Knowledge of the characteristics of beginning students in ministerial training programs is important if those programs are to adequately prepare persons intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually to be effective ministers. The purpose of this study was to answer the question: What are the important characteristics of the 1990 student population entering into the ministerial training programs of The Wesleyan Church?Sixty students who enrolled during the 1990 fall semester in programs leading to ordination in The Wesleyan Church were studied. These programs existed on the campuses of five colleges governed by the Church and six seminaries approved to provide graduate theological education for the Church's ministers.A survey instrument collected data on the students' backgrounds, attitudes, values, educational motivations, beliefs, and perspectives regarding the future. The responses of the Wesleyan ministerial students were analyzed to define the differences between students involved in different ministerial education programs of the Church and to compare their responses with national norms established by the 1989 Cooperative Institutional Research Program study which is administered annually to freshmen in American colleges and universities.Wesleyan freshmen ministerial students were older, had lower average grades in high school, and were less motivated to pursue graduate studies than students in the national study. The ability to finance their education was a major concern and they were very dependent upon government aid and borrowed money to pay for their education.The ministerial students studied had a wide variety of experiences which have had traumatic effect upon them. The students were highly motivated in their desire to help people. On most issues, they held traditional values and life style expectations which are promoted by the church. There were points at which their belief as to appropriate behavior for Christians did not characterize their own behavior. A high percentage of the students indicated they did not fully understand theological terms which are basic in church doctrine.The results from the study of Wesleyan ministerial students indicated the need for developing greater cooperation between the formal academic programs offered at the church's colleges and seminaries, and the non-formal learning opportunities which should occur through all levels of church organization. / Department of Educational Leadership

Thesis (Ed.D)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1966. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Includes tables. Sponsor: Esther McD. Lloyd-Jones. Dissertation Committee: Robert Wood Lynn. A survey of the personal and academic problems of full-time students at Union Theological Seminary. - cf. leaf 53. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, N.Y., 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-71).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Description based on Microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-136).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 258-264).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Samuel D. Miller ; submitted to the School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-120)

Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-192).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 258-264).

This study explored the conceptual worlds of first- and second-career seminarians enrolled in the M.Div. program at New Creation Theological Seminary (NCTS), a mainline Protestant school. Research questions were: 1) What themes do first- and second-career seminarians use to describe their seminary experience? 2) How do first and second-career seminarians relate these themes into a system of thought (mindmap)? 3) How do the systems of thought described by first- and second-career seminarians compare? 4) Do first- and second-career seminarians identify an over-arching message to their theological education? Using interactive qualitative analysis, the researcher discovered 12 key themes common to the conceptual worlds of first- and second-career students. For both types of students, school bureaucracy and church requirements were drivers that influenced many aspects of the seminary experience. The outcomes of the seminary experience were transformation in knowledge, pastoral skills, and sense of vocation. Students became satisficers to meet the competing demands of school, church, and family. Students reported that theological education required vigorous engagement and self-discipline. Students affirmed that God was active in their life worlds. The life worlds of younger and older participants were similar in terms of themes and in the way that these themes combined into mindmaps, although second-career students were more frustrated than first-career students about the way that seminary shrank life outside of school. First-career students reported that the seminary’s over-arching message was about community. Second-career students concluded that the over-arching message was about training for ministry. Ecological theory suggests that students received the over-arching messages that they did because of how they had been shaped by involvement in various social microsystems. Two distinctive findings of the study were the importance that participants placed on fulfilling church requirements for ordination and the role that campus facilities played in assisting or hindering their theological studies. Based on the study’s results and previous literature about seminary students, the researcher proposed a model to describe student experience in seminary. / text

This dissertation examines seminary students' understanding of biblical gender roles and their perceived quality of learning experience while considering the gender of the faculty, for the purpose of determining what relationship, if any, there is between these two factors. The findings from this research were used to make recommendations to seminary students, faculty, and administration. Two forms of data were gathered for this quantitative research design. The instrument used is Joy Fagan's Scriptural Interpretations of Gender Issues Survey, consisting of sixty closed questions utilizing the Likert Scale response system, and one open-ended question. Fagan's scale is aimed at determining whether the respondent is egalitarian or complementarian in their beliefs regarding biblical gender roles. The framework of the survey provides into the participant's theological leanings and the consequential applications of those beliefs. The final close-ended question asks the student to identify with either the complementarian or egalitarian viewpoint for the purpose of determining if their stated view is the same as their view revealed in the rest of the survey. In addition to this instrument, a course evaluation survey was used to determine students' perceived quality of learning experience. The goal of the combined data was to test for a relationship between students understanding of biblical gender roles and their perception of the learning experience. The resulting outcomes is beneficial for seminary administration, faculty, students, and churches by providing understanding as to what the future leaders of the church will believe in regard to gender roles. As with any study, this research was limited in its generalizations. Further researched could be done using as its population all evangelical seminaries. The research could also be replicated in Christian colleges. A longitudinal study, comparing the perceived quality of learning experience in a course taught by a male professor and the same course taught by a female professor is encouraged.