PTS Online
PTS Online and You
Are You a Candidate for PTS Online?
Online and On Campus
Schedule
Your Technology Requirements
PTS Online and the Church
Online Q&A
PTS Online and You
At PTS, we believe theological education is for the whole church. Yet, for many seminary is out of reach. Literally. There isn't one close enough to where they live or with a schedule that fits within the commitments they've already made to family, work, and church for them to take advantage of the opportunities offered. We believe the need for Christians to strive for a compassionate, intelligent faith is too great to leave them without access to quality theological education.
PTS offers three master’s degree programs which include
48 hour M.A.M.C.,
48 hour M.T.S., and
82 hour M.Div. M.Div. students must complete at least 24 hours on campus and M.A.M.C. students have to complete 16 hours on campus. M.T.S. students may do all of the degree online. PTS also has 15-hour
Graduate Diploma and Certificate programs. All of the graduate diploma or certificate courses can be completed online for those who do the ones specializing in general theological studies or biblical studies. Contact Dana Livingston, Senior Director of Seminary Relations, via
email or by phone at
(918) 270-6453 for more information.
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Are You a Candidate for PTS Online?
You might be a candidate for PTS Online if you are:
In order to offer access to our resources for graduate theological education first to those who have not previously had such access because they work and live beyond a reasonable commuting distance, PTS privileges enrollments in distance education courses by those students who must travel more than 150 miles one-way to campus. A student within the 150 mile radius may take only one online course per semester. Following in order of precedence are students who need a course(s) for some extraordinary circumstance, those who need a course for graduation, and those with the earliest registration date as determined by the PTS registrar.
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Course Delivery
The primary platform for our online courses is Moodle. Access to Moodle is available to enrolled students with a password provided by the dean’s office. Instructors inform students in advance of a course if there are other technology requirements. For example, some professors may use a free program such as Skype to communicate with students and to set up real-time conversations with each other.
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Online and On Campus
Accreditation standards require students to be do some residential work for the M.Div. and the M.A.M.C. degrees. The amount required on campus for the M.Div. is 24 semester hours. For the M.A.M.C. the requirement is 16 hours. Residential hours must be completed through PTS. All of the M.T.S. degree can be completed online, provided the classes needed to complete your area of specialization are offered in that format. If you plan carefully and are able to take advantage of the course offerings, you would be able to complete the on-campus hours in concentrated one-week or weekend courses in the fall, spring, or summer terms. Graduate Diploma and Certificate students doing the programs in general theological studies and biblical studies can complete all 15 hours in the online format. United Methodist students at PTS are required by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church to do all work on campus.
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Schedule
Fall 2012
NT 5003 Introduction to the New Testament
CD 5023 Theology and Vocation I: Introduction to Theological Education for Master’s Students
HS 5043 History of Christianity I I: Reformation and Modern
CC 6873 Social World of Early Christianity
HS 5303 History and Polity of the Christian Church (DOC)
TE 5003 Introduction to Christian Theology
TE 6213 Vocation and Theology III: Constructive Theology
SYM 5052 Supervised Year in Ministry I
HS 5503 Introductions to Christians Theologies of Religions
Spring 2013 (Projected)
HB 5003 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
NT 5163 I Corinthians
HS 5023 History of Christianity I: Early and Medieval
HS 5503 Introduction to Christian Theologies of Religions (meets upper level theology requirement)
TE 5123 Ethics, Culture and Mission of the Church
CC ___3 Social Media and the Life of the Church
PT 5003 Introduction to Preaching
SYM 5102 Supervised Year in Ministry II
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Your Technology Requirements
Online education requires particular tools. Our technology philosophy is to use the least bandwidth possible in order to make the education we offer accessible to the broadest number of potential students.
Students should plan on having:
- A reliable computer, running an up-to-date operating system (e.g., Apple OS X, Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7);
- A Word processing program compatible with Microsoft Word 2003 and newer;
- Power Point or Keynote;
- Broadband internet access (strongly preferred, regardless of whether it is delivered by satellite, cable, or DSL)
- External speakers needed for adequate sound quality
- A webcam (preferred).
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PTS Online and the Church
At PTS, our mission is to prepare women and men for the varied Christian ministries in church and society. For decades the core of the mission has meant we educate persons for ordination or other certification in their faith communities. However, PTS is committed to being an educational resource for the whole church. Our online program will continue to serve our core mission while reaching out broadly to the church.
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Online Q&A
How does the quality of PTS Online compare with an on-campus course?
There is no difference in quality. The curriculum goals are the curriculum goals, regardless of the method of delivery. Every course is carefully evaluated by the students, the faculty member, and the dean—just as every on-campus course is. Every teacher is either a member of PTS's regular faculty or is an approved affiliate or adjunct professor. In addition, the transcript for a student who has taken an online course is identical to a transcript for a student who has taken all courses on-campus.
I’ve heard one of the marks of the PTS experience is the feeling of community. How is the seminary working to provide the experience of community for online students?
The primary claim to community at PTS is that we are a community of conversation—conversation about matters of faith, conversation about matters sometimes too difficult to talk about in “normal” church and civic circles. We also provide multiple opportunities each week to eat and to worship together. We don’t have the eating part worked out in cyberspace! But we offer high quality conversations online and we record the midweek chapel services and put them online (which will benefit the high percentage of on-campus students who also can’t make it to chapel when they are on campus).
Additionally, online students serve on the Student Senate, participate in chapel services, and contribute to community activities much in the same way on-campus students do.
What kind of access can I expect to the library?
The librarians are extraordinarily committed to helping all students learn. They will work with you to ensure you know how to access the high-powered databases of theological material to which our enrolled students can refer. For more information, read the frequently asked questions regarding the library and distance education.
How much does the online program cost? Is financial aid available?
Tuition is $400 per semester hour, just as it is with on-campus courses. There are additional fees each semester that run around $225 to $250. Books average about $60 per semester hour. Financial aid is available for online students, just as it is for on-campus students. Most students receive assistance to help cover as much as 80% of the cost of tuition. For more info on costs and financial aid, see the PTS Costs & Resources page.
I have taken courses online at other accredited seminaries. If I were to enroll at PTS, how would these credits be handled?
Transfer and residency policies are detailed in the PTS catalog. The recruitment and admissions staff would be happy to discuss these with you. Please email Dana Livingston, Senior Director of Seminary Relations. In accord with ATS accrediting standards, students in the M.Div. program are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester-hours in residence (on campus) at the institution from which they receive their degree and students in the M.A.M.C. program are required to complete 16 semester-hours in residence (on campus) at the institution from which they receive their degree. These credit hours can be completed in a variety of convenient formats in spring, summer, and fall terms, including concentrated one-week, weekend, and evening courses. In residence courses at other accredited seminaries will be considered for transfer credit, but they will not be counted toward the residency requirement at PTS. Transfer courses cannot be applied to our Graduate Diploma program.
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