Claremont School of Theology
One of the thirteen United Methodist schools of theology.
Claremont keeps its name but not its old campus: after 66 years in Claremont, CA, the school moved to Los Angeles in 2024, sharing a building with Westwood United Methodist Church a few blocks from UCLA. Its M.Div. splits into two tracks with genuinely different curricula — Ministerial Leadership and Interfaith Chaplaincy — and only one of them requires worship and preaching. Ministerial Leadership covers all nine ¶324.4 areas: six in the universal core, and three more — United Methodist studies, evangelism, and mission — that Claremont's own catalog calls 'required denominational studies courses' for United Methodist students, naming the exact courses and credits.
The Discipline's requirements, at this school.
¶324.4 asks for nine areas of basic graduate theological study, three semester hours each, with a minimum of six hours in United Methodist studies. Not pass/fail. ¶335.3(d) asks for them again at full connection, so they cannot be put off.
University Senate standing
Approved — a United Methodist school
One of the 13 United Methodist schools of theology. Keeps the Claremont name, but the campus itself relocated: after 66 years in Claremont, CA, CST moved to 10497 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (shared with Westwood United Methodist Church), announced March 2023 and operating there since Spring 2024.
As of July 2026 · source ↗
Do online classes count?
Yes — a fully online M.Div. here meets the requirement
GBHEM: all thirteen United Methodist schools of theology are approved to provide a fully online M.Div. that meets UM ordination requirements. Claremont's own MDiv page independently confirms a Fully Remote modality is 'Available 100% online (not including internship)' for both MDiv tracks.
As of July 2026 · source ↗
Old Testament
THB3007 (The Hebrew Bible in Context) is one of five Required Theological Disciplines courses in the Ministerial Leadership track, for every student. (Non-Christian students substitute an equivalent Sacred Texts course in their own tradition — the requirement, not the specific course, is universal.)
New Testament
TNT3003 (The New Testament in Context) is one of five Required Theological Disciplines courses in the Ministerial Leadership track, for every student, with the same non-Christian-student substitution option as Old Testament above.
Theology
TTH3036 (Constructive Theology) is one of five Required Theological Disciplines courses in the Ministerial Leadership track, for every student, with the same substitution option.
Church history
THC3007 (History of World Christianities) is one of five Required Theological Disciplines courses in the Ministerial Leadership track, for every student, with the same substitution option.
Worship / liturgy
TWP3015 (Introduction to Christian Worship and the Arts) is one of five Required Practical Theology courses in the Ministerial Leadership track, for every student. This applies to the Ministerial Leadership track only — Claremont's other MDiv track, Interfaith Chaplaincy, does not require a worship course at all; see the Degree Programs section below.
Preaching
TWP3013 (Preaching in the Worship Context) is one of five Required Practical Theology courses in the Ministerial Leadership track, for every student. As with worship above, this is Ministerial Leadership-specific: Interfaith Chaplaincy does not require a preaching course.
Evangelism
Claremont's catalog states plainly, in its Ministerial Leadership section: "United Methodist students seeking ordination have five required denominational studies courses: United Methodist History, Doctrine, and Polity (2 credits each), Evangelism, and Mission (3 credits each), 12 credits total." TDS3039 (Christian Evangelism) is named as the course, explicitly "designed to meet denominational requirements for an evangelism course, including that of the United Methodist Church." These five courses are drawn from the MDiv's 21-credit "Free Electives and Denominational Studies" line — required of UMC students specifically, the same arrangement as Duke's PARISH 777/778.
Mission of the church in the world
Bound by the same "five required denominational studies courses" sentence as evangelism above. TDS3045 (Christian Mission) is named as the course, "designed to meet various denomination requirements for mission, including that of the United Methodist Church."
United Methodist studies (doctrine, polity, history)
The same sentence names all three: TDS3001 (United Methodist History), TDS3000 (United Methodist Doctrine), and TDS3002 (United Methodist Polity), 2 credits each — 6 credits total, landing exactly on ¶324.4's 6-hour UM-studies floor. Each course description states it is "designed to meet the United Methodist Church's ordination requirements" for that specific subject.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
Every M.Div. student here takes the other 6. These 3 are required because you are a United Methodist on an ordination track, so they sit outside the courses the school schedules for everyone — which means nobody will schedule them for you. Name them early with your advisor, and confirm the choices with your board of ordained ministry registrar.
Confirm all of this with your conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry registrar before you enroll. They decide which courses satisfy which requirement — not the catalogue, and not us.
The faculty, by what they work on.
26 faculty, grouped by field rather than alphabetically — because the useful question is not who is here, it is who is here who works on the thing you care about.
Practical theology
Nicholas Grier
Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care & Counseling
PhD, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Recent work (1)
- Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men: Hope to Keep Going
Namjoong Kim
Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Ministry, Liturgy, and Homiletics
PhD, Drew University
Recent work (4)
- Playful Pulpits: Exploring Multicultural Preaching Practices through the Lens of Theology of Play
- Worship as Question and Discourse: A Reset Toward Worship Focused on Communication and Fellowship, Encounter and Communion
- Exploring Intergenerational Worship of Interdependence in a Korean American Context
- Preaching from the Perspective of Asian American Theology
Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook
Professor of Practical Theology & Christian Histories
PhD, Boston College
Recent work (5)
- Confronting White Supremacy in Interreligious Engagement: Insights from Critical Pedagogy
- An Overview of the Strengths and Challenges of the Field of Anglican History
- Intersectionality and Interreligious Engagement: A Reflection
- New Paths as We Journey Toward the Future: Reflections on Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue since Ut Unum Sint
- Passion, Authenticity and Commitment – A Reflection on Theological Education
K. Samuel Lee
Edna & Lowell Craig Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care, & Counseling
PhD, Arizona State University
Recent work (5)
- Justice Matters: Spiritual Care and Pastoral Theological Imaginations in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy Training Manual
- Caring Over Troubled Waters: Creative and Critical Pastoral Theological Imaginations in the 21st Century
- Pastoral Theological Imagination in Times of Social Unrest: Speaking for Freedom
- Changing Face of Pastoral Theology
Melissa Roux MacKinnon
Instructor of Field Education
BA, CA State University Bakersfield
Minhwan Song
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Ministry
PhD, Claremont School of Theology
Blair Trygstad Stowe
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Ministry
BA, University of Southern California
Interreligious engagement
Lailatul Fitriyah
Associate Professor of Interreligious Education
PhD, University of Notre Dame
Recent work (4)
- Contours of the Divine Feminine: Islamic and Christian Feminist Theologies in Indonesia
- Can We Stop Talking About the 'Hijab'?: Islamic Feminism, Intersectionality, and the Indonesian Muslim Female Migrant Workers
- Interstitial Theology and Interreligious Reconciliation in Post-War Maluku: The Work of Elifas Maspaitella and Jacklevyn Manuputty
- Religious Peacebuilding in Post-War Maluku: Tiwery's Theology of the Mother (Teologi Ina) and Nunusaku-based Cosmology
Venu Mehta
Bhagwan Chandraprabha Endowed Assistant Professor in Jain Studies
PhD, University of Florida
Recent work (5)
- Sectarian Negotiations among the Jains in the USA: A Special Focus on the Ritual and Visual Culture
- Anekantavada: The Jaina Epistemology
- Jainism, Ecology and Ethics
- Learn Gujarati, A Resource-Book for Global Gujaratis, Beginner's Level
- Diversity and Higher Education: Towards a Promising Development Condition
Christopher Jain Miller
Professor of Engaged Jain Studies
PhD, University of California, Davis
Recent work (3)
- Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation
- Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Studies of Jain Social Engagement
- Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age
Andrew Schwartz
Associate Professor of Process & Comparative Theology
PhD, Claremont Graduate University
Recent work (5)
- Process Cosmology
- Nature in Process: Organic Proposals in Philosophy, Society, and Religion
- Philosophical Roots of the Ecological Crisis: The Process-Relational Worldview and Integral Ecology
- Panentheism and Panexperientialism for Open and Relational Theology
- What is Ecological Civilization?: Crisis, Hope, and the Future of the Planet
Munir Shaikh
Associate Professor of Islamic History and Interfaith Studies
Spiritual formation
Andrew Dreitcer
Professor of Spirituality
PhD, Graduate Theological Union & UC Berkeley
Recent work (2)
- Living Compassion: Loving Like Jesus
- Beyond the Ordinary: Spirituality for Church Leaders
Yohana A. Junker
Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation and Art
PhD, Graduate Theological Union
Recent work (4)
- Georgetown Companion in Interreligious Studies
- Sustainable Societies: Interreligious & Interdisciplinary Responses
- Painted Portrayals: The Art of Characterizing Biblical Figures
- Modern and Contemporary Artists on Religion: A Global Sourcebook
Frank Rogers, Jr.
Muriel Bernice Roberts Professor of Spiritual Formation & Narrative Pedagogy
PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary
Recent work (5)
- Compassion-Based Spiritual Direction: Internal Family Systems as a Resource for Spiritual Companions
- Warriors of Compassion: Coordinates on the Compass of Compassion-Based Activism
- Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus
- Practicing Compassion
- Finding God in the Graffiti: Empowering Teenagers through Stories
B. Yuki Schwartz
Associate Professor of Constructive Theologies, Spirituality & Decolonial Studies
PhD, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Recent work (5)
- The Cosmopolitics of Belonging: Model Minority Superheroes and Theological Imagination
- Model Minority Melancholia: Mourning and Resisting Anti-Asian Violence
- Reimagine Advent: Discover the Liberating Christ
- The Shame Culture of Empire: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword as Cold War Playbook for Legitimating US Empire
- Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation
New Testament
Maggie Froelich
Assistant Professor of New Testament & Early Christian Identity
BA, Scripps College
Recent work (3)
- Jesus and the Empire of God
- Greco-Roman and Jewish Tributaries to the New Testament
- Christian Origins and the New Testament in the Greco-Roman Context
Lincoln E. Galloway
K. Morgan Edwards Professor of Homiletics
PhD, Emory University
Recent work (1)
- Freedom in the Gospel: Paul's Exemplum in 1 Cor. 9 in Conversation with the Discourses of Epictetus and Philo
Sharon Jacob
John Wesley Associate Professor of New Testament, Christian Origins, and Postcolonial Studies
PhD, Drew University
Recent work (1)
- Reading Mary alongside Indian Surrogate Mothers: Violent Love, Oppressive Liberation, and Infancy Narratives
Pastoral care & counseling
Nicholas Grier
Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care & Counseling
PhD, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Recent work (1)
- Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men: Hope to Keep Going
K. Samuel Lee
Edna & Lowell Craig Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care, & Counseling
PhD, Arizona State University
Recent work (5)
- Justice Matters: Spiritual Care and Pastoral Theological Imaginations in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy Training Manual
- Caring Over Troubled Waters: Creative and Critical Pastoral Theological Imaginations in the 21st Century
- Pastoral Theological Imagination in Times of Social Unrest: Speaking for Freedom
- Changing Face of Pastoral Theology
Minhwan Song
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Ministry
PhD, Claremont School of Theology
Preaching
Lincoln E. Galloway
K. Morgan Edwards Professor of Homiletics
PhD, Emory University
Recent work (1)
- Freedom in the Gospel: Paul's Exemplum in 1 Cor. 9 in Conversation with the Discourses of Epictetus and Philo
Namjoong Kim
Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Ministry, Liturgy, and Homiletics
PhD, Drew University
Recent work (4)
- Playful Pulpits: Exploring Multicultural Preaching Practices through the Lens of Theology of Play
- Worship as Question and Discourse: A Reset Toward Worship Focused on Communication and Fellowship, Encounter and Communion
- Exploring Intergenerational Worship of Interdependence in a Korean American Context
- Preaching from the Perspective of Asian American Theology
Church history
Benjamin A. Groth
Assistant Professor of History and Religion
PhD, Tulane University
Recent work (1)
- Sacred Legalities: The Indelible and Interconnected Relationship Between Baptism and Race in Spanish New Orleans
Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook
Professor of Practical Theology & Christian Histories
PhD, Boston College
Recent work (5)
- Confronting White Supremacy in Interreligious Engagement: Insights from Critical Pedagogy
- An Overview of the Strengths and Challenges of the Field of Anglican History
- Intersectionality and Interreligious Engagement: A Reflection
- New Paths as We Journey Toward the Future: Reflections on Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue since Ut Unum Sint
- Passion, Authenticity and Commitment – A Reflection on Theological Education
Congregational leadership
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan
Professor of Hebrew Bible
PhD, Emory University
Recent work (5)
- Biblical Interpretation and the Rhetoric of Violence and War
- Ways of Being, Ways of Reading: Asian-American Biblical Interpretation
- Reading Amy Tan Reading Job
- My Journey into Diasporic Hermeneutics
- Šamši-ilu and the Realpolitik of Israel and Aram-Damascus in the Eighth Century BCE
Marvin A. Sweeney
Professor of Hebrew Bible
PhD, Claremont Graduate University
Recent work (5)
- Jewish Mysticism from Ancient Times through Today
- The Pentateuch
- Isaiah 40-66
- Reading Prophetic Books
- Reading Ezekiel
Systematic theology
Andrew Schwartz
Associate Professor of Process & Comparative Theology
PhD, Claremont Graduate University
Recent work (5)
- Process Cosmology
- Nature in Process: Organic Proposals in Philosophy, Society, and Religion
- Philosophical Roots of the Ecological Crisis: The Process-Relational Worldview and Integral Ecology
- Panentheism and Panexperientialism for Open and Relational Theology
- What is Ecological Civilization?: Crisis, Hope, and the Future of the Planet
B. Yuki Schwartz
Associate Professor of Constructive Theologies, Spirituality & Decolonial Studies
PhD, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Recent work (5)
- The Cosmopolitics of Belonging: Model Minority Superheroes and Theological Imagination
- Model Minority Melancholia: Mourning and Resisting Anti-Asian Violence
- Reimagine Advent: Discover the Liberating Christ
- The Shame Culture of Empire: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword as Cold War Playbook for Legitimating US Empire
- Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation
Wesleyan & Methodist studies
Jeff Conklin-Miller
Associate Professor of United Methodist Studies, Evangelism, and Mission
ThD, Duke University
Recent work (1)
- Leaning Both Ways at Once: Methodist Evangelistic Mission Between Church and World
Evangelism & church planting
Jeff Conklin-Miller
Associate Professor of United Methodist Studies, Evangelism, and Mission
ThD, Duke University
Recent work (1)
- Leaning Both Ways at Once: Methodist Evangelistic Mission Between Church and World
World Christianity
Jeff Conklin-Miller
Associate Professor of United Methodist Studies, Evangelism, and Mission
ThD, Duke University
Recent work (1)
- Leaning Both Ways at Once: Methodist Evangelistic Mission Between Church and World
Ethics & public theology
Grace Yia-Hei Kao
Professor of Ethics
PhD, Harvard University
Recent work (4)
- My Body, Their Baby: A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy
- Asian American Christian Ethics: Voices, Methods, Issues
- Encountering the Sacred: Feminist Reflections on Women's Lives
- Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World
Liturgy & worship
Namjoong Kim
Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Ministry, Liturgy, and Homiletics
PhD, Drew University
Recent work (4)
- Playful Pulpits: Exploring Multicultural Preaching Practices through the Lens of Theology of Play
- Worship as Question and Discourse: A Reset Toward Worship Focused on Communication and Fellowship, Encounter and Communion
- Exploring Intergenerational Worship of Interdependence in a Korean American Context
- Preaching from the Perspective of Asian American Theology
Limited to the 26 people on cst.edu/faculty/'s "Our Faculty" page — the school's own core-faculty cut, distinct from the Affiliate, Adjunct, and Emeritus faculty it lists on separate pages. That live directory is more current than the 2025-2026 print catalog: it includes Jibril Latif (not in the catalog at all) and lists Christopher Jain Miller as core faculty where the catalog still has him under Affiliate. Degrees are drawn from the catalog's CST Faculty section for the 24 of 26 who have an entry there. Publications are read from each person's own cst.edu/faculty/<slug>/ page, not the catalog — 21 of 26 have real, sourced publications there (a dedicated "Publications" heading for most; book/chapter titles named in bio prose for a few, e.g. Froelich and Hagiya). The 5 without (Latif, MacKinnon, Shaikh, Song, Stowe) genuinely list none — checked page by page, not assumed from a thin bio.
Titles and fields are the school’s own; the grouping is ours. Where Claremont School of Theologypublishes a page for someone, it’s linked above as “Profile.” Professors answer email from prospective students more often than you would guess. Publication lists come from the school’s own annual listing ↗, are a selection rather than a full CV, and are only shown for people currently on the directory.
The degrees.
Master of Divinity — Ministerial Leadership track
72 hrsRequired Interreligious Leadership course, five Required Practical Theology courses (incl. worship and preaching), five Required Theological Disciplines courses (Hebrew Bible, New Testament, church history, theology), a four-course Formation sequence including two semesters of Field Education, two Summative courses, and seven courses (21 credits) of Free Electives and Denominational Studies — the pool United Methodist students draw their five required UM/evangelism/mission courses from. Offered on-campus in West Los Angeles or fully remote.
3 years full-time; up to 6 years allowed
Master of Divinity — Interfaith Chaplaincy track
72 hrsDoes not require a dedicated worship or preaching course. United Methodist students preparing for ordination still must take the same 12 credits of UM/evangelism/mission coursework, but here it has to fit inside a smaller 9–12 credit Free Electives line — worth confirming with a Board of Ordained Ministry registrar before choosing this track over Ministerial Leadership for a parish-ordination path.
The same four Theological Disciplines courses as Ministerial Leadership (Hebrew Bible, New Testament, church history, theology), plus Interreligious Competencies, a Formation sequence built around Clinical Pastoral Education, and Spiritual Care coursework aimed at Association of Professional Chaplains certification.
3 years full-time; up to 6 years allowed
Concurrent/Dual Master of Divinity/Master of Theological Studies
96 hrsTwo separate admissions processes leading to two diplomas, with shared credits between the MDiv and an MA/MTS program — built for students planning to pursue a PhD after ordination-track study.
up to 7 years allowed
Master of Theological Studies
48 hrsNot an ordination degree — for further graduate study, specialized professional service, or vocational enrichment, in a Theological Disciplines or Interdisciplinary track.
Master of Arts in Ministry, Leadership, and Service
37 hrsBuilt for those seeking ordination as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church, ordination in a denomination that does not require the MDiv, or lay/non-professional ministry.
Doctor of Ministry
30 hrsFour avenues: a Mentoring DMin, a Korean-language track in conflict/healing/transformation, a Spiritual Renewal/Contemplative Practice/Strategic Leadership track, and an Innovation and Creativity in Ministry track.
Doctor of Philosophy
48 hrsTwo programs — PhD in Practical Theology (Education and Formation; Spiritual Care and Counseling) and PhD in Religion (seven concentrations, including Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies and New Testament and Christian Origins). At least half the coursework must be taken in-person at the CST campus, except where a degree's own requirements note otherwise.
Money, plainly.
Tuition
$1,105 per credit (MDiv, MA, MTS)
2025–2026 rate. 72 credits × this rate is roughly $79,560 in gross MDiv tuition before aid. The catalog's own sample nine-month budget lists $19,890 in tuition for 18 credits (one year at half the degree's pace) plus $1,200 books, $19,206 room and board, $4,400 transportation, and $6,580 miscellaneous — $51,276 total estimated annual cost of attendance.
As of August 2025 · source ↗
- United Methodist Grant — Awarded to United Methodist students upon entering CST. Renewal is conditioned on the student remaining a "certified candidate" in the UMC ordination process — proof must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office to continue receiving it each year. The catalog names no dollar amount or percentage.
Unlike Duke's or Saint Paul's catalogs, Claremont's does not publish a dollar amount or percentage for any of its merit scholarships (Presidential, Dean's, Korean Leadership, Claremont Scholarship) or its need-based Claremont Grant — only that students are automatically considered upon admission. The one figure specific to United Methodist candidates, the United Methodist Grant, is described the same way: awarded, tied to certified-candidate status, no amount stated. Ask the Financial Aid Office for a number before comparing this school's aid against one that publishes a percentage.
Place, and what else is within reach.
Westwood United Methodist Church
Claremont's Los Angeles campus shares a building with Westwood UMC at 10497 Wilshire Blvd — a United Methodist congregation, not a university, hosting the school's physical location since its 2024 move, the same host-congregation arrangement Saint Paul School of Theology has with Church of the Resurrection in Kansas.
Western Jurisdiction Course of Study and Licensing School
Claremont is "affiliated with" (its own phrase) the Western Jurisdiction's GBHEM Course of Study and Licensing School, rather than solely operating it — the 20-course basic Course of Study for local pastors, and an 80-hour Licensing School covering worship, preaching, administration, spiritual formation, mission, evangelism, pastoral care, educational ministries, and United Methodist tradition.
Claremont is affiliated with the Western Jurisdiction Course of Study and Licensing School under GBHEM, and separately runs its own Advanced Course of Study (ACoS, 32 credit hours) and Basic Graduate Theological Studies (BGTS) non-degree programs for local pastors and deacon candidates pursuing ordination outside the MDiv.
Who this fits, and what to weigh.
- People drawn to Los Angeles and to a small, financially candid conversation with admissions before enrolling.
- Candidates who want the parish-ordination path (Ministerial Leadership track) rather than chaplaincy certification — the two tracks are not interchangeable for ¶324.4 purposes.
- Students who value an interreligious, denominationally diverse faculty and student body alongside a UMC-specific course sequence.
- Choose your MDiv track deliberately. Interfaith Chaplaincy does not require a worship or preaching course at all — fine for chaplaincy certification, a real gap to plan around if parish ordination is the goal.
- The three UM-track areas are real courses with real numbers, but they still draw from the same pool as everyone else's free electives (21 credits in Ministerial Leadership, a tighter 9–12 in Interfaith Chaplaincy) — register for them early.
- Ask about the ATS probation and get a specific aid number in writing before comparing Claremont's cost against a school that publishes its scholarship percentages.
- The MDiv's two tracks are not two flavors of the same degree. Interfaith Chaplaincy trades worship and preaching for Interreligious Competencies and Clinical Pastoral Education, built around chaplaincy certification rather than parish ministry.
- Claremont names all five UM-track courses by number and credit weight — UM History, Doctrine, and Polity at 2 credits each, Evangelism and Mission at 3 each, 12 credits total, landing exactly on ¶324.4's 6-hour UM-studies floor with the doctrine/history/polity trio alone.
- In February 2026, ATS placed Claremont on 24-month accreditation probation for not meeting its financial-resources standard — separate from GBHEM Senate standing, but worth asking admissions about directly.
- The catalog states no dollar figure or percentage for any scholarship, including the United Methodist Grant tied to certified-candidate status.
Send one email this week.
Not an application — an email. Pick the professor above whose field is closest to what you cannot stop thinking about, and ask them what they are working on. Then ask admissions to sit in on one class. Both are free, and both tell you more than a brochure will.
Everything on this page was checked against the school’s own published material on August 7, 2026. Costs and curricula change every year — the source link beside each fact is the one that stays current.