Schools
Introducing the schools of Southwestern Seminary
Each of our academic schools is led and staffed by men and women with both high academic prowess and hands-on ministry experience. Whatever school you choose, we’ll help you live your calling.
School of Theology
Equipping Christian servants with biblical wisdom, sound doctrine, and ministerial skills so that Christ’s body may flourish and glorify God.
The School of Theology of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary provides graduate theological education to equip students for faithful and effective Christian ministry. The degree programs in the school are scripturally grounded and confessionally guided that emphasize the faithful interpretation of the Bible and sound application of its teaching. The curriculum incorporates biblical, theological, and practical disciplines to reach the lost and build up the Kingdom. The school is focused on our students so that they are formed academically, and spiritually. Altogether the school provides training and resources for a lifetime of theological study and effective ministry.
Meet the Dean
Dr. Grace is co-editor for Making Disciples of All Nations: A History of Southern Baptist Missions (Kregel, 2021). He has written several articles and book reviews for the Southwestern Journal of Theology. He has also contributed chapters to several works including, “Being Christ: Salvation and Bonhoeffer’s Christo-Ecclesiology” in Being Saved (SCM, 2018), “Baptists, Classical Ecclesiology, and the Christian Tradition,” in Baptists and the Christian Tradition (B&H Academic, 2020), “Medieval Salvation,” in A Historical Theology for the Church (B&H Academic, 2021), and “The Nature of the Church,” in Ecclesiology for Church Revitalization (Seminary Hill Press, forthcoming).
- W. Madison Grace II, dean of the School of Theology
Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries
Committed to equipping great commission ministers who teach, lead, disciple, and biblically counsel with excellence.
The Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries provides graduate biblical education to God-called Great Commission ministers who teach, lead, disciple, and biblically counsel with excellence. The degrees and courses offered through the Terry School reflect a commitment to the educational priorities of teaching excellence, competency-shaped curriculum, local church partnerships, global focus, and life-transforming education.
Meet the Dean
Dr. Shirley is the author of Family Ministry and the Church: A Leader’s Guide for Ministry through the Family (Randall House Academic, 2018) and is a contributing author to The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture (Seminary Hill, 2022) and Husband of One Wife (Randall House, 2022). He has also authored Bible study curriculum for Lifeway Christian Resources and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and has served churches in Texas and North Carolina.
- Chris Shirley, dean of the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries
School of Church Music and Worship
Grow as a musical artist and develop a heart to minister in the local church and throughout the world.
The School of Church Music and Worship of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary provides professional education in church music and worship for individuals engaging in Christian ministry.
The School of Church Music and Worship seeks to provide excellent music leadership for churches, colleges, denominational agencies, and mission fields. Specialized church music courses and general music instruction are available for students in the other schools of the seminary and Texas Baptist College.
A consistent effort is made to provide an educational environment conducive to spiritual growth and deepening awareness of the scope of the ministry of music, promoting a harmonious understanding of the relation of this ministry to all other aspects of Christian ministry.
All students in the School of Church Music and Worship are expected to be involved in church music ministry during the time they are enrolled in their degree programs.
Contributions are made by the school to the knowledge of the church music and worship field through performances, research, and writing.
Meet the Dean
“Music is a beautiful gift from God, given to us as an expression of our response to Him. But music glorifies God most brilliantly and serves our congregations most effectively when it is under the authority and guidance of the Word.”
- Joseph R. Crider, dean of the School of Church Music and Worship
Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions
Experience spiritual growth through mentorship, a solid theological grounding in Scripture, and coursework that equips you to share the Gospel.
The School of Evangelism and Missions of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary provides graduate theological education for students engaging in Evangelism and Missions. To accomplish this task, the curricula are composed of basic biblical, theological, and ministry disciplines in addition to coursework focused specifically on missions and evangelism. These programs are designed to prepare the student for effective ministry both in North America and internationally.
The school seeks to create a context conducive to growth in Christian character, maturity, wisdom, integrity, social awareness, and responsibility. It seeks to strengthen the Christian witness in contemporary society by providing leadership capable of guiding the church in fulfilling its role in the Great Commission.
The school seeks to provide knowledge, skills, and resources for a lifetime of continuing study.
Meet the Dean
"My sweet spot is teaching, and I am in my zone when I am teaching. They can load me up with as many classes as they want. Being in front of students and inspiring them to reach the lost."
- Dean Sieberhagen, dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions
Texas Baptist College
Wherever God calls, we'll help you get there.
Texas Baptist College exists to glorify God by providing trustworthy Christian higher education for more faithful service to Christ.
Texas Baptist College students think biblically, reason truthfully, and share God’s Word effectively. At TBC, community is key to the way students are formed to be difference-makers in their world, with spiritual formation as the foundation. Prospective students and their parents can have complete confidence in the faculty who will be teaching them in the classroom and beyond.
Our faculty are not only experts in their academic fields, but they also love, serve, and lead in their local churches while encouraging their students to do the same.
Originally opened as The College at Southwestern in 2005, our school was recently renamed Texas Baptist College to encapsulate very clearly who we are and what makes us distinct as a Christian higher education institution.
TEXAS: We are located in Fort Worth, Texas, surrounded by the DFW metroplex which gives our students lots of unique opportunities for learning, recreation, cultural engagement, and ministry.
BAPTIST: We are unapologetic in our commitment to the Baptist distinctives and to a vision of Christ-centered education that is built upon a rich heritage of faith that has long preceded us.
COLLEGE: We are committed to undergraduate education delivered with the highest level of academic excellence and real-world training, giving graduates the skills to not only pursue a job but also to fulfill their calling.
Meet the Dean
"Whether going together evangelizing or helping them develop an evangelistic plan for their church, I desire to assist students in living out the application of the theological disciplines they learn."
- Carl Bradford, Dean of Texas Baptist College
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