Statement of Educational Effectiveness
Concordia Theological Seminary assesses its various academic programs to insure that students are accomplishing the learning outcomes established for these programs. Additionally, time to completion, graduation rates and vocational placements are monitored.
Master of Divinity
The Master of Divinity program is our largest academic program. Historically, 81.4% of students successfully complete the program in 4 years or less. Of the 2015/2016 graduates, 80.4% completed the program in 4 years.
Graduation rates are also reported annually to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which uses 6 years as the time in program for this success measure.
- 88.6% of the students who began in the fall of 2010 graduated by the fall of 2016
- 79.3% of the students who began in the fall of 2009 graduated by the fall of 2015
Reports to ATS show that 100% of all pastoral candidates certified by the faculty and seeking a call to serve as a pastor are placed in a pastoral position. The graduates for the 2016/2017 academic year continue this trend.
Vicarage supervisors and members of the faculty directly assess nine student learning outcomes for the Master of Divinity program. The 2016/2017 graduates had a 4.30 average competency on a scale of 5.00, where 5.00 is exceptional. This is comparable to the historical average competency of 4.45 for graduates from 2011/2012 – 2015/2016.
Master of Arts in Deaconess Studies
Six to seven women on average graduate with the Master of Arts in Deaconess Studies each year.
Historically, 93.9% of students successfully complete the program in 4 years or less. Of the 2015/2016 graduates, 85.7% completed the program in 4 years or less.
Graduation rates are also reported annually to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which uses 4 years as the time in program for this success measure.
- 80.0% of the students who began in the fall of 2012 graduated by the fall of 2016
- 100.0% of the students who began in the fall of 2011 graduated by the fall of 2015
Reports to ATS show that 85.2% of all Master of Arts in Deaconess Studies candidates certified by the faculty and seeking a call to serve as a deaconess are placed in a vocational position. The graduates for the 2014/2015 academic year approximate this trend.
Members of the faculty directly assess nine student learning outcomes for the Master of Arts in Deaconess Studies program. The 2015/2016 graduates had a 4.78 average competency on a scale of 5.00, where 5.00 is exceptional. This is comparable to the historical average competency of 4.80 for graduates from 2012/2013 – 2014/2015.
Master of Arts
Eight to nine students on average graduate with the Master of Arts andthe Master of Arts Leading to Deaconess Certification degrees each year.
Historically, 36.4% of the students awarded the Master of Arts degree complete the work in 3 years or less. Of the 2015/2016 graduates, 57.1% completed the program in 3 years or less.
Graduation rates are also reported annually to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which uses 4 years as the time in program for this success measure.
- 42.9% of the students who began in the fall of 2012 graduated by the fall of 2016
- 83.3% of the students who began in the fall of 2011 graduated by the fall of 2015
Reports to ATS show that historically 54.5% of the program’s graduates are placed in a vocational setting. Of the remaining graduates, 6.1% seek further study, 9.1% are seeking placement and 30.3% are unknown or other. The 2014/2015 graduates differ from this trend in that 54.5% of the graduates were placed in a non-vocational setting, 27.3% were placed in a vocational setting and 18.2% were seeking further study.
Members of the faculty directly assess seven student learning outcomes for the Master of Arts program. The 2015/2016 graduates had a 4.18 average competency on a scale of 5.00, where 5.00 is exceptional. This is comparable to the 3-year average competency of 4.36 for graduates from 2012/2013 – 2014/2015.
Members of the faculty directly assess nine student learning outcomes for the Master of Arts Leading to Deaconess Certification program. The 2015/2016 graduates had a 4.29 average competency on a scale of 5.00, where 5.00 is exceptional. This is comparable to the historical average competency of 4.46 for graduates from 2014/2015.
Master of Sacred Theology
There are typically five to nine students actively taking classes in the Master of Sacred Theology program each year.
Historically, only 17.4% successfully complete the program in less than 2 years, while 56.5% complete the program in 6+ years. Of the 2015/2016 graduates, 90.9% completed the program in 6+ years. The remaining 9.1% completed the program in less than 2 years. The program director is making a concerted effort to encourage students who have completed the course work to finish their research and write a thesis. This activity accounts for nearly all of the 2015/2016 graduates. In the summer of 2015, changes to the program structure were made to improve the time to completion rate. More of the program’s graduate assistants completed the program during the year.
Graduation rates are also reported annually to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which uses 2 years as the time in program for this success measure.
- 40.0% of the students who began in the fall of 2014 graduated by the fall of 2016
- 25.0% of the students who began in the fall of 2013 graduated by the fall of 2015
Reports to ATS show that historically 90.5% of STM graduates are placed in a vocational position. Of the 2015/2016 graduates, 100% were placed in a vocational position.
Members of the faculty directly assess seven student learning outcomes for the Master of Sacred Theology program. The 2016/2017 graduates had a 4.64 average competency on a scale of 5.00, where 5.00 is exceptional. This is comparable to the 3-year average competency of 4.75 for graduates from 2013/2014 – 2015/2016.
Doctor of Ministry
The current Doctor of Ministry program was re-envisioned for the 2013/2014 academic year. The new program is structured so that a pastor can complete the coursework and project in 3-4 years.
Historically, only 25.0% successfully completed the program in less than 4 years, while 58.3% of the graduates completed the program in more than 5 years. Of the 2015/2016 graduates, 100% completed the program in 4-5 years.
Graduation rates are also reported annually to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which uses 6 years as the time in program for this success measure.
- 50.0% of the students who began in the fall of 2010 graduated by the fall of 2016
- 25.0% of the students who began in the fall of 2009 graduated by the fall of 2015
Reports to ATS show that 90.9% of all DMin graduates continue in a vocational position. 100% of the 2014/2015 graduates continued in a vocational position.
Members of the faculty directly assess six student learning outcomes for the Doctor of Ministry program. The 2016/2017 graduates had a 4.79 average competency on a scale of 5.00, where 5.00 is exceptional. This is comparable to the 3-year average competency of 4.56 for graduates from 2014/2015 – 2016/2017.
Doctor of Philosophy in Missiology
The PhD program averages five to six graduates each year.
Historically, 60.9% successfully completed the program in less than 6 years, while 39.1% of the graduates completed the program in 6+ years. Of the 2015/2016 graduates, 50.0% completed the program in 6+ years.
Graduation rates are also reported annually to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which uses 8 years as the time in program for this success measure.
- 75.0% of the students who began in the fall of 2008 graduated by the fall of 2016
- 62.5% of the students who began in the fall of 2007 graduated by the fall of 2015
Reports to ATS show that 70.0% of all PhD graduates continue in a vocational position. Of the 2014/2015 graduates, 66.7% continued in a vocational position.
Members of the faculty directly assess seven student learning outcomes for the Doctor of Philosophy program. The 2016/2017 graduates had a 4.60 average competency on a scale of 5.00, where 5.00 is exceptional. This is comparable to the 3-year average competency of 4.39 for graduates from 2013/2014 – 2015/2016.