MTS Openseminary™
September 08, 2011 -Palmer Seminary of Eastern University's blended online program enables church leaders from across the U.S. and around the world to earn a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree without relocating. The three-year program, based on the Openseminary™ model, requires 2 week-long residencies per year at Palmer.
Openseminary™ is built around six modules, each of them 21 weeks long. Most of the education occurs online; a week-long residency period takes place in the middle of each module. Students who complete two modules per year finish in three years, earning an MTS with a concentration in Ministry and Culture.
The program’s content is overwhelmingly practical. Each of the six modules focuses on an important area of church practice, such as worship, building community, doing theology in context, and spiritual formation. During each residency, students encounter a “thoughtful practitioner”—a leader regarded as an authority on the topic being studied.
Prerequisites for entry into the program include an undergraduate degree and at least a year of ministry leadership experience. A cohort of 20-25 students is slated to begin in January of 2012, with an application deadline of November 28, 2011. Tuition is $3500 per module. As with other Masters students, Openseminary™ students have access to financial aid. Complete information is available (under “Programs”) on the Palmer Seminary website or by clicking here.
The Palmer campus is located in Wynnewood, PA, just outside Philadelphia. Palmer was founded in 1925 as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It is best known in the realm of theological education for its commitments to evangelical theology, social justice, women in ministry, and ethnic diversity.
