Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a Presbyterianseminary in Austin, Texas. Austin Seminary was founded in 1902 to provide pastors for the rapidly growing Presbyterian Church in the frontier Southwest. It opened its doors on October 1, 1902, at Ninth and Navasota streets. Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is related to the and to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. It is one of the ten official PC seminaries. Its campus is located near the University of Texas at Austin. The Seminary is approved by The University Senate of The United Methodist Church. The school is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is a member of the Council of Southwestern Theological Schools, American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Austin Seminary currently offers five degree programs: the Master of Divinity, a three-year professional degree program designed to prepare students for ordained ministry; the Master of Arts in Ministry Practice, a two-year program designed to equip students for Christian leadership in a variety of settings; the Master of Arts, a two-year academic degree; the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry, an experiential-based program with intensive on-campus learning; and the Doctor of Ministry degree for working ministry professionals. A dual-degree program established between Austin Seminary and University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work provides master’s-level students the opportunity to complete concurrently the requirements for two degrees: the Master of Divinity and the Master of Science in Social Work. The program is designed to be completed in four years of full-time study. The seminary has nineteen resident faculty members who serve in three main academic departments: the Biblical Department, the Department of the Church's Ministry, and the Theological-Historical Department. Students in the MDiv degree program are required to attain competency in biblical languages and study either biblical Hebrew or New Testament Greek with the eventual goal of exegeting biblical texts. Additional requirements of the MDiv program include a practical internship, courses in theology, church history, worship, preaching, and pastoral care. The school's main buildings include McCord Community Center, McMillan Memorial Classroom Building, Trull Administration Building, the David L. and Jane Stitt Library, Shelton Chapel, and student residential buildings, including Currie Hall, McCoy House, and the John F. and Nancy Anderson House apartments. The current president is Theodore J. Wardlaw who has held the position since 2002.
