American Baptist Seminary of the West
The American Baptist Seminary of the West (ABSW) is a theological school affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and located in Berkeley, California. It is part of the Graduate Theological Union, a consortium of theological schools and centers in the Berkeley area. Formerly, the ABSW was called Berkeley Baptist Divinity School.
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Former names | Berkeley Baptist Divinity School |
|---|---|
| Type | Graduate Theological Seminary |
| Established | 1871 |
| Affiliation | American Baptist Churches USA |
| President | James Brenneman |
| Dean | LeAnn Snow Flesher |
Academic staff | 12 |
| Students | 74 |
| Location | , , United States 37.86502°N 122.25575°W |
| Campus | urban |
| Affiliations | Graduate Theological Union American Baptist Churches USA |
| Website | www |
History
The earliest roots of the American Baptist Seminary of the West lie in the chartering of California College, Vacaville, in 1871. In 1887[1] the college moved to Oakland, and in 1912 to Berkeley, at which time it changed its name to Berkeley Baptist Divinity School (BBDS), keeping this name until 1968. In 1915, BBDS merged with the Pacific Coast Baptist Theological Seminary, which had begun in Oakland in 1890 and had moved to Berkeley in 1904. In 1968, BBDS merged with California Baptist Theological Seminary (founded in 1944 in Los Angeles, and located in Covina since 1951). To reflect the fact that the school was no longer wholly in Berkeley, it was renamed the American Baptist Seminary of the West, but six years later the Covina faculty moved to the Berkeley campus, effecting considerable cost savings and at the same time availing themselves of the resources of the Graduate Theological Union.
Academics
ABSW offers accredited Master of Divinity (MDiv), Master of Community Leadership (MCL), and Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degrees. Jointly with the Graduate Theological Union, ABSW offers an accredited Master of Arts (MA). ABSW also participates with the Graduate Theological Union in offering the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Theology (ThD) degrees.
References
- Thomas, Grace Powers (1898). Where to educate, 1898-1899. A guide to the best private schools, higher institutions of learning, etc., in the United States. Boston: Brown and Company. p. 12. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
