Which of these seminaries would you consider?

[Haydn]

Hi yall,

So I am not in need of a RA seminary degree. I want to get a doctorate so that I can use it in my current ministry and maybe teach at some of the other online seminaries that are out there. I already hold 2 RA Masters degrees and an RA PhD so again, no worried about accreditation. UNISA is my first choice, but it is also going to be much harder to be accepted into that program. Which of these schools would you recommend? Why?

I have limited my choices down to:

Colorado Theological Seminary (https://www.seminary.ws)
Andersonville Theological (http://andersonvilleseminary.com)
Jacksonville Theological (http://www.jts.edu/)
Trinity Seminary and College of the Bible (http://trinitysem.edu/)
Northwestern Theological Seminary (http://www.northwesternseminary.com/)
UNISA (http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.html)

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

 

[Greektim]

It would help to know what you current degrees are and where they are from.

 

[Haydn]

How do my current degrees affect these schools? If I have a PhD from Harvard does that make Andersonville's program more rigorous? Does that make Trinity Seminary no longer offer degrees? I just don't see how that makes any difference at all. My question is, which of the schools listed would you say is the most reputable and which one would you choose.

But if somehow knowing my background will make one of these schools magically get better then here you go.

BBS-Hardin-Simmons University
MPA-Penn State
MLS-Fort Hays State University
PhD- University of Chicago
JD- University of Indiana

 

[preachinjesus]

Haydn, hello there, I believe Greektim was asking a kindly question to help understand how we can best answer your question. He wasn't being antagonistic.

 

[Haydn]

I wasn't assuming he was being antagonistic, I just don't understand how my degrees affects a schools reputation. A schools reputation is what it is regardless of who wants to go there or the degrees he or she may have. I know he is trying to help but asking a question like that makes me believe the help he is going to try to give me is not anywhere near the help I am looking for. I am looking for the schools reputation, NOT how the school will fit my education or how the school will help me. I am looking purely at how other people see these schools.

 

[TCassidy]

I wouldn't recommend any of the schools you listed.

Your BBS from Hardin-Simmons University is a more rigorous degree than any offered by the named schools. (In the interests of full disclosure I have been a visiting lecturer in Pastorology at South Texas School of Christian Studies, McAllen campus - which is an affiliate school of Hardin-Simmons.)

With a PhD from the University of Chicago (Divinity School?) and a JD from the University of Indiana I don't understand why you are looking for another Doctorate. You already have both a terminal Research Degree and a terminal Professional Degree. What more do you need?

 

[Haydn]

I'm trying to get a doctorate in a religious field, I wouldn't be doing that if my Chicago degree was religious. I am just wanting it for personal educational reasons. Just want to know which of those schools would have the best reputation

 

[Greektim]

How do my current degrees affect these schools? If I have a PhD from Harvard does that make Andersonville's program more rigorous? Does that make Trinity Seminary no longer offer degrees? I just don't see how that makes any difference at all. My question is, which of the schools listed would you say is the most reputable and which one would you choose.

But if somehow knowing my background will make one of these schools magically get better then here you go.

BBS-Hardin-Simmons University
MPA-Penn State
MLS-Fort Hays State University
PhD- University of Chicago
JD- University of Indiana

I would never expect someone w/ a PhD from U of Chic to have a degree from any of the schools mentioned, except maybe UNISA. I say that b/c biblical studies is thriving in South Africa. I too am considering a school or 2 from there (not UNISA however). But I know some guys working/ed through that school.

A lot of the schools you mentioned are garbage paper-mills. And you can tell a lot about a school by its website. Some of those looks so shoddy and pathetic, I wouldn't bother to read through their degree requirements.

 

[TCassidy]

I'm trying to get a doctorate in a religious field,

Why not go back to Hardin-Simmons and take advantage of their Logsdon School of Theology's Logsdon Seminary which offers Seminary coursework at their main campus in Abilene, TX and at 5 other extension centers, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Lubbock, McAllen, and San Antonio.

 

[Greektim]

Logsdon doesn't have a PhD... just a DMin. And the DMin isn't a teaching/research degree. $.02

 

[TCassidy]

Logsdon doesn't have a PhD... just a DMin. And the DMin isn't a teaching/research degree. $.02

Yes, a DMin is a professional degree. But no reputable grad school would admit him to a ThD/PhD program with only a BBS. He needs an MDiv to enter the DMin degree program and a ThM to enter the ThD/PhD program.

 

[Haydn]

Hey all thank you for your replies. To answer:

I do not want to go to Logsdon because it is too expensive and I will never use this degree. I do not want to use it to get a job, to teach, to become a pastor etc. I want it PURELY for educational reasons and personal knowledge. I see no point in paying $40,000 for a degree that will be utterly useless as I already have a great career that I have no intention of leaving. That is why I picked schools that I can graduate from and only pay a couple thousand dollars. Since I have no desire to use anything I learned from these schools I don't care if they are paper mills, I just want to know which of the fake, garbage, horrible, waste of time paper mills that I listed above will offer me the best knowledge regardless of how much of a waste of time they are.

GreekTim-Thank you for telling me your choice would be UNISA, I really appreciate that. In the interest of fairness, which schools are you looking at there? And are they able to do distance learning?

TCassidy-From what I can see on the admissions pages for PhD/ThD schools, you do not have to have the ThM to get into a PhD or ThD program. In fact at Logsdon, out of the 15 people who have doctorates there, only 1 has a ThM, the rest all have MDiv.

 

[Greektim]

Pretoria and Stellenbosch... both doing good work in NT studies.

They will consider distance learning case by case.

For example, Michael Licona explains his reasons for getting his PhD at Pretoria here: http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2012/05/02/michael-licona-interview/

 

[labaptist]

From experience/reputation I'd rank UNISA first, Trinity second (although its unaccredited, thats more for financial reasons then for educational ones.) and Andersonville third. I'm a student at Andersonville and its vigorous and they are pursuing accreditation through ABHE.

 

[Greektim]

If you can name for me 1 reputable scholar either teaching or who has earned a degree from this Trinity school or Andersonville, I'll go away. Otherwise, to use the word "vigorous" in connection with either is just misguided.

 

[Rhetorician]

Hi yall,

So I am not in need of a RA seminary degree. I want to get a doctorate so that I can use it in my current ministry and maybe teach at some of the other online seminaries that are out there. I already hold 2 RA Masters degrees and an RA PhD so again, no worried about accreditation. UNISA is my first choice, but it is also going to be much harder to be accepted into that program. Which of these schools would you recommend? Why?

I have limited my choices down to:

Colorado Theological Seminary (https://www.seminary.ws)
Andersonville Theological (http://andersonvilleseminary.com)
Jacksonville Theological (http://www.jts.edu/)
Trinity Seminary and College of the Bible (http://trinitysem.edu/)
Northwestern Theological Seminary (http://www.northwesternseminary.com/)
UNISA (http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.html)

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Brother Hayden,

I might be considered by some to be a senior academic on the BB. I might ask, with all of those credential of learning you have listed for yourself, I might pose a question to you? What do you plan to do with the degree? Just personal learning? Pastor? Teach? Denominational worker?

This response would go a long way telling us what degree and what school it might be best for you to attend?

Thoughts?

rd

 

[ChrisTheSaved]

Greeting OP! As a new member here I hate to even enter into this question you asked but I'm hard headed so I will anyways.

With the education you claim to have, which is mighty impressive I must say. I have to say you must understand quality education with your background. But for what reason would you attend a school but to learn? I know you said that its for person reasons/learning. You also say this though...

"I want to get a doctorate so that I can use it in my current ministry and maybe teach at some of the other online seminaries that are out there."

All of those schools but one listed is a degree mill that will not provide you with any type of worth while education. Andersonville claims its perusing accreditation, I doubt it as I have seen the type of courses they offer and they are 100% substandard. And school list affiliate with an accreditor is doing nothing but trying to make potential students take them more serious.

I'm far from being an expert on distance education, I hold three degrees all earned by distance/online.

This is what Dr Levincoff former CHEA board member thinks of them,

"Guys, why are we even talking about this one? Andersonville is one of the original small-town Baptist church degree mills. The only difference between them and Bethany (nothing personal, Jimmy) is that H.D. Shuemake and Bethany had style and sufficient funding to pull off a classier act.

What Andersonville has proven since that time is that with a working knowledge of HTML, you can make anythying appear to have a semblance of credibility, even a so-called university (or seminary) operating out of a church basement or a mailbox."

 

[Dr. Bob]

I opted to take doctoral programs/courses from a school simply for MY growth and personal benefit. I already had a few degrees above zero.

At that point WHO CARES what school, as long as it is credible. I will never have the degree from them, but will have what I wanted - a couple of classes/guidelines to help me personally. Only rarely would I even mention that "I did post-grad work at ______" seminary; then it is NOT personal but professional.

 

[SATS PROF]

If you can name for me 1 reputable scholar either teaching or who has earned a degree from this Trinity school or Andersonville, I'll go away. Otherwise, to use the word "vigorous" in connection with either is just misguided.

---
Perhaps TTS has improved, but I took serveral PhD courses there years back and found them to be superficial. Please, Let's do our very best for Christ.

 

[Son_of_a_Preacherman]

Haydn, if I am correct, you have stated a number of times that you are strictly wanting the information and could careless about the degree. If that is the case any of those would do well. Andersonville would be inexpensive and (from what I know about them) is strongly KJV Only. I have a friend who went to Southwest Bible College and said it did what he needed, but I do not know anything else about it. I am considering LBU to work on a Ph.D. I have another friend that went here and really enjoyed his time of study.
Understand that none of these three are accredited and many will look down on the education you get from these schools. If all you are wanting is the information, then it really doesn't matter - does it. The reason I am considering LBU is two-fold: I have an accredited Masters of Arts from one of the six SBC schools and it was not as challenging as I thought it would be. In fact, except for 3 or 4 classes, the rest were "read this book and take an open book test" easy. Also I do not have the money to continue at an accredited school. Therefore, I am going to learn from anywhere I can learn. There is also a site a friend of mine told me about that offers free training, if you would like to check it out... BiblicalTraing.org