Graduate Theological Union


The Graduate Theological Union is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. All the GTU members are located in Berkeley, California.
Founded in 1962, GTU and its member schools offers masters and doctoral degree programs in philosophy, theology and other subjects. Certificate programs are also available. GTU students are also able to take courses at the University of California, Berkeley.
Although it was founded by several Protestant schools, the GTU now has two Catholic schools as members and has academic centers for Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and other eastern religions.
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GTU members

The following schools and institutions are members of GTU

History

During the late 19th century and early 20th century, several Christian denominations opened seminaries in Northern California to prepare ministers and priests to serve the rapidly expanding population in the region. These were all independent institutions. After the establishment of the University of California Berkeley in 1868, several of these seminaries relocated near the university. They formed cooperative agreements with USB to provide more educational choices for their students.
In the mid 20th century, the ecumenical movement prompted discussions among the seminaries affiliated with Berkeley to begin sharing resources. They decided to establish a cooperative graduate study program that would lead students to a master's degree in theology.
In 1962, six Protestant seminaries established the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. They included the Berkeley Baptist Divinity School, CDSP, PLTS, SFTS and the Golden Gate Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
The GTU expanded in 1964 with the addition of PSR, St. Albert's College and the Starr King School for the Ministry. GTU began its first effort to share facilities with the creation of the Bibliographical Center to consolidate library administration and manage the different library collections. In 1966, Alma College relocated to Berkeley and was renamed the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, which also joined the GTU. The Franciscan School of Theology joined GTU in 1968. That same year, GTU opened the Center for Judaic Studies to promote exchanges between Christian and Jewish scholars. This was its first expansion into non-Christian faiths.During the 1960's, GTU expanded its graduate degree offerings, establishing Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts degrees. Members provided Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies, and Doctor of Ministry degrees.
In 1969, GTU established its Common Library in the basement of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, merging all the member libraries into one location.By 1971, the GTU was fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. In 1979, GTU began construction the first phase of construction of a new building to house the GTU Common Library. Phase I was completed in 1981. Volunteers and staff moved 300,000 books into the partially completed building.
GTU in 1985 began the long-planned phase II of the new library building. It was completed in 1987 and named the Flora Lamson Hewlett Library in honor of the Hewlett Foundation. In 2007, GTU opened the Center for Islamic Studies to allow students and scholars exposure to Islamic traditions
In 2013, the FST merged with the University of San Diego, leaving GTU to relocate to Oceanside, California. The Starr King School left the GTU in 2020. According to its administrators, few of its students were taking GTU courses and the school believed that the annual GTU fee of $310,000 was excessive.

Administration

Presidents

Academic deans

The dean of the GTU is the chief academic officer for the GTU. The dean also chairs the council of deans, which is composed of the academic deans of the member schools. Traditionally, deans have held the John Dillenberger Professorship in their general field of specialization. For example, Margaret Miles held the professorship in historical theology while Arthur Holder held it in Christian spirituality. The current GTU president, Uriah Y. Kim, is the John Dillenberger Professor of Biblical Studies.

Organizations

Academic centers

  • Center for the Arts and Religion
  • Center for Islamic Studies
  • Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
  • Mira & Ajay Shingal Center for Dharma Studies
  • Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies

Affiliates

Academics

The GTU offers the Doctor of Philosophy degree and the Master of Arts degree in cooperation with its member seminaries. GTU consortial seminaries variously offer Th.M., M.Div., Doctor of Ministry, S.T.B., S.T.L., and S.T.D. degrees. The GTU also offers non-degree certificates in Interreligious Chaplaincy and Interreligious Studies. Doctoral students are encouraged not only to take advantage of the academic resources available to them at USB but are also required to include a non-GTU scholar in their exams or dissertation committees. GTU students have collaborated with UCB faculty members in the anthropology, critical theory, ethnic studies, history, philosophy and sociology departments.
All matriculating students at GTU may take any USB classes. They also have borrowing privileges at the USB and Stanford University libraries. Only doctoral students have unrestricted access to registering for UCB classes. Cross-registration opportunities are also available at the Dominican University of California in San Rafael, California, Holy Names University in Oakland, California., and Mills College in Oakland. Additionally, students can participate in international exchange programs.

Doctoral departments

The GTU has four doctoral departments, with more than 30 concentrations:
  • Sacred Texts and Interpretation Department – focuses on the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Rabbinic Literature, and studies in the sacred texts of the Islamic and Hindu traditions.
  • Historical and Cultural Studies of Religions Department – encompasses studies in history of religions, art and religion, interreligious studies, and sociology of religion.
  • Theology and Ethics Department – focuses on theological and ethical reflections in the Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu traditions. Other concentrations include comparative theology/ethics, philosophical theology, theology and science, and aesthetics.
  • Religion and Practice Department – concentrates on homiletics, liturgical studies, missiology, practical theology, and religious education. The GTU also offers certificates in specialized studies.

''Berkeley Journal of Religion and Theology''

The GTU's in-house academic journal is the Berkeley Journal of Religion and Theology. The journal is managed by current doctoral students, although peer-reviewers include members of the consortial doctoral faculty. All issues are available free online.

Campus

Although the GTU consortium occupies many buildings throughout the Bay Area, GTU owns only three buildings. One of them is the Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, one of the largest theological libraries in the world, with around 529,000 volumes.
Most of the GTU consortial schools are located in the Berkeley area with the majority north of the campus in a neighborhood known as "Holy Hill" due to the cluster of GTU seminaries and centers located there

Notable alumni

Faculty

The GTU draws its consortial faculty from its constituent seminaries and centers. Although faculty members are employed at their respective seminaries and centers, they commit to supervising doctoral and masters students, as well as occasionally teaching advanced GTU-wide courses.

Notable current faculty

Notable former faculty

Former faculty members include Naomi Seidman, Daniel C. Matt, David Alexander, John Dillenberger, and Roy I. Sano.