TEDS Flexible Study Options
Our desire is to make a TEDS education accessible to everyone—while maintaining our commitment of face-to-face community building. We are continually working to create delivery options that address the needs of students unable to enroll in regular semester-length daytime courses.
TEDS offers a number of flexible delivery formats that conveniently help you complete your degree. For example, you can take any of our courses online, or attend a church-based seminary extension site to complete a Master of Arts (Theological Studies) or the Certificate in Christian Studies without having to relocate to Trinity’s Deerfield campus. Other options include Trinity campus modular courses, occasional courses and wrap-around intensive courses.
In some cases, you may not be looking to complete a degree program, but may still wish to take TEDS courses. In that case, you might want to consider enrolling as a visiting or auditing student…the choice is yours!
Extension Site Locations
TEDS Online Courses
Evening, Weekend, and Short-term Modules
The core MDiv curriculum with some free electives rotates through a four-year evening–weekend school schedule on the Deerfield campus. Evening courses generally meet one night weekly for fifteen weeks during the fall or spring semester; or for three or four Friday night–Saturday weekends during the semester. This rotation enables completion of MDiv course work over eight years for those taking four courses each year. Completion of short-term modules or summer school courses will lighten the load or accelerate the pace. Some one- or two-week short-term modules are also offered during the semester. Short-term courses are taught by guest professors and regular TEDS faculty, and are sometimes offered off-campus as a conference wrap-around (see wrap-around courses below) or intensive course.
Certificate Programs
TEDS offers Certificate programs as a way to enhance your current ministry or to prepare you for where you’re going in your career or education. It’s a great first step to take if you’re trying to decide whether to enroll in a degree program while earning advanced certification at the same time. Many of our Certificate programs don’t even require a bachelor’s degree to get started if you have extensive life experience in a particular area of ministry or teaching. The Certificate in Christian Studies is a Certificate program offered through our extension sites as well, adding another layer of convenience. Higher education tracks are also available for post graduate or post doctoral studies.
Admission to a Certificate program does not ensure admission to a Trinity degree program. If a Certificate student later decides to enroll in a degree program, all program admission requirements must still be met.
Affiliate Programs
Trinity offers credit for courses in conjunction with other ministry organizations under unique arrangements. Some are special courses offered at specific places and times for certain purposes. Others are ongoing opportunities to combine Trinity courses with other outstanding training programs. We offer courses in partnership with organizations like CRU, InterVarsity, Young Life and more!
Occasional Courses
Throughout the calendar year, TEDS offers graduate credit courses throughout North America at a variety of sites linked with special events or anticipated future program sites.
These Occasional Courses often include conference settings in venues like the Urbana Conference, The Spiritual Formation Forum, Xenos Summer Institute, and others.
Learn more by clicking the link below, or contact the office of Extension and Affiliated Education at 800.588.7705 or 847.317.6550 for additional information.
Conference Wrap-Around Courses
TEDS offers graduate credit in conjunction with a number of high profile conferences offered around North America. The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, the Urbana Conference, The Spiritual Formation Forum, Xenos Summer Institute, and the US Center for World Mission’s Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course are all available for academic credit. Each year additional conferences become available for academic credit. Contact the Office of Extension and Affiliated Education at 800.588.7705 or 847.317.6550 for current information.
Visiting Students
If you’d like to take courses at TEDS for credit on a part-time basis without enrolling in a degree program, consider becoming a Visiting Student. Applying as a Visiting Student involves completing an application form, submitting an official transcript indicating that you hold a bachelor’s degree or higher with a minimum GPA of 2.0 sent to our Admissions Office. (Visiting students receive “conditional acceptance” until the transcript is received). You may then enroll for a maximum of 9 hours each semester, and we recommend that you not enroll in more than 12 hours before applying to a degree program. Contact the admissions office for more information.
Auditors
If you’d like the opportunity of taking one or more courses per semester but have no interest in earning graduate credit or a degree, we invite you to audit any class of your choice. An auditing student can usually participate in all class activities but will not be responsible for tests or assignments, or receive a grade or credit. No application is required, and you do not need a bachelor’s degree. The graduate school, however, reserves the right to limit the number of auditors in any class, and some classes may be closed to auditors. If you decide to audit the Master of Arts in Teaching program, please note that, in some cases, auditors will be required to participate in classes and prepare for all tests and assignments. This difference is due both to the cohort nature of the program and the need to satisfy teaching certification requirements. Contact the admissions office for more information.
