Divinity School Establishes Degree for Non-Ministers

The Harvard Divinity School has added to its curriculum three new programs of study, including a non-professional degree for students not interested in entering the ministry.

In his annual report released this week, Samuel H. Miller, dean of the Divinity School, described a new Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program set up this year for those who "feel no call to the ministry, yet wish further study."

The two-year program combines theological studies with studies in a secular field chosen by the student, such as teaching, social work, or religious journalism.

Also included in this year's curriculum are two new fields for doctoral work: a Th.D. in Comparative Religion and a Th.D. in Applied Theology.

The program in Comparative Religion was designed "to meet a growing recognition that the church needs men who can work on theological problems of the world's religious diversity and on the dialogue with men of other faiths," Miller said in the report.

The Th.D. in Applied Theology, like the MTS, combines theology with a special area of study, usually a secular discipline related to church administration.

This year's changes also affect those in the Bachelor of Divinity program, the professional field of study for future ministers. Miller reported that two-thirds of the B.D. students are participating in six seminars set up by the Divinity School Faculty to discuss "issues concerning church and faith."

The new programs are designed to appeal to the "new kind of student now being attracted to theological education," Miller said.

"No longer is the call to the ministry felt as an unmistakable vocation; instead, the student today is exploring and expanding in many directions, and religion is only one of the areas in which he finds challenge," he said.