Bethel Seminary-St. Paul Reviews

"I love the diversity of the students in my classes. We come from a wide variety of undergrad backgrounds with the common goal of Ministry. Because it is a Graduate program and students come from all over the city, it is hard to get fully immersed socially."

"I love the integration of faith and practical aspects of my education so far."

"The InMinistry track allows you to receive hands on learning while you are in your field. You are also supported through a great network of cohorts. The one downside, is that the workload can e difficult to balance with a full-time career."

"It's an interesting dynamic. Bethel Seminary has multiple locations. I can only speak for the New England branch of the Seminary of the East. It is non residential, so those questions and the ones about transportation don't really apply. (Classes meet in a local church.) I love this school--the classes are both informative and inspiring, as well as practical. This is my third attempt at seminary and I think I'm actually going to finish. The community is very tight and also very open. The professors are personable and accessible. I like that this program is designed for people who already work full time and maybe even have worked in their field of study for a while. It is also designed for commuters, which neither of the other two programs in which I was enrolled are.Read Less"

"Bethel seeks to train their students not just academically, but for real life. They want the students to be able to make real world difference."

"I attend a satellite campus of Bethel Seminary out in New England. The programs at it are designed for more mature students who work full-time or have to commute distances. All the classes offered in a given term meet on the same one day of the week, so even less local students can just have one commute a week, instead of multiple days. I love this set-up and the dynamic of the students--all people who are already engaged in what we're studying, and have lived a little bit of life already. The scholarship of the program is a little less rigorous than some other places I've attended, but the practical nature of what we're learning easily makes up for it.Read Less"

"PROS// I did the InMinistry program. It's one of the few accredited M.Div degree that allowed me to have a degree I'm proud of, that's academically reputable, and not move my family from where we live. Summer and winter classes are completely distance/online. Fall and spring classes are (I believe) 13 weeks, one of those weeks being on-campus lecture in Minneapolis. Professors push you. I didn't want to go to a seminary where they would teach me everything I already learned at my Biblical Studies Undergrad school. That turns into an expensive pat on the back. They push you for the sake of challenging you to evaluate what and why you believe what you do. InMinistry staff. They're incredible! Always accessible and great advocates for the students. Cohort Based. This means the people you start classes with are the people you take classes with the whole way through. If your cohort is good, that greatly improves your experience as you get to know each other. CONS// It's not cheap, even for Master's level classes. It doesn't help that there is not on-campus housing available during mandatory intensives. I'm not a part of a denomination, so there are no denominational discounts. It's a LONG program. 5 years. But, that's the nature of getting this degree through this delivery system (InMinistry).Read Less"

"Pros are the online program to I can continue to work full time while obtaining my degree. Also, it's nice to get on the campus twice a year with a cohort and learn/ask questions together."

"I'm currently enrolled in the "InMinistry" program at Bethel Seminary. It was one of the few programs in the nation with a good academic reputation that allowed me to remain in my current job, complete an M.Div degree, and not have to uproot and move my family. I've been pleased with the faculty and staff, the academic challenges, and the structure of the program. The biggest disappointment is that we are not provided housing for mandatory intensive weeks. Other schools I know of that have intensive weeks for M.Div or M.A. programs provide housing for students.Read Less"

"Bethel has many classes that challenge in various ways, but they also have several classes that it is difficult to understand why they are required. Faculty are available, but it is often difficult to find time to meet with them, particularly if you work full-time. Housing is becoming an issue and sometimes it feels as though Seminary students are not valued."