Students

Are our theological schools attracting qualified students, and do they adequately prepare students for ministry, religious leadership and teaching?  Auburn research attempts to answer these questions through a study of current students and recent seminary graduates.

Is There a Problem? Theological Students and Religious Leadership for the Future
By Barbara G. Wheeler
July 2001

In this Issue:
• Are today’s students less or more qualified than their predecessors for theological study?
• What can seminaries and religious bodies do to assure excellence among future ministers, priests, and rabbis?

Graduates
One measure of the adequacy of theological schools is whether their graduates function in the roles that religious communities and the wider society expect them to fill.

The primary function of North American theological schools is to prepare religious professionals for ministry, most often as ordained clergy.  How well do theological schools serve this primary purpose and how adequate is the education.

How Are We Doing? The Effectiveness of Theological Schools as Measured by the Vocations and Views of Graduates
By Barbara G. Wheeler, Sharon L. Miller and Daniel O. Aleshire
December 2007

In this Issue:
• Are seminaries and rabbinical schools doing their jobs effectively?
• What do graduates do in the years after they complete their education?
• How well do graduates feel their theological training prepared them for their work?