Admissions Requirements
Inquiries concerning admission to the Master of Divinity, the Master of Arts in Religion and the Master of Sacred Theology degree programs should be directed to Pastor Thomas M. Henderson in the Office of Admissions.

Undergraduate Education – All persons applying for admission to the seminary must have completed requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution prior to enrollment. No particular major is required for entrance to the seminary, although it is desirable that students secure a broad-based liberal arts education. It is particularly important to be able to use the language correctly and effectively, for written and spoken communication is central to ministry. Proper language use is also directly related to clarity in thinking, which is demanded by the many interpretive tasks of Christian ministry.

The seminary may require additional undergraduate coursework from applicants whose application and transcripts reveal serious deficiencies in crucial areas.

Application for Admission – The seminary is nondiscriminatory in its admissions policy and welcomes all qualified students. Application for admission is strongly encouraged 9-12 months in advance of one's expected enrollment. M.Div. students and those in certain M.A.R. tracks must demonstrate competence in New Testament Greek as a prerequisite for many New Testament courses. It is strongly recommended that students not having proficiency in Greek enroll in the accelerated six-week Greek course taught during the summer.

ELCA Candidacy Process – Applicants who are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America should be active members of a congregation for at least one full year prior to beginning the candidacy process. The initial step toward entering the seminary is for the pastor and congregational council to register the applicant with the synodical candidacy committee. This step should be taken at least one year in advance of expected seminary enrollment. ELCA seminaries customarily will not extend an offer of admission to an ELCA applicant prior to receiving notification of a positive entrance decision (readiness for theological study) by a candidacy committee which generally makes that decision by June 1 to allow for seminary entrance in the fall.

An applicant who has begun but not completed entrance to candidacy may receive provisional admission dependent upon the candidacy committee's subsequent positive entrance decision by December 1.