Washington Theological Union (WTU) was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

graduate school of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

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 ...

, founded in 1968. It stopped accepting students in 2011, and suspended operations at the end of June 2015. WTU was

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

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 ...

(ATS), the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and was a member of the

Washington Theological Consortium The Washington Theological Consortium is an ecumenical organization of Christian theological schools and interfaith partners located in Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Members cooperate to deepen ecumenical unity in theological ...

History

Founded through a partnership among Catholic religious orders and congregations in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, the Master of Arts (MA) in Theology was first awarded to 10 religious order men in 1972 and was the more challenging masters level academic degree. The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree was first handed out in 1975 to four religious order men. Eventually, the school opened to people from other religions in the United States and many foreign countries. In 1977, the first religious order woman received a Master of Arts degree in Theology and in 1980, the first laywoman received the Master of Divinity degree, followed in 1985 by the first layman to receive a Master of Arts in Theology degree. As a capstone, the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree in Christian Spirituality was given in 2011, followed by several other religious men and women, priests and laymen and women; the last being awarded in May 2015. The many graduates from WTU serve in a variety of ecclesial positions including chaplains, academic officials and clergy. The school closed in 2015 because of financial difficulties, low enrollment, and declining

vocation A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious co ...

s. Student records and archival history were transferred to

Saint Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure University is a private university, private Franciscan university in St. Bonaventure, New York. It has 2,381 undergraduate and graduate students. The Order of Friars Minor, Franciscan Brothers established the university in 1858. ...

in New York in 2015 after operations were wound down. Student records are administered by the Registrar's Office and other official historical information is administered by that university's Friedsam Library. Over 4,500 students attended Washington Theological Union, with almost 500 of them completing a certificate during their sabbatical.

References

External links

St Bonaventure University Registrar
website Defunct private universities and colleges in Washington, D.C. Defunct Catholic universities and colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1968 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington Catholic universities and colleges in Washington, D.C. Takoma (Washington, D.C.) {{seminary-stub