Campus Visitation

ADMISSIONS

A WORD TO PROSPECTIVE SEMINARIANS 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 consider 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.

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, the Office of Admissions can plan for your on-campus visit, meals, and lodging. A campus visit may include class attendance, a campus tour, and personal conversations with faculty members, staff members, and students.

All inquirers to master’s-level degree programs are encouraged to have an on-campus conference with a member of the Admissions Commission. If you are interested in pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree, you are encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions for information about the program. You are also welcome to visit the campus and meet with professors and the director of ministerial formation and advanced studies, who oversees the DMin program.

MASTER’S-DEGREE PROGRAMS

Those applying for admission to the Master of Arts (Theological Studies), Master of Arts in Ministry Practice, 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 approbation of God’s people are equally important.

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