Significant enrollment increase at NTS

Kansas City, Missouri

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The student enrollment at Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) showed a sharp increase this semester. Spring 2010 enrollment came in at 290, which is up significantly over the Fall 2009 enrollment of 237. Future enrollment is expected to benefit further from several new programs and initiatives which are scheduled to go into effect in the coming year. Some of those new initiatives include:

• NEW CURRICULUM FOR THE MASTER OF DIVINITY DEGREE: Seminary Faculty and Administration have revised the curriculum for the master of divinity degree, reducing the number of credit hours required for completion of the degree from 90 to 76. Changes in the curriculum could be approved and implemented as early as the 2010-2011 academic year. The changes are subject to approval by the seminary's accrediting agency and Board of Trustees. For more information, click here.
  

• MULTI-CAMPUS SEMINARY: NTS has entered into a new partnership agreement with Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) and Southern Nazarene University (SNU) that will provide the opportunity for students to earn an NTS master of divinity degree on the MVNU and SNU campuses. This multi-campus seminary initiative is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010. The agreements are subject to the ratification of the respective governing boards. To read more about how the multi-campus seminary will assist in providing a seminary education to ministerial students in their local settings, click here.
  

• GLOBAL CONSORTIUM: In November 2009, NTS helped to convene the first meeting of the global consortium of Nazarene seminaries and graduate schools of theology to discuss the possibilities of sharing resources, faculty and student exchanges, collaborative programs, and forums to enhance theological cohesion in the growing global church. The eight schools participating in the consortium are: Africa Nazarene University, Asia-Pacific Nazarene Seminary, Brazil Nazarene College, Korea Nazarene University, Nazarene Theological College Australia, Nazarene Theological College-Manchester, Nazarene Theological Seminary (U.S.), and Seminary of the Americas (Costa Rica). Deans of the schools are meeting periodically through video conferencing to continue to discuss collaboration details and to plan future meetings. The next full gathering is scheduled to be held on the campus of Korea Nazarene University in November of 2010. Click here to view more information about the global consortium.

Ron Benefiel, NTS president, remarked, "These are good days at NTS. It's exciting to see the pieces all fitting together - the boost in enrollment, the new curriculum, the development of the multi-campus seminary, and the global consortium. I am very optimistic about the future of the NTS and its ability to continue serving the church in preparing women and men for ministry."
--Nazarene Theological Seminary
 

 

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