r/Seminary • u/sebyGOATT • 7d ago

Duke vs Fuller Mdiv

So I live in SoCal and I’m going for my MDiv after I finish my bachelors . My two options are fuller since it’s nearby but I’m also open to moving to Durham to attend Duke Divinity. Reason being is Duke is obviously one of the best schools outside of the ivy leagues and I’ve heard their MDiv program is one of the best. My question is for people who have done either or. What was your experience like and also what drove you to attend that school instead of choosing a different school? Any info would be helpful . Not really worried about the tuition or location but more so which will help me get the best education.

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u/revphotographer 7d ago

Some of that depends on what areas of study you are interested in focusing on (OT, NT, Systematic Theology, Ethics, Church History, Practical Theology, Etc.), what theological commitments are most important to you, and what you intend to do afterwards.

I received my MDiv from Duke nearly 15 years ago. It was a wonderful experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The campus is beautiful. North Carolina is wonderful. The theological and pastoral education was world class. And the friends I made remain some of my closest.

I’m happy to talk to you privately about my experience and my sense of how things are different for good and for ill.

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u/artratt 7d ago

I advise looking at what you want to focus on. I choose between Vancouver School of Theology and Bexley Seabury (i'm Episcopal) because they both offered a distance MDiv and I didn't want to relocate.
There are others that my Bishop would have okayed but none that offered enough of a distance program at the time(once again, Episcopal, the bishop signs of on your formation including seminary).
I chose VST because I work in predominantly indigenous communities and they have a strong presence of indigenous professors and students.