We are committed to offering graduate education programs that experience true results. Each year, we evaluate our programs based on completion rates, educational effectiveness, placement rates, and spiritual growth.
Educational Effectiveness
Westminster Theological Seminary, through a world-class faculty with a faithfully Reformed and confessional curriculum, trains students to serve in roles of the global church in the 21st century, including pastors and theologians, to the glory of God. As we strive for excellence, each degree program utilizes learning goals to carry out this mission. (See the degree program section of Westminster's Academic Catalog for learning goals.)
Westminster's faculty members hold regular assessment meetings to evaluate the effectiveness of each degree program. Throughout the assessment cycle, the faculty assess the results of direct and indirect measures of student learning. These measures include reviews of student work; field experience evaluations; presbytery surveys; and entering, graduating, and alumni questionnaires, among others. The following assessment results reflect Westminster's educational effectiveness.
Placement Information
Westminster's degree programs are designed to prepare students for ministry and advanced graduate studies. The following placement rates for the Class of 2022 pertain to those alumni seeking professional employment who obtained professional employment one year after graduating. The percentage of graduates who pursued further studies after graduation is also provided. DMin students are not included in the placement statistics because ministry placement is an admissions requirement.
Degree | % Employed of Those Seeking a Position | % Pursued Further Studies |
MDiv | 87.5% | 27% |
MAR | 100% | 50% |
MAC | 94% | 11% |
MATS | 100% | 14% |
ThM | 100% | 0% |
PhD | 100% | N/A |
Graduates were placed in the following fields:
Ministry Vocation | MDiv | MAR | MAC | MATS | ThM | PhD |
Pastor | 37% |
|
| 29% | 50% | 50% |
Administration/Education |
| 50% |
|
|
|
|
Counseling |
|
| 60% |
|
|
|
Teaching | 27% |
| 7% |
| 50% | 25% |
Parachurch Ministry | 9% |
|
|
|
|
|
Missionary |
|
| 20% |
|
| 25% |
Bi-vocational | 18% | 50% | 13% | 43% |
|
|
Other | 9% |
|
| 28% |
|
|
(Class of 2022 Alumni Survey, 30% response rate)
Completion Rate
Entering Class Summer/Fall 2017 (MDiv) and Summer/Fall 2019 (MAR & MAC):
Degree | Completion Rate |
MDiv | 75% |
MAR | 50% |
MAC | 51% |
The above completion rates above are based on the timeframe standard given by the Association of Theological Schools: 6 years for MDiv programs and 4 years for MA programs. The cohorts include students who may have transferred from another program.
Educational Effectiveness and Growth
Westminster conducts annual surveys of graduating students to assess their spiritual and personal growth upon completion of their degree. All questions are rated on a 5-point scale, with 1 being the lowest possible score and 5 being the highest.
Students graduating in 2023 reported the following:
Westminster most effectively cultivated: | Residential Programs | Online programs |
Trust in God | 4.5 | 4.7 |
Respect for my own religious tradition | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Enthusiasm for learning | 4.4 | 4.6 |
Students grew most in these areas: | Residential Programs | Online programs |
Ability to think theologically | 4.8 | 4.7 |
Ability to use and interpret Scripture | 4.7 | 4.7 |
Knowledge of church doctrine and history | 4.6 | 4.3 |
Ability in pastoral counseling | 4.1 | 4.6 |
Students agreed most with these statements about their experience: | Residential Programs: | Online Programs |
I have grown spiritually | 4.6 | 4.6 |
My personal faith has been respected | 4.6 | 4.8 |
My faith is stronger than when I came | 4.6 | 4.9 |
Faculty were supportive and understanding | 4.5 | 4.7 |
I have been able to integrate the theology and practice of ministry | 4.6 | 4.6 |
I have been satisfied with my academic experience here. | 4.4 | 4.7 |