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To request a 2008 Cohort application, please contact the Fuller Northwest office at 206-284-9000 or fts.nw@fuller.edu.
Bringing together the best
the seminary and the church have to offer
Students can earn the M.Div. degree in its entirety through Fuller Northwest. In this fully accredited Master of Divinity Degree, all courses and faculty are approved by the School of Theology faculty in Seattle and Pasadena.
The M.Div. cohort program is designed to provide for spiritual formation in community (cohort is derived from a Latin word describing a group of people). Beginning in the fall of every year, a cohort of students will take twelve of the thirty-eight M.Div. courses together over a three-year period beginning with Foundations for Spiritual Life. The cohort program also includes retreats, times of worship, and mentoring.
Overview
The cohort program offers the following:
- A non-traditional schedule suitable for part-time or full-time students
- Integration of classroom and church-based instruction
- Ministry training in a cohort community that enables academic, spiritual, relational and pastoral formation
M.Div. Degree Requirements
The Master of Divinity curriculum consists of thirty-eight courses (144 quarter units). Students in the cohort program take ninety-six units at their own pace. The remaining forty-eight units are taken in sequence with a cohort of approximately 20-25 students. The M.Div. curriculum, including cohort courses, consists of the following:
Languages (20 units)
Biblical Studies (32 units)
- Hermeneutics and Exegetical Method (4)
- Old Testament (8)
- Old Testament Exegesis (4)
- New Testament (8)
- New Testament Exegesis (4)
- New Testament Theology (4)
Church History And Theology (32 units)
- Church History (12)
- Systematic Theology (12)
- Ethics (4)
- Philosophy (4)
Ministry (32 units)
- General Ministry & Spirituality (4)
- Preaching and Communication (8)
- Evangelism (4)
- Christian Formation & Discipleship (4)
- Pastoral Counseling (4)
- Pastoral Ministry and Theology (4)
- Field Education (4)
- Missions (4)
Electives (24 units)
Distinctives of the Cohort Program
The cohort program is designed to offer academic excellence, opportunities for spiritual formation in community and mentoring. The program integrates theory with practical ministry experience through classroom and mentored instruction.
Academic Excellence
The late David Allan Hubbard, former president of Fuller Theological Seminary once said, "At Fuller we are characterized by balance in that we are an institution of ‘both-and’ rather than ‘either-or.’ We seek to be both evangelical and ecumenical, to train our students in both scholarship and spirituality, and to call the church to both evangelism and social action. These qualities make Fuller a wonderful and exciting place to 'prepare men and women for the manifold ministries of Christ and his church.' " A significant part of Fuller's mission is to provide the highest level of academic excellence in all aspects of this cohort M.Div. program. This is accomplished in part by:
- Recruiting professors who are not only recognized experts in their field of study, but who also serve in local churches on a regular basis. This provides students the opportunity to receive church-based instruction from world-class scholars.
- Providing a wide range of library resources in the Puget Sound area. Our main library is at Seattle Pacific University, but students have access to other significant libraries in the Puget Sound area as well.
- Offering academic advising to each student throughout his or her degree program. The 'bottom line' in all of this is that students studying at FNW can be assured that they are receiving the quality of theological education that distinguishes Fuller Seminary throughout the world.
Opportunities for Spiritual Formation in Community
There are a number of opportunities for spiritual formation in the cohort program at Fuller Northwest.
- Community
provides significant opportunities for spiritual formation at Fuller Northwest. Beginning with Foundations for Spiritual Life in the fall, a cohort of students will take twelve courses together over a three-year period. This provides an excellent opportunity for students to form strong relationships with others during the cohort program. Students share meals together prior to some of the class sessions and are involved in small group sessions conducted by clergy and lay leaders.
- Foundations for Spiritual Life
, the first course in the cohort program, is designed to help students develop and maintain a strong and vital faith in God in the face of the pressures and problems of Christian service today. Particular attention is given to spiritual formation through prayer and other spiritual disciplines.
- Retreats
provide students a wonderful opportunity to deepen their relationship with God and with others. There are two retreats a year, one in early fall and the other in early summer, which include worship, teaching and times reflection.
- Worship
is an integral part of each cohort course. Approximately 30 to 40 minutes are set aside in every class session for worship, study of God’s Word, and times of silent reflection.
Mentoring
Students in the cohort program are assigned mentors to guide and direct them during the course of the program. The mentoring component of the cohort program provides students with an opportunity to:
- Integrate classroom and church-based instruction
- Receive guided exposure to diverse contexts of ministry
- Receive personalized instruction
Mentors are pastors and other Christian leaders who are chosen because of their expertise in a particular field of study. Mentoring enables students to observe six different aspects of pastoral ministry in ten-week quarters over a three-year period. Each mentored course provides at least eight hours with the mentor, plus another eight hours of directed learning activities.
Learning Support Groups
Each student is encouraged to select a group of two or three advocates (including one pastor and one or more laypersons) who make the following commitments:
- To meet regularly as a group with the student, over the three years that the student is part of this ministry preparation.
- To pray for the student on a regular basis.
- To discuss any pertinent issues which may arise regarding course content, the student’s personal spiritual development, the integration of course content and pastoral ministry, the student’s personal priorities, schedule, or finances.
These optional groups assist students in their goals for growth academically, spiritually, and relationally. Concerns are not confined to academic course work, but to areas of growth in the student’s spiritual and family life, social involvement, financial management, and church experience.
Summer Intensive Courses
Each summer all the students in the cohort communities in the Northwest Master of Divinity program participate in a one-week intensive course, in a biblical or theological discipline. The courses are intentionally structured to integrate academic reflection with personal and ministry application. In addition to class interaction, the courses offer opportunities for informal interaction between students and faculty, corporate worship, recreation, and personal reflection. Students are required to have completed the requisite reading prior to the course and are evaluated through appropriate essays and written work. Summer course offerings may include the following: New Testament Theology, Systematic Theology, Christian Philosophy, or Ethics.
Admission to the cohort program
Whether you are a currently enrolled student at Fuller Seminary or interested in applying, there is a separate application you must complete for admission to the cohort program. Admission to each cohort group is limited to approximately 25 students. Admission to the cohort program depends upon:
- Application to Fuller Seminary’s cohort program (separate from application to M.Div. program)
- Endorsement of a pastor confirming your call to pastoral ministry
- Demonstrated ministry skills through current ministry involvement
- Proven academic competency through coursework
- Willingness to make a commitment to follow the three-year cycle of ministry preparation courses and participate in the extracurricular aspects of the program
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