God calls us from all walks of life and at all stages of life. We understand that not everyone looking to be equipped in ministry has a college degree in hand. Don’t let that stop you from investing in your calling.
Did you know you can earn your bachelor’s degree and seminary degree (MACM, MATS, or MDIV) in only five years?
Gordon-Conwell has partnered with Gordon College to offer accelerated pastoral degree programs, strategically overlapping undergraduate and graduate coursework. If you plan to enter into ministry, these programs can provide you the training and credentials for a fraction of the time and cost.
It is sometimes impractical for prospective students to complete their undergraduate degree in order to enroll in seminary. This is often the case for a person with significant ministry experience who has engaged in self-study but does not have formal training. Or for a person who is older, perhaps mid-career, or someone who opted to complete a program at an unaccredited institution. Our policy allows us to evaluate whether a student’s work/study /service/ministry might be considered equivalent to an undergraduate degree. Such students have the option to apply to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary under our “Mature Admission” policy.
Students without a bachelor’s degree must have a minimum of:
Every candidate will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis with consideration given to essays, references, and life experience. See below for other important considerations.
As you consider the path forward as a Mature Admission student, please keep these considerations in mind:
Our standard entry route for Mature Admission students is the Graduate Certificate in Christian Studies or Certificate in Urban Ministry. We require the following:
For students applying for Mature Admission, we recommend you use the application’s required autobiographical essay and statement of purpose essay to demonstrate your ability to produce clear and correct writing.
For students who have earned the equivalent of a Bachelor’s Degree (120 credits) from an unaccredited institution, please contact us to learn how you can apply directly for a Master’s Degree.
Mature Admission students may be accepted to the Certificate in Christian Studies with additional conditions and provisions, often including a requirement that they enroll in our CT500 Theological Writing and Research course during their first semester. This arrangement is intended to help the mature student begin graduate level work at a reasonable pace and commitment level, and to succeed in their program. Under this policy, we have seen the majority of our Mature Admission students flourish in their programs.
Students demonstrating sufficient academic progress in the Certificate in Christian Studies may go on to apply for a full degree program. As many as 5 of the 6 courses are transferable into the majority of our degrees.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, handicap or veteran status. A complete statement of compliance with federal laws and regulations can be found in the Gordon-Conwell Student Handbook.