Online Seminary Comparison

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zsmcd

zsmcd

Puritan Board Freshman
I finally finish up my undergraduate degree this semester. Because I have four years left in the military and have no idea where we will be stationed in that time, I am looking at online seminary courses to chip away at an MDiv as much as possible.

As far as coursework goes, Greenville seems the most appealing to me, but I am not sure that the military will pay for unaccredited courses. TNARS offers the best 'price' and the coursework looks to be great as well, but if I decide to go to a brick and mortar school I may have transfer trouble. I'm not entirely concerned with accreditation, as I don't see myself pursuing any PhD work at an accredited institution, but the transferability of RTS credits is very appealing. The only downside with RTS is that the price is steep, though the military will pay for about half of it.

What say ye? Any other suggestions? My pastor seems to be partial to RTS. Any online students in here?
 
Zach,

I have looked into online seminary options quite a bit as well. Though I'm no longer in the Marines I work full-time as a DoD civilian and I'm neither willing nor able to leave my vocation in order to study for several years. For me I don't feel a call to full-time pastoral ministry, but I enjoy working with youth and my main interests are in studying theology so I feel pursuing online studies to be the best fit for me. For you on the other hand...do you feel like you are being called to be a pastor when you get out of the military?

As a Presbyterian the online options are somewhat limited compared to our Baptist brethren. If you are up in Alexandria maybe chip away at some evening classes at the RTS DC campus and when you PCS to your next duty station resume via RTS Global. If you just want to jump straight into online studies I would go the RTS Global route and pursue a MABS or MATS degree and finish up the MDiv when you separate from the military. If costs are of concern maybe consider Whitefield College or Birmingham Theological Seminary. I like the TNARS option and have considered it myself, but I ultimately was concerned about a lack of interaction with other students (iron sharpening iron) and a lack of quality mentors in my area.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of good suggestions here from folks.
 
RTS would be nice as they have the most campuses around of any Reformed seminary (including one in Northern Virginia) so you would be able to do a mix of on-line and in person classes now and potentially in the future. However, other schools do have on-line options. I think a good portion if not most of a degree from Puritan Seminary can be done via distance now, which is accredited and might be more appealing if you like Greenville's program.
 
Jake said:
I think a good portion if not most of a degree from Puritan Seminary can be done via distance now, which is accredited and might be more appealing if you like Greenville's program.
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Good to know. For some reason I assumed that PRTS did not have the same accreditation as RTS.
 
I hope to enter into pastoral ministry in the future, but that may be another 10 years out from now. Of course there are also the added benefits of personal growth, greater biblical knowledge, etc.
 
zsmcd said:
For some reason I assumed that PRTS did not have the same accreditation as RTS.
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It looks like you were partially correct. Both have ATS accreditation. RTS also has SACS

footnote: I don't think the Dallas campus is accredited yet.
 
RTS also has a church partnership program, in which if your church pays 1/3 of tuition, RTS will forgive 1/3 of tuition.
 
zsmcd said:
I see that now.

Is there any real significance to a SACS accreditation?
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Secular institutions and employers might be more impressed with SACS accreditation, but otherwise there is no significant difference. In either case, the institution would be fully accredited.
 
I attend SBTS online and am loving it. You may have to put up with a bunch of baptists, but many of the prescribed books are by Presbyterians. :D Regardless, it's a conservative school with a top notch academic program.
 
FYI, from the PRTS Distance Education FAQs:
Can the residency requirement for the MA or MDiv degrees be fulfilled by intensive or modular classes?

No. While much of the MA or MDiv can be completed from a distance, and some courses can be taken as intensive courses, most of the MA and MDiv courses are offered as semester-long classes. You should count on at least 3 semesters of full-time on-campus work for the MA degree, and at least 5 semesters for the MDiv degree.
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So, you will not be able to complete the program through distance education, but you can do a great deal of it.
 
zsmcd said:
I hope to enter into pastoral ministry in the future, but that may be another 10 years out from now. Of course there are also the added benefits of personal growth, greater biblical knowledge, etc.
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Are you under care? Even playing the long game you may wish to bring it to your session.
 
Bill The Baptist said:
Secular institutions and employers might be more impressed with SACS accreditation, but otherwise there is no significant difference. In either case, the institution would be fully accredited.
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Well, Puritan wouldn't be able to have SACS accreditation because it is not in the southeast. But ATS is a recognized accrediting agency by the Department of Education along with the 6 regional ones.
 
I can only speak from the deeper end of the pool :lol: (Baptist)...so this post may or may not prove very helpful for you.

If you're unconcerned re: accreditation, Ekklesia Theological Seminary is a 1689 Reformed Baptist seminary and does both their MA and MDiv entirely online. You'd read the older texts -- just like with TNARS. But they're the classics, the model is an apprenticeship under your pastor/elders, and there's no tuition. It's a solid program.

Similarly unaccredited but 1689 confessional is the Reformed Baptist Seminary. Its tuition is very reasonable, and they have an online option. Here, you'll read some newer textbooks.

SBTS online was good when I was in it, and has improved significantly in recent years. They've got all the major accreditations, and it's a terrific school. Most of the church history/historical theology profs are 1689 confessional and covenantal. In systematics, however, you'll find a spectrum from Dr. Wellum's progressive covenantalism (basically his version of new covenant theology, though he's a solid 5-pointer), to Dr. Ware's 4-pointer soteriological dispensationalism, to Dr. Mohler's pre-mill covenantalism in the 1689 vein.
 
A word of honest warning about online M.Div degrees- churches looking for pastors do not generally look at men with online M.Div's first. There is something to be said about being directly and personally under the mentorship of professors on site. Part of an M.Div online is one thing, but the whole thing by distance seems deficient to me. There is just so much to be gained in the classroom with other men pursuing ministry training too. If we were looking to call a pastor, we would want there to be professors vouching for the man's ministry competence. I suppose the exception would be someone who is VERY actively involved in a local church gaining exposure to the various facets and duties of pastoral ministry in some kind of internship situation while taking online courses. I am not saying you can't get a ministry position with an online M.Div, but I am saying I think it's tough.
 
ZackF said:
Are you under care? Even playing the long game you may wish to bring it to your session.
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Not formally. Though my pastor and I have been meeting fairly regularly to discuss these things and to go through the WCF to work through my exceptions and such.
 
Although I am a Presbyterian, SBTS did cross my mind because I had very much considered it when I was a Baptist . . . then I realized that it would be just as expensive as RTS since I would no longer fall under the cooperative program. LOL.

Reepicheep said:
A word of honest warning about online M.Div degrees- churches looking for pastors do not generally look at men with online M.Div's first.
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I do not plan on finishing the MDiv online. I simply want to knock out as much of it as possible while I am in the military.

Looks like PRTS and RTS may be the best options for me. I am likely looking to go to Greenville or RTS after the military to finish the degree.

Thanks everyone.
 
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Bill The Baptist said:
Secular institutions and employers might be more impressed with SACS accreditation, but otherwise there is no significant difference. In either case, the institution would be fully accredited.
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W/o regional accreditation (e.g., SACS), the military (GI Bill or otherwise) will not pay for it.
 
Scratch that -- I see now. Maybe they made special arrangements with the school. I'd always be 100% sure beforehand.
 
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