Earlham College

What you'll study

Study combines a formation core, Biblical and theological courses, a focused concentration, and a supervised internship capstone.

• Formation core (10.5 credits): FC 101 Spiritual Formation and Personal Practice; FC 102 Spiritual Formation for Public Mission (includes a practicum component); FC 103 Diversity, Community, and Conflict.
• Biblical studies (6 credits): either BS 101 Intro First Testament/Hebrew Bible or BS 102 Intro Second/New Testament plus one additional Biblical studies course (3 hours).
• Theological studies (3 credits): TS 101 Intro to Theological Reflection.
• Area of concentration (10.5 credits): includes PJ 225 Organizing for Ministry (with a practicum) plus two additional courses selected from ESR offerings such as TS 360 Interfaith Dialogue; HS 103 American Religious History; HS/PJ 201 History of the Church’s Peace Witness; BS 320 Queer Bible; BS/PJ 330 Bible, Violence, and Nonviolence; BS 375 Women in the Old Testament; BS 380 Eco/Green Bible; PC 333 Human Sexuality in Ministry; PJ 223 Christian Reconciliation; PJ/TS 364 Process Theology; PJ/TX 366 Liberation Theologies; PJ 370 Spirituality of Peacemaking; SP 360 The Spirit of Islam; TS 290 Contextual Theology; TS 336 Christian Ethics; WR 235 Peace Journalism; WR 240 Writing Public Theology; WR 270 Applied Storytelling.
• Additional partner-course options: selected courses from Bethany Theological Seminary such as Interpreting Romans as a Resource for Peacemaking; Conflict Transformation; Restorative Justice; Mediation as Social and Spiritual Practice; and others listed by the programme.
• Synthesis capstone (6 credits): SC 390 Supervised Internship (6), with placement options that have included local sites (Amigos Latino Center; Earlham College Miller Farm; Trinity Haven; Starfire Cincinnati; Central United Methodist Church, Richmond) and U.S. placements (Tahirih Justice Center; Friends Committee on North Carolina Legislation; New Hour for Women and Children of Long Island; Physicians for Social Responsibility chapter opportunities; and community-support projects for LGBTQ youth and formerly incarcerated women).

Entry requirements

The programme invites applicants through the Earlham School of Religion application process; specific admissions criteria are provided by the school. For those not pursuing the full degree, an Occasional Student option allows enrollment in ESR 100–200 level courses (and 300-level with instructor permission), with a limit of two courses per semester and the same academic performance standards that govern degree students.

Career prospects

Graduates leave with theological and practical preparation oriented toward ministries of social change, roles in peacebuilding, reconciliation and advocacy, congregational or community-based organizing, and other public-witness work that requires intercultural and interfaith engagement and skills in designing and assessing ministries of social transformation.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

The programme notes that full-tuition scholarships will be offered to all enrolled students; additional financial details and support options are managed by the school and available through its admissions and financial-aid offices.