Educational Effectiveness

In line with its mission statement, St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is committed to educating its students for ministry and service in the Church and for the world. This commitment entails continuous enhancement of our curriculum, our policies, and quality of life for our students and their families, seminary faculty, and staff. Our self-assessment is informed by a variety of direct and indirect measures of student experience and student learning, such as student surveys and interviews, course evaluations, and the direct assessment of student learning measured against clearly stated learning outcomes at the institutional, program, and course level.

    St Vladimir's Seminary works to recruit and cultivate a capable and cohesive student body. It seeks further to maximize the academic and spiritual formation of its students, bringing students to the completion of their degree program and equipping them for a fulfilling ministry.

    Within the years 2013-2019, the seminary admitted 212 students into its M.A., M.Div., Th.M. and D.Min. programs. Of these, 86.8% either graduated with a seminary degree or are currently enrolled as our students. 14.6% have either transferred to other schools or withdrawn from their studies.

    • Students enrolled: 212
    • Graduated or pending: 184 (86.79%)
    • Withdrawn or transferred: 31 (14.62%)

    The seminary's range of degree programs is configured with respect to the variety of vocations pursued by our students. We recognize that some will come to explore a call to the priesthood, others to different pastoral ministries in hospitals or prisons, others to further academic research. Still others will come simply to learn more about the Orthodox Church and immerse themselves deeper into its life, in order to pursue any career path in that light.

    All of the men and women who received a degree from St Vladimir's between 2013 and 2019 were surveyed within 2 years of graduation about their job placement. Of the 156 students who graduated from St Vladimir's in this span, 86 (55.1%) reported a vocational placement, such as parish ministry or chaplaincy. 27 (17.3%) were pursuing further study, 22 (14.1%) reported a non-vocational placement not directly related to their theological studies, and 5 described their placement as "other." At the time this survey was issued, 4 were actively seeking employment. 12 graduates did not respond.

    Another survey of 41 alumni who graduated between 2015 and 2019 provided more detailed information:

    85.4% of these alumni reported that they are actively engaged in ministry in the Orthodox Church. Of these, 69.2% were employed full time in ministry, 10.3% part time, and 15.4% as volunteers. 19.5% of the alumni respondents were currently enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program.

    When asked how well St Vladimir's prepared them for their current ministry, 36 of the 41 alumni said that they were very well (39.0%), more than adequately (29.3%) or adequately (19.5%) prepared by the seminary. 73.2% were satisfied or very satisfied with the spiritual formation that they received at the seminary, while 26.8% were ambivalent or dissatisfied. More broadly, 92.7% reported being very satisfied or satisfied with their education from St. Vladimir's.

    The impact St. Vladimir's Seminary is able to make, by God's grace, through its graduates, seminarians, faculty, staff, and donors is detailed in our latest Impact Report. Read the Academic Year 2022–2023 Impact Report here.