Harding School of Theology, known until 2011 as Harding University Graduate School of Religion, is located in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is an entity related to the private

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

associated with the

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...

known as

Harding University Harding University is a private university with its main campus in Searcy, Arkansas. It is the largest private university in Arkansas. Established in 1924, the institution offers undergraduate, graduate, and pre-professional programs. The uni ...

, the main campus of which is in

Searcy, Arkansas Searcy ( ) is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,767. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

. Harding School of Theology exists primarily to train religious ministers for congregations of the Churches of Christ. It is located in East Memphis on a campus which consists of part of a large estate given by a wealthy donor, on property shared with the K-12 church affiliated

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Harding Academy. In 2011 the institution's administration announced the change of name, from Harding University Graduate School of Religion to Harding School of Theology. The name changed represented a "rebranding strategy that seeks to reflect better the School's goal of equipping and inspiring servants of Christ with deeper faith and higher standards of scholarship"—as indicated in the alumni magazine.

History

Harding University began offering graduate studies in Bible and ministry at its campus in Searcy, Arkansas, in 1952. In 1955 Harding started to offer these classes as an extension program in Memphis, and in 1958 the Harding University Graduate School of Religion (HUGSR) became a permanent branch of Harding University. Dr. W. B. West was the founding dean of HUGSR.

Academics

Harding School of Theology is accredited by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

. It offers several degrees, including the

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(MA), Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Counseling,

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

(M.Div.), and

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advanced ...

(D.Min.). Degrees may include emphasis or concentration options. Approximately half of Harding School of Theology's 240 students live outside the Memphis region. Harding School of Theology offers courses on-line and in one-week intensive formats (in addition to the regular semester format) to accommodate these students.

Campus

The Harding School of Theology campus is located at 1000 Cherry Road in Memphis on land that used to be part of the E. L. King Ranch. Today, the old ranch mansion houses the administrative and faculty offices. The W. B. West classroom building includes an auditorium and hospitality room in addition to classrooms. Students who choose to live on campus may rent one of 23 apartments in the Benson, Harding, and Brewer buildings. There is also a fitness center and a student lounge available to all students. The L. M. Graves Memorial Library was built in 1964, and subsequent major additions were constructed in 1978 and 2006. The library contains over 140,000 book volumes and 24,000 periodical volumes, with 615 current subscriptions to periodicals and annuals. The library collection is specialized, focusing in areas relevant to Christian theology and ministry, including counseling.

Notes

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding School of Theology Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ Universities and colleges in Memphis, Tennessee Seminaries and theological colleges in Tennessee Harding University