Perhaps you have heard through the grapevine that changes are coming to the Masters of Sacred Theology (STM) program. That is true, beginning in January. Here is a short summary of what it all means….

The coming changes will bring our program more in line with ATS standards. The Grow in Grace team and faculty of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary believe that these changes will help us provide a quality STM program for the evangelical Lutheran pastors. 

The new program calls for a change in the definition of a credit, in the number of credits needed, and in the cost per credit. In short, the number of credits will be reduced from 32 to 24, and the definition of a credit will increase from 30 hours of active learning to 45 hours of active learning for each credit. This means that most of our courses will be 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 credits. The nine focus areas are revising their goals, core courses, repeating courses, and ways of earning credits. 

What does this mean for pastors who have earned credits already? It means that a calculation is needed on your transcript to determine how much of the program was completed under the old system and how much of the new program is remaining at the same percentage. Many pastors, especially those who have advisors assigned to them already, have asked to see their transcript and have learned what remains under the new system. If you would like to find out what this means for you/your transcript, please send an email to the Grow in Grace Executive Assistant (Barbara.Rickaby@wisluthsem.org). 

Because of these changes to the program itself, the cost per credit for the STM program will also be changing, beginning in January of 2023. Look for those details in next month’s Grow in Grace Notes.