Wesley Theological Seminary
One of the thirteen United Methodist schools of theology.
Wesley sits in Washington DC, and it is the most candid school in this set about what it does and does not require. Six of the nine ¶324.4 areas are in its M.Div. core. For the other three, Wesley says in its own catalogue that these are church requirements for ordination and not a Seminary requirement — and that students take them as electives. That sentence is worth more to a candidate than a higher score would be. It tells you precisely where the work falls to you, and then it names exactly which courses will do it.
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.
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.
As of July 2026 · source ↗
Old Testament
BI-101 and BI-102, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (6 credit hours), are two of the fixed courses every M.Div. candidate takes in the first 27 hours of study.
New Testament
BI-171 and BI-172, Introduction to the New Testament (6 credit hours), are two of the fixed courses every M.Div. candidate takes in the first 27 hours of study.
Theology
ST-305 and ST-306, Systematic Theology (6 credit hours), are required of every M.Div. candidate (taken after the first 27 credit hours).
Church history
CH-101 and CH-102, The Church in History (6 credit hours), are two of the fixed courses every M.Div. candidate takes in the first 27 hours of study.
Worship / liturgy
PW-101, Foundations in Christian Worship (3 credit hours), is a fixed required course for every M.Div. candidate (in the first 27 hours), on top of the further “Preaching and Worship Distribution Requirement” (any two 300-level PW courses) taken later.
Preaching
PW-125, Foundations of Preaching (3 credit hours), is a fixed required course for every M.Div. candidate (in the first 27 hours), on top of the further “Preaching and Worship Distribution Requirement” taken later.
Evangelism
Wesley's catalog, under “Denominational Requirements,” disclaims rather than asserts this one: “For those students seeking ordination and commissioning as a deacon or elder in The United Methodist Church... [a]dditional courses must be taken as well. These are church requirements for ordination and NOT A SEMINARY REQUIREMENT for the professional Master's degree. Accordingly, Wesley students take these courses AS ELECTIVES toward their degree program.” That is Wesley stepping back from the obligation, not taking it up — the ¶324.4 requirement is real, but it is the Discipline's and your Board's, not Wesley's degree program's. Helpfully, though, Wesley DOES name exactly which electives satisfy it: a menu of six courses — CM-129, CM-222, CM-270, CM-271, CM-273, or CM-470 (2–3 credit hours) — any one of which does the job.
Mission of the church in the world
The same disclaiming sentence covers this row too: these are “church requirements for ordination and not a Seminary requirement,” taken “as electives.” Wesley names its menu just as specifically as it does for evangelism: CM-150, CM-205, WR-204, or WR-294 (2–3 credit hours), any one of which satisfies Mission of the Church in the World.
United Methodist studies (doctrine, polity, history)
Same disclaimer again: not a Seminary requirement, taken as electives. Wesley's named menu here is a fixed pair rather than a choice: Polity of the United Methodist Church CM-251 (2 credit hours) and History and Doctrine in Methodist Traditions ST-463 and ST-464 (4 credit hours) — 6 credit hours total, landing exactly on ¶324.4's 6-hour UM-studies floor with nothing to spare.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
Six of the nine ¶324.4 areas are built into every Wesley M.Div. candidate's required core — no planning needed. The other three — evangelism, mission of the church, and United Methodist studies — sit in elective space: Wesley's own catalog says so directly, calling them “church requirements for ordination and not a Seminary requirement,” taken “as electives.”
That is a real gap in the degree's required core, but a narrow and well-marked one: Wesley doesn't leave you guessing which electives to pick. It names exactly six courses for evangelism (any one), four for mission of the church (any one), and a fixed pair for UM studies (CM-251 plus ST-463/464, totaling precisely the 6 hours ¶324.4 asks for). Treat these three as electives you choose on purpose, early, rather than ones that happen automatically.
Register for CM-251 (Polity of the United Methodist Church) and ST-463/ST-464 (History and Doctrine in Methodist Traditions) as three of your elective slots — together they're exactly the 6 hours ¶324.4 asks for in United Methodist studies, and Wesley names them by course number so there's nothing to guess.
Pick one evangelism elective (CM-129, CM-222, CM-270, CM-271, CM-273, or CM-470) and one mission elective (CM-150, CM-205, WR-204, or WR-294) — any one from each menu satisfies that area, so choose based on timing or topic rather than worrying which one 'counts.'
Bring this list to your faculty advisor when you plan your elective schedule, and confirm it with your District Superintendent or conference Board of Ordained Ministry — Wesley's own catalog points you there directly, since these are the church's requirements for certification, not the seminary's for graduation.
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.
32 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.
Ethics & public theology
Lucila Crena
Assistant Professor of Ethics and Public Theology
Rick Elgendy
The Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology
B.A., Georgetown University
Recent work (4)
- Renegotiating Power, Theology, and Politics
- Hope, Cynicism, and Complicity: Worldly Resistance in Barth
- Practices of the Self and (Spiritually) Disciplined Resistance: What Michel Foucault Could Have Said about Gregory of Nyssa
- Reconsidering Resurrection, Incarnation, and Nature in Schleiermacher's Glaubenslehre
Kevin Lazarus
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics
PhD, Emory University (in progress per his own Wesley bio — “is completing his Ph.D. in Religion at Emory University” — not yet conferred)
Michael McCurry
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Theology
Sondra Wheeler
Professor Emerita of Christian Ethics
Systematic theology
Kevin Lazarus
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics
PhD, Emory University (in progress per his own Wesley bio — “is completing his Ph.D. in Religion at Emory University” — not yet conferred)
Sathianathan Clarke
Professor Emeritus of World Religions and Systematic Theology
Beverly Mitchell
Professor Emerita of Church History and Systematic Theology
Lewis Parks
Emeritus Professor of Theology; Ministry and Congregational Development
Josiah Young
Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology
New Testament
Emily Peck
Visiting Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Research and Education at the Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry and Co-Director of the Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy Specialization
B.A., Washington and Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Nobody's Perfect: Redefining Sin and Mistakes in Adolescent Christian Education
- Speaking Truth: Women Raising Their Voices in Prayer
- Let's Talk About Sex: Meeting Curiosity with Honesty
- Arm in Arm with Adolescent Girls: Educating into the New Creation
- We Pray With Her: Encouragement for All Women Who Lead
Laura C. Sweat Holmes
Professor of New Testament
Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary
Recent work (4)
- John 1-12: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition
- The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark
- Transformed Discipleship: A Canonical Reading of Martha and Mary
- The Gospel of John—A Reading Guide
Carla Works
President
B.A., Williams Baptist University
Recent work (3)
- The Least of These: Paul and the Marginalized
- The Church in the Wilderness: Paul's Use of Exodus Traditions in 1 Corinthians
- Philippians
Bruce Birch
Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology
Sharon Ringe
Emerita Professor of New Testament
Congregational leadership
Jonathan Page
Director, Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Sam Marullo
Faculty Emeritus Director of Research on Missional Communities; Professor of Sociology
Lewis Parks
Emeritus Professor of Theology; Ministry and Congregational Development
Lovett Weems
Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Church Leadership; Senior Consultant, G. Douglass Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
Paul K.-K. Cho
Professor of Hebrew Bible and Woodrow and Mildred Miller Chair of Biblical Studies and Theology
PhD, Harvard University
Recent work (5)
- Myth, History, and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible
- Willingness to Die and the Gift of Life: Suicide and Martyrdom in the Hebrew Bible
- The Integrity of Job 1 and 42:11–17
- Job 2 and 42:7–10 as Narrative Bridge and Theological Pivot
- A House of Her Own: The Tactical Deployment of Strategy in Esther
Bruce Birch
Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology
Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
Professor Emerita of Hebrew Bible
Liturgy & worship
Woong-Sik (Timothy) Chon
Director of the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion & Instructor of Visual Liturgy
BFA, Eastern Michigan University
Hyemin J. Na
Assistant Professor of Worship, Media and Culture and Chapel Elder of Oxnam Chapel at Wesley Theological Seminary
Lucy Lind Hogan
Professor Emerita of Preaching and Worship
Wesleyan & Methodist studies
Kevin Lazarus
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics
PhD, Emory University (in progress per his own Wesley bio — “is completing his Ph.D. in Religion at Emory University” — not yet conferred)
Douglas D. Tzan
Associate Professor of Church History, Mission, and Methodist Studies and Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs
B.Ar.Sc., South Carolina College, magna cum laude with honors
Recent work (4)
- William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish
- John Dempster and the Missionary Origins of Methodist Theological Education
- Redeeming Vanity Fair: Theological Debates over Fundraising within the W.F.M.S.
- Arioi for Christ: An Exploration of Early Missions by Society Islanders
Philip Wingeier-Rayo
Visiting Professor of Missiology, World Christianity and Methodist Studies
B.A., Earlham College, Human Development & Social Relations, and Spanish
Recent work (4)
- La Evangelización y la Misión de Dios: Una Teología Bíblica
- La Biblia a través de los ojos de Juan Wesley: 52 clases de discipulado para pequeños grupos
- Where are the Poor? A Comparison of the Ecclesial Base Communities and Pentecostalism—A Case Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico
- Cuban Methodism: The Untold Story of Survival and Revival
Practical theology
Lorena M. Parrish
Professor of Urban Ministries, Director of the Institute for Community Engagement and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy
M.S.S.W., Columbia University School of Social Work
Recent work (1)
- Forsaking the Lowly Jesus for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or How Shall We Be Saved?: A Theological Reflection on the Legacy of Christian Attitudes toward Wealth and Poverty and Its Impact upon the Black Church
Emily Peck
Visiting Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Research and Education at the Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry and Co-Director of the Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy Specialization
B.A., Washington and Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Nobody's Perfect: Redefining Sin and Mistakes in Adolescent Christian Education
- Speaking Truth: Women Raising Their Voices in Prayer
- Let's Talk About Sex: Meeting Curiosity with Honesty
- Arm in Arm with Adolescent Girls: Educating into the New Creation
- We Pray With Her: Encouragement for All Women Who Lead
Youtha Hardman-Cromwell
Emerita Professor of Practice in Ministry and Mission
Spiritual formation
Emily Peck
Visiting Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Research and Education at the Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry and Co-Director of the Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy Specialization
B.A., Washington and Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Nobody's Perfect: Redefining Sin and Mistakes in Adolescent Christian Education
- Speaking Truth: Women Raising Their Voices in Prayer
- Let's Talk About Sex: Meeting Curiosity with Honesty
- Arm in Arm with Adolescent Girls: Educating into the New Creation
- We Pray With Her: Encouragement for All Women Who Lead
Kyunglim Shin Lee
Bishop Sundo Kim Chair in World Christianity, Professor of the Practice of Spiritual Formation, and Vice President for International Relations at Wesley Theological Seminary
D.Min., Wesley Theological Seminary
Recent work (1)
- Missionary Power, Urgent Inspection of Korean Missionary
W. Antoni Sinkfield
Associate Dean for Community Life
B.Sc. in Marketing, Tennessee Technological University
World Christianity
Kyunglim Shin Lee
Bishop Sundo Kim Chair in World Christianity, Professor of the Practice of Spiritual Formation, and Vice President for International Relations at Wesley Theological Seminary
D.Min., Wesley Theological Seminary
Recent work (1)
- Missionary Power, Urgent Inspection of Korean Missionary
Douglas D. Tzan
Associate Professor of Church History, Mission, and Methodist Studies and Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs
B.Ar.Sc., South Carolina College, magna cum laude with honors
Recent work (4)
- William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish
- John Dempster and the Missionary Origins of Methodist Theological Education
- Redeeming Vanity Fair: Theological Debates over Fundraising within the W.F.M.S.
- Arioi for Christ: An Exploration of Early Missions by Society Islanders
Philip Wingeier-Rayo
Visiting Professor of Missiology, World Christianity and Methodist Studies
B.A., Earlham College, Human Development & Social Relations, and Spanish
Recent work (4)
- La Evangelización y la Misión de Dios: Una Teología Bíblica
- La Biblia a través de los ojos de Juan Wesley: 52 clases de discipulado para pequeños grupos
- Where are the Poor? A Comparison of the Ecclesial Base Communities and Pentecostalism—A Case Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico
- Cuban Methodism: The Untold Story of Survival and Revival
Preaching
Veronice Miles
Interim Dean, Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Professor of Preaching, and Director of African American Church Studies
B.A., Psychology, University of Florida, 1978
Recent work (5)
- Embodied Hope: A Homiletical Theology Reflection
- Twentieth Century Women Preachers and Their Sermons
- Disciple, Will You Let Me Wash Your Feet?
- Hope Flows from the Inside Out
- Help Wanted: Harvesters for God's Vineyard (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20)
Lucy Lind Hogan
Professor Emerita of Preaching and Worship
Black church studies
Veronice Miles
Interim Dean, Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Professor of Preaching, and Director of African American Church Studies
B.A., Psychology, University of Florida, 1978
Recent work (5)
- Embodied Hope: A Homiletical Theology Reflection
- Twentieth Century Women Preachers and Their Sermons
- Disciple, Will You Let Me Wash Your Feet?
- Hope Flows from the Inside Out
- Help Wanted: Harvesters for God's Vineyard (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20)
Lorena M. Parrish
Professor of Urban Ministries, Director of the Institute for Community Engagement and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy
M.S.S.W., Columbia University School of Social Work
Recent work (1)
- Forsaking the Lowly Jesus for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or How Shall We Be Saved?: A Theological Reflection on the Legacy of Christian Attitudes toward Wealth and Poverty and Its Impact upon the Black Church
Youth ministry
Lorena M. Parrish
Professor of Urban Ministries, Director of the Institute for Community Engagement and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy
M.S.S.W., Columbia University School of Social Work
Recent work (1)
- Forsaking the Lowly Jesus for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or How Shall We Be Saved?: A Theological Reflection on the Legacy of Christian Attitudes toward Wealth and Poverty and Its Impact upon the Black Church
Emily Peck
Visiting Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Research and Education at the Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry and Co-Director of the Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy Specialization
B.A., Washington and Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Nobody's Perfect: Redefining Sin and Mistakes in Adolescent Christian Education
- Speaking Truth: Women Raising Their Voices in Prayer
- Let's Talk About Sex: Meeting Curiosity with Honesty
- Arm in Arm with Adolescent Girls: Educating into the New Creation
- We Pray With Her: Encouragement for All Women Who Lead
Church history
Douglas D. Tzan
Associate Professor of Church History, Mission, and Methodist Studies and Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs
B.Ar.Sc., South Carolina College, magna cum laude with honors
Recent work (4)
- William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish
- John Dempster and the Missionary Origins of Methodist Theological Education
- Redeeming Vanity Fair: Theological Debates over Fundraising within the W.F.M.S.
- Arioi for Christ: An Exploration of Early Missions by Society Islanders
Beverly Mitchell
Professor Emerita of Church History and Systematic Theology
Church music
Eileen Guenther
Faculty Emerita of Church Music
Deborah Sokolove
Faculty Emerita of Art and Music
Pastoral care & counseling
Michael Koppel
Howard Chandler Robbins Professor of Pastoral Theology and Congregational Care and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
B.A., University of California, Davis, Phi Beta Kappa, cum laude
Recent work (5)
- Coming Home: The Body in Pastoral and Spiritual Care
- Bridge Work: Conversations between the Bible and Pastoral Theology
- The Prophets and Pastoral Care
- The Contemplative Bow in Teaching and Learning Pastoral Care
- “Let Them Be Like the Snail that Dissolves into Slime”: Pastoral and Theological Perspectives on Divine and Human Violence in the Bible
Womanist & feminist theology
Lorena M. Parrish
Professor of Urban Ministries, Director of the Institute for Community Engagement and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy
M.S.S.W., Columbia University School of Social Work
Recent work (1)
- Forsaking the Lowly Jesus for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or How Shall We Be Saved?: A Theological Reflection on the Legacy of Christian Attitudes toward Wealth and Poverty and Its Impact upon the Black Church
Christian education & formation
Emily Peck
Visiting Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Research and Education at the Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry and Co-Director of the Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy Specialization
B.A., Washington and Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Nobody's Perfect: Redefining Sin and Mistakes in Adolescent Christian Education
- Speaking Truth: Women Raising Their Voices in Prayer
- Let's Talk About Sex: Meeting Curiosity with Honesty
- Arm in Arm with Adolescent Girls: Educating into the New Creation
- We Pray With Her: Encouragement for All Women Who Lead
Evangelism & church planting
Philip Wingeier-Rayo
Visiting Professor of Missiology, World Christianity and Methodist Studies
B.A., Earlham College, Human Development & Social Relations, and Spanish
Recent work (4)
- La Evangelización y la Misión de Dios: Una Teología Bíblica
- La Biblia a través de los ojos de Juan Wesley: 52 clases de discipulado para pequeños grupos
- Where are the Poor? A Comparison of the Ecclesial Base Communities and Pentecostalism—A Case Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico
- Cuban Methodism: The Untold Story of Survival and Revival
Interreligious engagement
Sathianathan Clarke
Professor Emeritus of World Religions and Systematic Theology
Covers the 17 people in Wesley's own “Meet Our Faculty” grid (bios read from Elementor popups embedded in the same page's HTML — see the harvest script for how) plus the 15 people in its separate “Emeriti Faculty” list (name and title only, no bio). Roughly 40 more names appear under “Adjunct Faculty” (Masters and D.Min. tracks) with a name and terminal degree only — no title and no subject stated anywhere on the page — and are excluded here because there is nothing to assign a study area from; this mirrors Phillips' exclusion of its own affiliate-instructor list for the same reason, though unlike Phillips' case, nothing on Wesley's adjunct list is specifically a United Methodist Studies appointment.
Titles and fields are the school’s own; the grouping is ours. Wesley Theological Seminary does not publish a separate page per professor, so there is nowhere deeper to link — the full listing is here ↗. 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
81 hrs81 credit hours: foundational courses (Hebrew Bible, New Testament, church history, worship, preaching, pastoral care, leadership, religion and the arts, and more) in the first 27 hours, systematic theology and ethics after, a Preaching and Worship distribution requirement, and Contextual Education (Spiritual Formation for the Practice of Ministry plus a supervised internship). Roughly 21–25 credit hours are open electives.
4 years minimum full-time; must be completed within 10 years of admission
Master of Arts
36 hrsA basic understanding of theological disciplines for existing careers in public life or general theological education — not a full ordination-track degree.
Master of Theological Studies
60 hrsMulti-disciplinary theological education, including a final M.T.S. paper; can support certification for various forms of lay ministry.
Doctor of Ministry
30 hrsIntensive-term and online coursework plus a D.Min. project and project paper, for clergy already experienced in ministry practice. A separate Global Track is also offered.
3 years minimum; within 6 years of admission
Money, plainly.
Tuition
$870 per credit hour (Academic Credit Master level — M.Div., M.A., M.T.S.); $774 per credit hour (Doctor of Ministry level)
Stated for the 2026–27 academic year. An 81-credit M.Div. at $870/credit is roughly $70,470 in gross tuition before aid.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
Who gets aid
All Wesley students receive automatic tuition assistance made possible by the Ministerial Education Fund of The United Methodist Church and by endowment income and grants
Wesley's own wording, not a rounded percentage it publishes. The same passage states this assistance “enable[s] us to charge a tuition rate that is less than a third of the actual cost” — a benefit built into the sticker tuition rate above for every student, regardless of denomination, not a separate award applied for.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
Typical award
Merit scholarships awarded during admissions, tiered by name: Bishop's (100% of tuition), Oxnam (75%), Governor's (60%), Next Call (50%), Presidential (40%), Wesley Merit (25%) — each up to 81 credit hours for the M.Div.
Open to students of all denominations based on prior academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential; apply for admission by February 1 for that fall's cohort to be considered. Not conditioned on UMC candidacy status.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
- Student Fee (5+ credit hours/semester) — $712 per semester
- Student Fee (4 or fewer credit hours/semester) — $293 per semester
- Application Fee — $60, non-refundable
- Confirmation of Admission and Orientation Fee — $125, due within 30 days of acceptance, non-refundable
- Graduation Fee — $250
- Ellura Harvey Winters Award — A first-year-only award covering tuition for an entering student who “exhibits potential for academic excellence and for leadership in The United Methodist Church.” Recipients may be considered for further aid after a successful first year.
- United Methodist Student Scholarships — Wesley states that students from United Methodist annual conferences “are considered for special matching scholarships awarded by Wesley DC and their home conference” — a direct, named link between UMC ordination-track standing and funding, on top of (not instead of) the denomination-neutral merit scholarships above.
Wesley's scholarships page also directs United Methodist students to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, their conference's Ministerial Education Fund tuition grants, and a long list of named annual-conference scholarships — all administered outside Wesley itself, so this profile does not attempt to price them; ask your conference's Board of Ordained Ministry registrar what applies to you. The Ministerial Education Fund subsidy folded into Wesley's sticker tuition rate benefits every student, not UMC candidates specifically — it is the reason Wesley's per-credit rate looks low next to schools without that denominational subsidy, but it is not a named, candidacy-conditioned award the way the Winters Award and the conference-matching scholarships are.
Place, and what else is within reach.
Washington Theological Consortium
Cross-registration among Consortium member schools; students pay their home institution's tuition rate for courses taken through it.
American University School of International Service
Dual-degree routes combining Wesley's M.Div., M.A., or M.T.S. with American University's Master of Public Policy, Master of Public Administration, or M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution.
Wesley hosts a United Methodist Course of Study School, run mostly online with in-person weekend intensives (Fall/Winter/Spring) plus a July on-campus intensive term, for licensed local pastors working toward the Basic and Advanced Course of Study.
Who this fits, and what to weigh.
- People who want to be told the truth about what the degree does and does not cover, and would rather plan than be reassured.
- People drawn to ministry in and around Washington, and to the public and denominational work the city puts within reach.
- People whose home annual conference will match a United Methodist Student Scholarship.
- Three of the nine are electives by Wesley's own description. Register for the UM studies pair early — six hours exactly, no margin for a scheduling conflict.
- Naming a course menu is signposting, not a requirement. Nothing in the degree stops you from graduating without any of the three.
- Tuition is $870 per credit against an 81-credit M.Div. Get a total before comparing scholarship percentages.
- Wesley names full course menus for evangelism and mission, and a fixed pair — CM-251 with ST-463/464 — for United Methodist studies.
- That UM studies pair comes to six credit hours, landing exactly on ¶324.4's floor with nothing to spare.
- The seminary states that every student's tuition is already subsidised by the Ministerial Education Fund, covering more than two-thirds of actual cost.
- The Ellura Harvey Winters Award is a first-year full-tuition award tied to leadership potential in the United Methodist Church.
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.