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The M.Div. degree at Starr King is designed to prepare
people for ministerial vocations in:
- parish ministry
- community ministry
- religious education ministry
- hospital, prison or hospice chaplaincy
- related forms of religious leadership with congregations
and the wider community.
The M.Div. degree meets the basic educational requirements
for fellowship as a Unitarian Universalist minister
and ordination in a variety of other denominations.
At Starr King, each student's M.Div. program of study
is individually designed to respond to his or her gifts,
challenges, life experiences and calling.
The program's overall goal is to prepare each person
holistically for ministry through competency in eight
threshold areas:
1) Life in Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement
2) Prophetic Witness and Work
3) Sacred Text and Interpretation
4) History of Dissenting Traditions and the Thea/ological
Quest
5) Spiritual Practice and the Care of the Soul
6) Thea/ology in Culture and Context
7) Educating for Wholeness and Liberation
8) Embodied Wisdom and Beauty
These threshold areas integrate the arts of ministry
(preaching, teaching, counseling, leading worship and
ritual, administering) with the disciplines of theological
and religious studies (theology, ethics, Biblical studies,
world religions, church history, religious education,
cultural studies, psychology, sociology of religion,
congregational studies).
This goal includes the development of personal qualities
and habits for a successful ministry, such as mature
judgment, self-awareness, spiritual practice, integrity,
responsibility, sensitivity and ethical discernment.
In their first year, students are required to attend seminars that introduce Starr King's thresholds and our practice of educating to counter oppressions and create just and sustainable communities.
Over the course of study, each student assembles a portfolio of work. Midway through the degree program, two faculty members (one of whom is the student's advisor), a peer and a community representative review the portfolio, then meet with the student to reflect on the work.
Because of a long-established, free cross-registration
system, M.Div. students can draw on Starr King and Graduate
Theological Union resources, GTU-affiliated advanced
centers for research and study, as well as course offerings,
libraries, research institutes and faculty of the University
of California, Berkeley.
Entrance to the M.Div. program normally requires a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. school.
- a minimum two-years residency in the program
- a minimum 90 units of credit
- a portfolio conference
- completion of introductory seminars on the thresholds
and educating to counter oppressions and create just
and sustainable communities (ECO)
- a combination of coursework, fieldwork, independent
study, experiential learning and special projects
to achieve competency in the eight threshold areas
- a representative work embodying the student's contribution
to the creative advance of theological knowledge and
religious practice.
Readiness is assessed through conversation with a student's primary advisor, who will help determine if all degree requirements have been met and request from the student a written self-assessment of readiness. After a review, the advisor will make a recommendation to the core faculty. Then core faculty then votes on the recommendation and presents a list of approved students to the board of trustees, which votes to confer degrees.
The M.Div. degree is only one aspect of preparation
for fellowship and ordination as a Unitarian Universalist
minister. Information on the full process is available
from:
- Rev. David Pettee
dpettee@uua.org
Ministerial Credentialing Director
Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02108-2800
617/948-6402
- Visit
the UUA Web site for additional information on the
credentialing process.
Click to view the Starr King catalog in PDF format.
M.A. | MASC | M.Div.
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