibits any form of unlawful harassment based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, status as special disabled veterans or qualified veterans of the Vietnam era, or status in any group protected by federal or state or local law (i.e., Protected Categories). This policy applies to all incidents of alleged harassment, including those that occur offpremises or off-hours, where the alleged offender is a supervisor, coworker, student, or even a non-employee with whom the employee or student is involved, directly or indirectly, in a professional, academic, or business relationship or in a potential professional, academic, or business relationship. The Seminary does not tolerate sexual or other unlawful harassment by any employee, student, volunteer, vendor, contractor, consultant, customer, or visitor. Harassment is a breach of Seminary policy and a violation of state and/or federal law. In addition to any disciplinary action that the Seminary may take, up to and including termination of employment (employee) or dismissal (student), offenders may also be personally liable for any legal and monetary damages. The president of the Seminary has the overall responsibility to maintain effective enforcement of nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies. The Seminary’s full policy statement on nondiscrimination and anti-harassment, including prohibited harassment and complaint procedure, is published in the Student Handbook and the Employee Handbook. Persons with a disability who have questions about the admissions process should contact the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success. An employee who believes they have been discriminated against should consult the Employee Handbook for procedures on reporting the incident. Students should follow the procedures outlined in the Student Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook.

Sexual Misconduct Policy

Sexual misconduct constitutes behavior that is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The following is a brief summary of the Seminary’s Sexual Misconduct Policy statement, which is published in full in the Seminary’s Student Handbook and in the Employee Handbook. Sexual misconduct is defined as the threat or the commission of behavior used to obtain sexual gratification against another’s will or at the expense of another such as inducing fear, shame, or mental suffering. Sexual misconduct includes unwanted sexual acts or actions, whether by an acquaintance, a person in the position of authority, or a stranger, that occur without indication of consent of both individuals or under threat or coercion. Sexual misconduct can occur either forcibly and/or against a person’s will, or when a person is incapable of giving consent. Silence does not in and of itself constitute consent. The victim of sexual misconduct may be anyone, including but not limited to, adults, adolescents, minors, the developmentally disabled, and vulnerable individuals regardless of age. All members of the Austin Seminary community, including, but not limited to students, faculty (including adjunct faculty), field supervisors, staff, other employees, trustees, volunteers, and independent contractors are subject to the Seminary’s Sexual Misconduct Policy.

106

Policies and General Information A person who is the victim of sexual misconduct, has knowledge of another person being the victim of sexual misconduct, or believes in good faith that they have witnessed signs of sexual abuse of a child or other protected person as defined in the Seminary’s Sexual Misconduct Policy is urged to make a formal report to the designated campus administrator and, in the case of potentially illegal acts, to local law enforcement. Any instance of child sexual abuse must be immediately reported to the proper legal authority. A report of sexual misconduct will be dealt with promptly. Confidentiality will be maintained to the greatest extent possible. To report a violation of the Seminary’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, contact Heather Zdancewicz, vice president for finance and administration, Trull Administration Building, Business Office (2nd Floor), 100 East 27th Street, Austin, Texas, 78705, 512-404-4816, hzdancewicz@austinseminary.edu. Local law enforcement can be contacted by calling 9-1-1 (to report a crime in progress or an emergency), 3-1-1 (to report a crime that has already occurred or a non-emergency), and Victim Services at 512-974-5000. To report abuse or neglect of a child or exploitation of an elderly or disabled person, contact the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at 1-800-252-5400. In addition to the above reporting options, persons wishing, confidentially and in good faith, to report to the Seminary ethics-related issues such as sexual misconduct may also call the Seminary’s Campus Conduct Hotline© at 1-866-943-5787. Whether or not the individual makes a formal report, all victims of sexual misconduct are urged to seek appropriate help, which may include a medical evaluation and obtaining information, support, and counseling, either on or off campus. Resources available to victims are listed in the Seminary’s Sexual Misconduct Policy statement as published in full in the Seminary’s Student Handbook and the Employee Handbook.

Student Code of Conduct

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary by its mission to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership, upholds particular standards and expectations in behavior for all its members in their life together. These qualities of life are grounded in a common faith in Jesus Christ, within which all people are regarded as children of God and are to be treated accordingly. The Student Code of Conduct, the full text of which appears in the Student Handbook, outlines behavioral expectations and possible consequences for behavior that violates the Code of Conduct. It also details procedures to be followed in reporting a violation, and procedures for hearings and appeals.

Statement on Student Rights and Responsibilities

Student rights are ensured by faculty and the board of trustees, and these rights are listed in the Bylaws, the Faculty Manual, the Student Handbook, and the Academic Catalogue. Student responsibilities are set forth in the same documents.

Title IX Statement

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or sexual expression in its education programs and activities. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on this basis in education programs and activities of Austin Seminary. 107

Policies and General Information Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX and reports of violations of the Seminary’s Title IX policy should be made to the campus Title IX coordinator, Heather Zdancewicz, vice president for finance and administration, Trull Administration Building, Business Office (2nd Floor), 100 East 27th Street, Austin, Texas, 78705, 512-404-4816, hzdancewicz@austinseminary.edu.

Issuance of Transcripts

Austin Seminary has partnered with Parchment - the largest credential exchange company in the world - to provide secure, electronic, official transcripts for our students and alumni. For instructions on requesting a transcript, go to Requesting a Transcript - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. An official transcript can be sent to a designated official, agency, or institution for any student, former student, or graduate of the Seminary. A transcript for a particular individual can also be provided directly to that individual. With respect to dismissal or withdrawal from the Seminary, the student’s transcript shall record the action and the date of such action. If a student withdraws while on academic or non-academic probation, or while on an involuntary leave of absence, the transcript will reflect this status.

Veterans

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is approved to enroll veterans eligible for educational assistance as prescribed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The registrar handles veterans’ enrollment certification. In addition, veterans are eligible to apply for Seminary-based financial aid which is granted according to demonstrated need and availability of funds.

Policy on Weapons

The carrying or possession of any type of weapon or firearm on the premises of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is strictly and absolutely prohibited by institutional policy and in accord with state law set forth in Section 1, Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, as amended by Section 411.2031 (also known as S.B. 11). This prohibition expressly includes those persons licensed to carry firearms (other than those who are licensed peace officers). The following weapons are prohibited: pistols, revolvers and rifles (including pellet guns and BB guns), shotguns, armor-piercing ammunition, club or night sticks, compound bows, explosive weapons, firearm silencers, illegal knives, knuckles, machine guns, swords, and switchblade knives. For purposes of this policy, the premises of Austin Seminary are defined as any non-residential property, building, or portion of a building or property that Austin Seminary owns or occupies, whether on a temporary or permanent basis, and any off-site premises where Austin Seminary is conducting any activity sponsored by Austin Seminary. This includes all parking lots, parking areas, sidewalks, and walkways, and all vehicles and equipment owned by Austin Seminary. Any person violating this policy will be required to leave Austin Seminary’s premises immediately. Any employee or student found to be in violation of this policy will be subject to discipline, including immediate termination or dismissal.

108

Educational Environment

Educational Environment The Seminary Community and the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success

At Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, we are deeply committed to forming leaders for the ministry and mission of the Church of Jesus Christ. This commitment is not confined to the classroom; rather, it is embodied in a holistic approach that prioritizes the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Our faculty and administration share in this pastoral concern and actively participate in offering care and support to our student body. This commitment is given tangible expression through the work of the Student Success team, housed within the Enrollment Management division. Guided by the values of Christian community, this team provides comprehensive, wraparound support to students and their families. Through intentional programming, advocacy, and coordination of resources, the team fosters an environment in which students can flourish personally, spiritually, and vocationally.

109

Educational Environment The Student Success team also sponsors a variety of student-led groups that contribute to the vibrancy of campus life. These groups provide opportunities for fellowship, leadership development, theological reflection, and vocational exploration. Within these communities, students can access information and resources, engage with emerging issues facing the Church, test ideas and assumptions, and cultivate lasting relationships. Policies and procedures for the formation and official recognition of student groups are outlined in the Student Handbook. The Student Senate plays a vital role in enhancing community life, developing initiatives that enrich both individual experience and communal well-being. It serves as a constructive channel for student concerns and aspirations, working collaboratively with Seminary leadership to shape a responsive and inclusive campus culture. Pastoral care is available through the Seminary Chaplain, who holds the Louis H. and Katherine S. Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership. When students require support beyond pastoral care—such as counseling services, crisis intervention, or assistance with other non-academic challenges— resources are available through the Student Success team. Financial assistance for professional counseling and consultations, often in collaboration with trusted area providers, is also available. In times of crisis or personal difficulty, students may turn to the Care and Retention Team. This nondisciplinary body is charged with offering compassionate support and coordinated assistance to students and their families. The team is chaired by the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success and is composed of faculty and staff members representing key Seminary offices and functions. The Care and Retention Team provides a structured response to individual challenges, while also advising Seminary leadership on broader institutional matters impacting student experience and success. Referrals to the Care and Retention Team may be initiated by students themselves or by faculty, staff, administrators, spouses or family members, denominational representatives, fellow students, or the Student Life Committee. Based on the nature of the concern, the team may recommend appropriate Seminary resources, professional mental health services, or community-based support. In addition to these direct services, the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success serves on various faculty and administrative committees, ensuring that student perspectives inform institutional decision-making and that the Seminary continues to cultivate an environment conducive to growth, learning, and service. All of these efforts reflect our shared desire to live more fully into the vision articulated by our Board of Trustees in the Seminary’s Statement of Purpose—to be a winsome and exemplary community of God’s people.

Relationships with Other Institutions

Austin Seminary enjoys a wide variety of relationships with other academic institutions and mission agencies. These relationships constitute resources that enrich significantly the educational enterprise.

110

The Seminary of the Southwest is located only two blocks from the Austin Seminary campus. The two schools work cooperatively and make the course offerings of each available to students of the other. They also share a library catalog and extend borrowing privileges to students, faculty, and staff at either institution. (See Library services on the following page for more information.) The University of Texas at Austin, across the street from the Seminary, represents a valuable resource of an entirely different kind. Students have ready access to many facets of the life of this great university and enjoy the cultural and recreational benefits it offers as well as the privilege of electing, with the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, graduate-level courses for Seminary credit. Austin Seminary has been a member of iACT, an interdenominational, interreligious agency for mission in Austin, since its inception. The Seminary continues to maintain a close working relationship with this organization, and its varied programs and projects provide students with numerous and valuable opportunities for both learning and service. Austin Seminary holds a close relationship with Texas Impact, Texas’ original interfaith policy network, which is located across the street. A representative from the Seminary serves on the Board of Directors, their director co-teaches policy and faith courses from time to time, and students frequently serve their ministry placements there. www.texasimpact.org Furthering our commitments to youth ministry, Austin Seminary provides vision, direction and leadership for Progressive Youth Ministry, a network of youth ministers connected online and convened in person for annual conferences in Austin. www.progressiveyouthministry.org As mentioned in the description of the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry, the Seminary partners with the Ministry Leadership Center (MLC). MLC equips leaders to minister, innovate, and engage with youth so they may experience the love and grace of Jesus Christ leading to identity and purpose. ministryleadership.org

Smoot Center

The Smoot Center was established by the board of trustees in 1977 in honor of Dr. Richmond Kelley Smoot, cofounder of the predecessor institution to Austin Seminary, the Austin School of Theology. Dr. Smoot also served as a professor at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. This center is used for Christian leadership events and by Seminary groups and others for seminars and meetings.

Library Services: The Mary B. and Robert J. Wright Learning and Information Center and Archives at Austin Seminary The Mary B. and Robert J. Wright Learning and Information Center provides state-of-the-art spaces for collaborative learning, remote learning, writing and academic skills consultations, and individual study. The Center actively acquires scholarship in electronic and print form. Seminary students and faculty can access more than 500,000 e-books and a variety of online research tools, including AtlaSerials Plus and the JSTOR: Religion and Theology archive collection. The Stitt Library Collection of print books and journals numbers more than 86,000 titles. Seminary faculty and students have access to the study spaces on the first floor of the

111

Additional Educational Opportunities Wright Center 24/7. Hours of service for the seminary community and the general public are posted on the Wright Center’s website. Sophi Search, a unified search tool, provides access to articles, e-books, and print books held by the Wright Center and by The Bishop Dena A. Harrison Library at the Seminary of the Southwest (SSW), located a few blocks from campus. Austin Seminary students have borrowing privileges at SSW and the main library of The University of Texas at Austin. Wright Center staff provide access to other needed items via interlibrary loan. Alumni of Austin Seminary can use Sophi Search for Alums to access AtlaSerals Plus, the JSTOR: Religion and Theology archive collection, and thousands of e-books with their alumni e-mail credentials. The Archives at Austin Seminary serves as the repository for documentation of the Seminary’s administrative activities, educational programs, publications, memorabilia, and photographs. The Archives also collects materials on the activities of the Presbyterian Church in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Access to materials is afforded by detailed finding aids. The Digital Collections at Austin Seminary (https://www.austinseminarydigital.org/) provide free access to recorded sermons, lectures, and webinars, alongside selected digitized materials from the Archives at Austin Seminary. The librarians and associate director of writing and academic support are partners with the faculty in teaching and learning, and support theological scholarship. Librarians manage the Seminary’s learning management system and offer user training through classroom sessions and tutorials.

112

Lectures and Lecturers

Lectures and Lecturers Midwinter Lectures January 25-27, 2027

Thomas White Currie Lecturer – Shane Claiborne The Thomas White Currie Lectures were established in 1952 by the Tom Currie Bible Class of Highland Park Presbyterian Church of Dallas, Texas, in honor of Dr. Currie and the current teachers of the Bible Class. The Lectures, supported by the class on an annual basis for fifty-nine years, are now funded by the Thomas White Currie lectureship Endowed Fund, a gift of the Currie family. E. C. Westervelt Lecturer – Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock The E. C. Westervelt Lectures were established in 1949 by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Flato of Corpus Christi, Texas, in honor of the parents of Mrs. Flato. Robert F. Jones Lecturer – Dr. Christine Roy Yoder The Women of the Church of the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, Texas, established in 1949 the Robert F. Jones Lectures in Christian Education. These are financed on an annual basis. Midwinter Lectures Preacher – TBD

113

Lectures and Lecturers

Constitution Day Lecture – September 17, 2026

Danny Woodward, Policy Attorney, Beyond Borders, Texas Civil Rights Project

HESED Lectures

Dates TBD The Hesed Lectures were established in 2014 through the efforts of the Seminary’s (then) African American Student Group and the Hispanic Student Association. The purpose of the Hesed Lectures is to promote awareness and church involvement in the area of social justice, thus enabling hesed, which is Hebrew for justice, loving kindness, and mercy. 2026 HESED - Through the Desert, We are One: Reclaiming Human Dignity and Sacred Truth Speakers: Daniel Bannoura and Dr. Karma R. Chavez Preacher: Rev. Dr. Dominique A. Robinson

The George S. Heyer Jr. Distinguished Lectureship

This lectureship was established to honor George S. Heyer Jr., professor emeritus of the history of doctrine, for his thirty years as a valued member of the Austin Seminary faculty. The purpose of the annual lecture is to symbolize and advance the important relationship between the academy and the church; to recall the long-lasting cooperation between The University of Texas and the Seminary; and to encourage the positive relationship between faith and knowledge. October 29, 2026 Korey Pereira, Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Radio-Television-Film, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin

Settles Lectures

The Settles Lectures in Mission and Evangelism were established in 1947 by Mrs. W. R. Settles of Big Spring, Texas. Over the course of years, topics of the lectures have alternated between mission and evangelism, or home mission and foreign mission. April 8-9, 2027 Bishop Katrina Foster, Metropolitan New York Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Jean Brown Visiting Scholar

Established by the board of trustees in order to attract outstanding scholars to the Austin Seminary campus for periods of up to one year, the position of Jean Brown Visiting Scholar was first filled in September 1982. The Jean Brown Scholar is invited to participate in the life of the Seminary and may spend their time teaching, writing, and/or meeting informally with students and faculty.

Hoxie Thompson Lecturers

The Seminary’s master’s programs are enriched each year by the presence on campus of a number of distinguished visiting lecturers. Such persons are ordinarily designated as Hoxie Thompson Lecturers. The Hoxie Thompson Lecturers for 2025-2026 were: Beverly Gaventa, Lecturer in Bi.305 Romans (English-based), Spring 2026 Distinguished Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Baylor University and Helen H.P. Manson Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis Emerita at Princeton Theological Seminary, Spring 2026 114

Lectures and Lecturers Dr. Paul Hooker, Lecturer in CM.301 Polity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Spring 2026 Dr. Julie Faith Parker, Bi.233 Topics in Biblical Studies: Children in/and the Hebrew Bible, January 2026

The Karen G. and Elgin W. Ware Jr. Endowed Lectureship and Fellowship Fund

Established by Karen and Elgin Ware of Dallas, Texas, to support an annual lectureship for the purpose of exploring the relationship between science and religion and also to support a more extensive follow-up seminar with the lecturer and ten fellows (5 pastors and 5 seminary students). The fellows will be selected based on their demonstrated gifts for ministry, leadership ability, intellectual curiosity and scholarship, and potential for impacting the larger communities in which they serve or will serve.

The Louis H. and Katherine S. Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership

The Louis H. and Katherine S. Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership was endowed in 2002 by the congregation of First Presbyterian Church, San Antonio, Texas, to honor Louis Zbinden’s thirty-one year ministry there and to demonstrate appreciation for his guidance and hope for a new generation of church leaders. The chair provides funding to call, for one- to five-year terms, distinguished and experienced pastors to teach in the broad area of ministry, including: church administration, stewardship, worship, preaching, Christian education, pastoral care, and church programming. In 2024, the board of trustees elected The Reverend Ted Foote as the fifth holder of the chair, beginning in fall 2024. The chair has been held previously by The Reverend Dr. Louis H. Zbinden Jr., The Reverend Dr. K. C. Ptomey Jr., The Reverend Dr. Blair R. Monie, and The Reverend Bobbi Kaye Jones.

115

Financial Information

Financial Information Seminary Expenses 2026-2027 These tuition fees, effective with the 2026 fall semester, represent only a small part of the cost of providing theological education. Most of the cost is met through gifts from individuals and churches and by endowment income. Other services to students are provided on a nonprofit or subsidized basis. Fees mentioned in this Catalogue are subject to change by action of the administration and/or the board of trustees. Any changes are effective on the date set by the administration or the board, and students will be informed in writing concerning them. Master’s level Fees (78 Credit program) Application Fee Graduation Processing Fee (year of graduation) Seminary Fee (annual) Student Activity Fee (annual) Tuition for Auditors Tuition per credit hour

$ 50 $160 $250 $ 80 $350 $810

The student estimating the expenses of theological study should allow in addition to the above fees, approximately $1250 per year for books. The director of financial aid is available to discuss living expenses and budgets with students. International student applicants are required to demonstrate they have secured financial funding adequate to cover living and educational costs. If admitted, international students are required to make a financial deposit equal to one-half the minimum annual student budget. MLC Funding for MAYM students Students in the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry degree program are funded through the Seminary’s partnership with Ministry Leadership Center. Students receive a 70% Seminary Tuition Grant for a maximum of three years, and MLC pays the balance of students’ tuition and fees. MLC students are not eligible for additional institution-based financial assistance. Doctor of Ministry Fees Annual Program Continuation Fee $ 150 Application Fee $ 50 Entrance and Tech Fee (one time) $ 300 Graduation Fee (year of graduation) $ 400 Supervisory Fee $1,800 116

Financial Information Travel Seminar Fee (room & board) $ 500 Tuition per seminar $2,180 Any tuition costs incurred at other institutions for courses credited toward the DMin degree are the responsibility of the DMin student. Certificate In Ministry Tuition per course Certificado en Ministerio en Español El costo por curso

$ 380 $ 200

Payment of Fees

A student’s registration is complete when satisfactory financial arrangements for the payment of all Seminary charges are made with the Office of Finance and Administration. Tuition and fees are due prior to the beginning of an academic term and, for students enrolled in a master’s-level degree program, no later than the end of the add period for a particular term. If payment is not made by this deadline, the student’s registration is cancelled. The required payment of Seminary charges – tuition, fees, and rent for campus housing – can be made from various sources, such as a Seminary tuition grant, other grants or loans, or personal funds. If other grants or loans are anticipated, written verification from the source of these funds is required before the academic term begins. Charges accrued on a student’s account during a particular term must be paid before entering the next term. A student must clear all indebtedness to the Seminary prior to graduation and/or prior to release of any academic transcripts or grade reports. Failure to keep one’s student account in good standing is grounds for non-academic probation, involuntary leave of absence, or dismissal.

Refund Policy for Master’s-level Students

All refunds for dropping a course or withdrawing from the Seminary are based on the official date of drop or withdrawal, not on the date of last attendance. You can drop a class online; however, if you intend to drop all your classes (Withdraw) you need to contact the Dean’s Office to complete the necessary paperwork. Refunds are pro-rated depending on the date of the drop or withdrawal. See Refund Schedule to determine your refund eligibility. Students are entitled to reimbursement of tuition based on the following schedule should they need to drop a course(s) and are still enrolled in at least one other course. Masters level refund schedule: Fall and Spring Terms Date Prior to the first day of term For the first seven (7) days of the term (drop/add) period

Reimbursement 100% 100%

117

Financial Information For the second seven (7) days of the term 50% (grace period) After fourteen (14) days 0%

January and Summer Terms Date Prior to the first day of the term For the first three (3) days of the term (drop/add period) For the second four (4) days of the term (grace period) After seven (7) days