Educational Effectiveness

More Information:

• For the Certificate program, 11 students are projected to graduate in 2025, having matriculated between 2021 and 2023. These students will have completed their programs in 1 to 3 years, which aligns with the intended design of the certificate track as a short-term, focused study option.
• The Advanced Certificate program shows six graduates between 2019 and 2023, with a completion window of 2 to 6 years. The variability reflects students’ differing enrollment intensity, as many balance coursework with active ministry responsibilities.‍
• Master’s programs (other than the Master of Arts and Master of Divinity) produced four graduates from cohorts entering between 2018 and 2020, completing in 4 to 6 years. This aligns with expectations for part-time students pursuing graduate-level theological training.
• The Master of Arts program, with five graduates from matriculation years 2005 to 2020, shows a much longer completion range—up to 13 years in some cases. This reflects the seminary’s commitment to academic accessibility, allowing students to pause and resume their studies as personal and ministry circumstances require.‍
• Master of Divinity graduates, four in total, matriculated between 2017 and 2018 and completed the program in 6 to 7 years, consistent with the extended timeframe needed for part-time students completing a 90+ credit degree while engaged in vocational ministry.
• The Doctor of Ministry program saw nine graduates from cohorts starting between 2017 and 2020, completing in 6 years on average. This is in line with expectations for doctoral-level pastoral practitioners, given the program’s research and ministry integration requirements.

Graduation Rates

This report presents calculated graduation rates for Birmingham Theological Seminary programs based on the number of students who started and the number who graduated in each academic cohort from 2021–2022 through 2024–2025. Rates are calculated by dividing the number of graduates by the number of starters in the cohort. For many programs, especially those with longer suggested completion times, lower early-year rates reflect students still in progress rather than program underperformance.

Rolling Enrollment

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Birmingham Theological Seminary follows a rolling enrollment policy, allowing students to apply and start a program of study at various times throughout the year, specifically at the beginning of the fall, spring, and summer semesters. For this reason, Birmingham Theological Seminary does not calculate graduation rates by the traditional cohort model. 

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Most students at Birmingham Theological Seminary attend part-time while balancing full-time jobs and family responsibilities.

Class Size

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The average class size for the 2024-2025 Academic Year was 8 students. This number was calculated by dividing the total number of unique students by the number of courses offered during the academic year.

Student Course Evaluations

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Every student in every class is asked to evaluate the course, the professor, and the impact BTS is having on their life, church, and ministry. Click on the link below to see a copy of our course and professor assessment questionnaire. This information provides qualitative data for the academic affairs team and faculty related to continual instructional improvement.

https://forms.office.com/r/EZv6h5S7FF

Faculty

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During the 2024 – 2025 Academic year Birmingham Theological Seminary employed 43 adjunct professors. 39 hold post-graduate degrees including PhD, DMin, or Ed.D. Three are currently enrolled in PhD programs. 

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To help ensure faithfulness to the doctrinal standards and mission of BTS, each faculty member must annually reaffirm one of the following historic creeds of faith:

• Philadelphia Confession
• Westminster Confession
• London Confession of 1689
• Heidelberg Catechism

Licensure and Ordinations

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In 2024, one student was licensed in the PCA, and two were ordained as Teaching Elders.