General Information
Nature of the Divinity School
The Divinity School is interdenominational and completely nonsectarian. The faculty is drawn from the major Christian traditions, and the students represent almost forty denominations and faith groups. Instruction is provided in the history, doctrines, and polity of all the major church bodies.
Since 1971, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, an Episcopal seminary, has been affiliated with Yale Divinity School. Berkeley Divinity School retains its identity through its board of trustees, its dean, and the Berkeley Center located at 363 St. Ronan Street. Episcopal students come under the care of the dean of Berkeley Divinity School for spiritual formation and counseling, but are not otherwise differentiated from other Yale Divinity School students. As a result of the affiliation, there is one integrated student body and faculty.
The Institute of Sacred Music was founded in 1973. It is affiliated with both the School of Music and the Divinity School.
The Divinity School offers programs of study leading to the degrees of Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.), and Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.). Programs for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) are offered by the Department of Religious Studies in the Graduate School.
A number of Divinity School faculty hold joint appointments in the Department of Religious Studies, others regularly participate in the doctoral program, and some Religious Studies faculty regularly offer courses in the Divinity School.
The Divinity School is a graduate professional school of Yale University, which also includes Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine, the Law School, the School of Art, the School of Music, the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, the School of Architecture, the School of Nursing, the School of Drama, and the School of Management.
The Divinity School’s Web site can be accessed at www.yale.edu/divinity.
History of the Divinity School
Training for the Christian ministry was a main purpose in the founding of Yale College in 1701. As expressed in its original charter, it was to be a school “wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts & Sciences who through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church & Civil State.” That purpose has always been recognized at Yale, and the history of the University is one of increasing development in the facilities for training for religious service.
During the early years of Yale College its general curriculum, supplemented in some cases by a year or two of reading under the direction of its instructors, was deemed sufficient for ministerial preparation. In 1746 an enlarged recognition of the needs of the ministry led to the establishment of a professorship of divinity through the efforts of President Thomas Clap. By 1822 this had developed into a separate department, later known as the Yale Divinity School.
The degree of Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) was first conferred in 1867. In June 1971, by vote of the Yale Corporation, this degree was replaced by the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree. In a reaffirmation of the University’s commitment to the Divinity School, a $49 million renovation of Sterling Divinity Quadrangle was completed in 2003 as the School rededicated itself to serving faith and intellect.
The Berkeley Divinity School at Yale was founded by Bishop John Williams and opened its doors on May 3, 1854, in Middletown, Connecticut. The school took its name from George Berkeley, bishop of Cloyne, Ireland, philosopher, educator, and missionary, who spent three years in Rhode Island (1728–30) seeking to establish a theological college in the New World. His plans failed, but he became a benefactor of Yale College, establishing graduate scholarships and donating books to the library. John Williams, while president of Trinity College in Hartford, established a theological department for ordinands. After his election as assistant bishop of Connecticut, he moved to Middletown, taking this department with him as the nucleus of his new divinity school. Bishop Williams was dean of Berkeley until 1899, at the same time serving as bishop of Connecticut and also as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
The Berkeley Divinity School was founded on the one-hundredth anniversary of Bishop Berkeley’s death, and its move to New Haven in 1928 commemorated the two-hundredth anniversary of his coming to America. Berkeley was moved to New Haven in order to better fulfill its mission by being in touch with the resources of an urban center and a great university, a purpose fulfilled by its affiliation with Yale Divinity School in 1971.
The Yale Institute of Sacred Music is also affiliated with Yale Divinity School. ISM was established at Yale in 1973 through a gift from Clementine Tangeman and her brother J. Irwin Miller. The Institute is a successor to the renowned School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City; the first director of ISM was organist Robert Baker, who had also been director of the School of Sacred Music. Over the decades at Yale, ISM has continued in its primary purpose of training musicians for the churches, and it supports programs in choral conducting and organ performance (both with the Yale School of Music) and in liturgical studies and religion and the arts (both with the Divinity School). A focus on the arts and worship within theological education is possible at the Divinity School because of the support given by ISM. ISM also offers generous scholarships to candidates for the M.Div. and M.A.R. in the Divinity School and to musicians in the School of Music.
Yale Divinity School Mission Statement
Yale Divinity School has an enduring commitment to foster the knowledge and love of God through critical engagement with the traditions of the Christian churches in the context of the contemporary world. It furnishes resources for the churches to reflect critically on their identity and mission in response to changing social and cultural realities and other religions of the world. It offers a university setting for the scholarly assessment of the religious features of human existence. Ecumenical and university-based, the School recognizes as indispensable to its mission a communal environment that combines rigorous scholarly inquiry, public worship and spiritual nurture, practical involvement with the churches’ ministries, and mutual regard among human beings across the diversities of gender, sexual orientation, race, class, nationality, and culture.
The Divinity School pursues its mission through three principal activities: (1) it enables women and men to prepare for the lay and ordained ministries of the Christian churches; (2) through its own programs and through the participation of members of its faculty in programs of the Graduate School, it shares in the education of those who will become scholars and teachers on the faculties of theological schools and departments of religious studies; and, (3) in conjunction with other professional schools of the University, it equips persons anticipating professional service in education, law, health care, social work, community organizations, public life, or the arts to understand more fully the theological basis of their vocations.
Adopted by the Yale Divinity School faculty, April 2, 1991.
Yale University Policy Statements
Equal Opportunity
The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and affirmatively seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons of diverse backgrounds. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era, or other covered veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
University policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, individuals with disabilities, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam era, and other covered veterans.
Inquiries concerning these policies may be referred to the Office for Equal Opportunity Programs, 104 William L. Harkness Hall, 203.432.0849.
Statement on Security
In accordance with both federal and state law, the University maintains information concerning current security policies and procedures and prepares an annual crime report concerning crimes committed within the geographical limits of the University. In addition, in accordance with federal law, the University maintains information concerning current fire safety practices and prepares an annual fire safety report concerning fires occurring in on-campus student housing facilities. Upon request to the Office of the Secretary of the University, PO Box 208230, New Haven CT 06520-8230, 203.432.2310, the University will provide such information to any applicant for admission.
Intercollegiate Athletic Programs
In accordance with federal law, the University prepares an annual report on participation rates, financial support, and other information regarding men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic programs. Upon request to the Director of Athletics, PO Box 208216, New Haven CT 06520-8216, 203.432.1414, the University will provide its annual report to any student or prospective student.
For all other matters related to admission to the Divinity School, please telephone the Office of Admissions, 203.432.5360.
