Anyone want the skinny on Newburgh Theological Seminary?

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by SBCMan, May 19, 2004.

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  1. SBCMan

    SBCMan New Member

    Greetings,

    I saw a recent post on here from last year concerning Newburgh Theological Seminary. Basically, NTS is not connected or related to Trinity or MDS. I, and I am willing to hear any feedback anyone desires on this one, graduated from NTS with a M.Div. I thought I would test the waters and see how connected Trinity, MDS and NTS were and quickly found out, in fact personally from MDS, that NTS shared one prof in particular who was, so to say, excused from both schools after he began NTS. Although he was connected to the schools, his parting was not, per se, voluntary.
     
  2. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Interesting new information. Thanks. What a metropolis of theology it's turning out to be!
     
  3. SBCMan

    SBCMan New Member

    Just to give a little more insight into the school, I thought I would give my critique on the requirements for my M.Div. Basically, it is just as the school says. You read a book and then report on it, send it to a grader (via email) and he sends it back. After about the first couple of courses, I realized that the material wasn't being graded very stringently. I have a background both in traditional and distance schools (B.S. in Biblical Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2 semesters of graduate work SBTS and 12 hours from Luther Rice Seminary). I finished the degree and had a discussion with the NTS president, Glen Mollette and voiced my concerns. Not to mention the school offers courses that range from the theologically conservative to the far left theological liberal. For me, the value was the affordability and professor help (which is quite good-in fact, as far as professor contact, NTS is more willing than LRS). Of course, there is always the problem of offering a Ph.D when no one on the faculty of the school offers one. However, the school is progressing and becoming more focused and stronger, offering off campus seminars led by prof's who have regionally accredited D.Min's. I plan on doing a D.Min with my concerns being accomodated.
     
  4. NJ.Rev.

    NJ.Rev. New Member

    Current Student

    I am a current student. The college is great. There is coursework and a dissertation required. They have a wide range of religous degrees. It is a great place for any minister to get an advanced degree at a good price.
     
    Kasi likes this.
  5. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    No offense, but when a brand new poster appears and in a first post, bumps a 6 year old thread to sing the praises of an institution that isn't known for resounding quality, it sounds a little suspicious.

    However, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Can you tell us a little more about the coursework, what sort of material you're studying, what kind of work you're doing, and more about their dissertation process?

    Without more detail, a post that says "There is coursework and a dissertation required. They have a wide range of religous degrees. It is a great place for any minister to get an advanced degree at a good price" could apply to any diploma mill.
     
    Michael Burgos likes this.
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I don't have background on this whole "I'm exempt from all regs because I'm into Theology," thing. So I went to the website and found an extremely amateurish presentation of degree programs. It sems clear that they'll sell any degree to anyone if the check is actually in the mail. Based on that alone I'd advise people to lace up their spikes and run, run, run.
     
  7. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    I remember seeing a lot of speculation that there were links between NTS and Trinity College (Newburgh) ... for obvious reasons ...

    However, at least Trinity has a decent website, and AFAIK requires real work to earn degrees. They have applied for DETC accreditation, and we'll see if they get it, but they at least seem legit. NTS on the other hand, well, I don't like to judge a book by its cover, but their website has a definite "millish" quality to it. Okay, let's look at the degrees:

    You can earn a "BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CHRISTIAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE" (?) by completing eight courses (!) each of which requires you to read one book and "Each text requires a ten to twenty page review summary of the text. ... Please tell us what the book says, what you learned and how this may be helpful to you in your ministry and service." (!!!) That is a joke. Calling this a bachelor's degree is totally dishonest. It's like selling a pocket lighter and calling it flamethrower.

    I'd advise people to stay away from this school. If you want to learn more about the topics they offer, you could always buy the books, read them, and then print your own degree ...
     
  8. telefax

    telefax Member

    Search Engine reports, you decide...

    Newburgh Seminary Upgrades Website

    Newburgh Seminary: Accelerated D.Min.

    Newburgh Seminary: New Kid on the Block
    Note: The above quotes are from better minds than mine.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 18, 2010
  9. Pastor Dave

    Pastor Dave New Member

    Great Opportunity

    I graduated from two ATS accredited seminaries.
    Newburgh was a great opportunity for continuing my education.
    My dissertation was about 150 pages. In time the dissertation will be a published book. My DMIN from an ATS institution was about two years
    and my doctoral work from Newburgh was about two years. What I received from all my previous work was whatever I put into the programs.
     
    Kasi likes this.
  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  11. Pastor Dave

    Pastor Dave New Member

    I did not submit it to Proquest. I'm working on submitting it to a traditional publisher.
     
  12. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    In that case, please attach your introduction so we might deduce the soundness of your dissertation.
     
  13. Watchman

    Watchman New Member

    Not DTS But Advanced Studies

    I digress and concede to the fact that Newburgh is certainly no Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). However, for me personally, Newburgh afforded me the opportunity to complete my Bachelors degree at a very affordable cost and still gain the theological insight I needed for field ministry as a missionary overseas.

    Prior to Newburgh, I attended Washington State University and the University of Maryland while serving in the United States Air Force (1987-1993). When I left the Air Force I was about 30 hours shy of obtaining my Bachelors degree in Business Administration. For important personal reasons I never went back to school to complete my degree. Fast forward 17 years later, married, with five (yes, five) kids, a full time job, and I couldn't afford the education that most seminaries charge nor did I have the the flexibility of classroom instruction time.

    The missions organization that I am now on staff with required 30 hours of formal Bible education. Does not have to be accredited. I chose Newburgh due to cost and flexibility of pace. The courses offered at Newburgh require a lot of reading, and I love to read. I transferred all of my credits and transcripts to Newburgh and it took me one year to fulfill 30 credit hours of course work. Those 30 hours, combined with my previous 90 hours at WSU and UofM allowed me to graduate with a B.Th. degree from Newburgh.

    A little about their courses: Each course required the reading of one book. Each book was no less than 300 pages and upwards of 1,000+ pages (Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem). One course I took required a reading of 650 pages (Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie). Extensive notes were taken on each of these books. Until recently, Newburgh required a 2-3 paragraph summary of each chapter, complete with endnotes. My finished paper for the Basic Theology course was 70 pages long, typed, double spaced, 12 pt. text. Halfway through the program, NTS changed their policy and limited all finished papers to no more than 20 pages. Each of my papers were graded and returned complete with comments and advice when needed.

    Overall, Newburgh was a great school for me personally. The professors were fairly quick to respond to my emails and offered insight when needed. NTS was flexible and I was able to substitute a book that I had already read with another one of similar subject. I gained more knowledge from the one year I attended NTS than all of my previous years at WSU and UofM.

    The bottom line is this... Newburgh is not a diploma mill. You must read and write lengthy books and papers. They must be graded. You must have prior credits to transfer into the school to be considered for their program. Military and ministry experience can be included as credit up to a limited amount. They only allowed 10 credits for me. And for those of us who like to read and write, and accreditation is not paramount, then Newburgh is perfect for you.

    I am more than willing to submit any of my coursework to show the rigor involved in a single course, with the understanding that my material remain private and not open for public discussion or viewing. But, I must be guaranteed this before I do so.

    Peace,

    Watchman
     
    Kasi likes this.
  14. Watchman

    Watchman New Member

    I attended Washington State University and the University of Maryland in the 6 years I served in the United States Air Force. When I left the Air Force in 1993, I was 30 hours shy of obtaining my Bachelors in Business Administration. For personal reasons not worth mentioning I never went back to school to complete my degree.

    Fast forward 16 years later, married, five kids (yes, five), business owner; and I wanted to go back to school. This time for different reasons. My family and I are preparing for full time ministry as missionaries to the country of Albania. The missions agency I am on staff with requires 30 hours of formal Bible school to be obtained over a 2-year period. I didn't have the money to go to most accredited schools and I didn't have the time to sit for classroom instruction.

    I came across Newburgh Theological Seminary and BINGO! It fit all of the criteria I was looking for. I transferred my credits and transcripts to Newburgh, they gave me 10 additional credits for ministry and military experience. Within one year I completed 30 credit hours and obtained my B.Th. degree.

    Here are some things most people don't know about NTS unless you enroll: They don't accept just anyone, you must have previous credit hours to enter into their Bachelors program. The theology program I enrolled under required the reading of books (some lengthier than others). I dare anyone to read "Systematic Theology" by Wayne Grudem and write a chapter-by-chapter summarization of the entire book in your own words, along with a summary of what you have learned from the book and how it will apply to your ministry using the MLA style format. It's rigorous and tedious. Furthermore, I read Charles Ryrie's "Basic Theology" and did the same required paperwork. I will concede to the fact that some books were only 200-300 pages long. But, I believe Grudem and Ryrie's books along with several others made up for this. Each of my papers were then graded by a professor along with comments and advice.

    NTS is certainly no Dallas Theological Seminary. I wish I could afford DTS or any other reputable seminary for that matter. But, Newburgh afforded me the opportunity to gain deeper insight into God's Word and allowed me to grow a bit more in my faith. I look forward to applying what I have learned at NTS and sharing it with others who have never heard the life-changing power of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
     
  15. Watchman

    Watchman New Member

    For some reason my posts are not posting. I have typed three rather lengthy responses to this thread and it has never posted. A message states that a moderator will review the post beforehand. Well, that has been over three days ago.
     
  16. JWC

    JWC New Member

    I'd be satisfied just seeing the proposal or the literature review.
     
  17. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    Watchman; probably due to putting links in your post. I think posts from new users which include links are automatically flagged, so try posting without including the links.
     
  18. Watchman

    Watchman New Member

    Nope. I never had any links.
     
  19. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    I apologize. I just checked and the moderation queue was quite backed up (90% of it was spam) so I just went through and cleared it all out.

    We use a pretty sophisticated message filtering system for new members. The filter is imperfect; I tweak it a lot, but we err on the side of slightly more aggressive filtering, under the theory that when spammers see their posts are not getting posted, they are less likely to come back. The result is the occasional false positive, but, for example, in the current queue, which was probably a couple days worth, it caught and held back about 70 spam messages that would otherwise have been posted.

    A post should never take more than a few hours, at most, to be approved, and once you've made a certain number of posts, you'll no longer be subject to the automated moderation filter. If you (or anyone else reading this) posts a message and it does not appear within a couple of hours, please PM me or one of the other mods with the thread your message should be in, and we'll get it taken care of.
     
  20. prof_87

    prof_87 New Member

    Caution

    Please do not waste your time and money. If you do you will have to defend your degree(s) everywhere you go in the academic community. Start out on the right step.

    Prof_87
     

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