We are so excited that you are thinking about pursuing a seminary education. WSC believes that seminary-trained women are invaluable in the church, in the academy, in missions, in counseling, in the home, and beyond these spheres. WSC is committed to supporting women who want to attend seminary by making substantial financial aid available and by providing an encouraging environment in which to learn.
If you’re interested in getting to know God’s word better through seminary education, I would love to talk to you!
Sincerely,
Rev. Chuck Tedrick
Dean of Students
ctedrick@wscal.edu
Women at WSC Viewbook
Click here to download Women at WSC Viewbook
Quoted
“I encourage women to study the bible like a scholar hungry for the truth. Why do we immediately reflex and study ‘women’s’ subjects like child-rearing and being a Godly spouse? Why don’t we study the bible and learn its doctrines like the men? Justification, sanctification, theology proper, ecclesiology? Once we learn the deep truths of the bible, then we’re better prepared to address any and all issues, including those specific to women.”
sue harris
Church Resourcing Department, Mission to the World
Presbyterian Church of America
Financial Aid for Women Students
WSC has a scholarship specifically for women students. The Minnie Gresham Machen Scholarship was established to encourage and enable talented women to take advantage of advanced theological education at Westminster Seminary California in order to equip them to answer God’s calling in the home, the academy, and the church. The Minnie Gresham Machen Scholarship will provide tuition aid up to full tuition (depending upon need) for up to three years of study to one or more recipient each year. For more information, please go to the financial aid page.
Women are also eligible for generous financial aid from the Presidential Merit Scholarship, the WSC Grant, the International Student Grant, and the Church Matching Grant, among others.
Profiles
Can I Get an MDIV Degree?
The purpose of our Master of Divinity program is to educate and form men for official, ordained ministries of instruction and leadership in the church as pastors, evangelists, and teachers. Because the seminary board and faculty believe the criteria set down in Scripture limits the candidacy for official teaching and leadership ministry in the church to qualified men, we admit only men to our Master of Divinity program. However, because God bestows on women as well as men gifts and calling to serve in non-ordained ministries, WSC’s Master of Arts programs admit both women and men.
What Will I Do with A Seminary Degree?
This is a big question for many women students. Some come in knowing exactly what they want to do, and some figure it out over time. It’s always exciting to see what God does when women desire to faithfully study his word. Our female graduates have used their WSC degrees to give them biblical and theological foundations for pursuing law and Ph.D. degrees, missions work in a variety of capacities, counseling certifications, and teaching at primary, secondary and college levels. For others, the benefits have enriched their service in the local church, prepared them to lead Bible studies and women’s ministries, and to be better equipped to raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
To give you some ideas, here are profiles of WSC students and alumnae and blog posts written by them:
Women & Theology Blog Series
Vocational Counsel for Women and Men Pursuing MA Studies at WSC
The following is not an exhaustive list of vocational avenues available for women, but merely illustrative, and is offered as counsel. However, one should note that this counsel would also apply to men seeking non-ordained service with a theological education.
Further graduate studies leading to a teaching post
Students may pursue further graduate studies and obtain other masters degrees or a terminal degree to facilitate the possibility of teaching at a university or college in a number of disciplines including biblical, theological, and historical. A theological education can also be use for those interested in cross-disciplinary studies, such as bioethics, science, law, economics, etc, where theology is not the primary discipline.
Educator
Students may pursue an MA that can lead them into a position as an educator at the elementary or high school level. Christian private schools search for competent teachers to instruct students in Bible and related disciplines. The role as an educator, however, is not restricted to paid vocations, but is also available to women who choose to be homemakers and personally educate their children. The same can also be said for women who devote themselves (paid or on a volunteer basis) to women’s ministries in the church (counseling or education).
Administrator
Seminary, primary, secondary education, or denominations often employ administrators in various roles (enrollment, registrar, admissions, administrative support). In such roles, a theological education can be a significant benefit to a woman carrying out such tasks.
Publishing
There are a variety of options in the publishing world, from writing books, articles, and educational curriculum, as well as editorial work, such as manuscript acquisitions, literary agent, editing, copy-editing, proofing, and indexing.
Missions
There are a number of roles available to women in missions where a theological education would be a significant asset, whether that of a missionary associate, working with missionaries in the field, as a medical doctor or nurse, or in Bible translation for people groups who have yet to posses the Scriptures in their native language.
Counseling
Women may choose to seek an MA, in biblical or theological studies, for example, to provide them a biblical foundation for a counseling vocation, whether in certified marriage and family counseling in connection with a church, social work, or in the psychological sciences for private practice.
