In a move that can help men and women called to ministry get placed into ministry positions sooner, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and North Greenville University (NGU) have partnered to count certain college credit hours toward a master of divinity degree, saving students time and money.

The articulation agreement, signed by NOBTS President James K. Dew, Jr. and NGU President Gene C. Fant Jr., lays out a pathway whereby NGU Christian studies majors can apply qualified earned college credits toward an NOBTS master of divinity degree.

The schools worked together prior to the agreement to identify North Greenville’s Christian studies major courses that would be comparable or equivalent to specific courses required for the M.Div. degree.

“The work of Christian ministry is more important now than ever before,” Dew said. “As such, removing obstacles and redundancies that prohibit students from completing this training in a timely and cost-effective manner is critical for the future of theological education. We are proud to partner with a fantastic school like North Greenville University to make that possible.”

The Accelerated Master of Divinity program outlined in the agreement reduces a student’s time in school – potentially saving thousands of dollars – by reducing course redundancy. Qualifying students can earn up to one-third of the required hours for the M.Div. degree. NGU students can count qualified hours toward any M.Div. of any specialization, including Expository Preaching, Biblical Languages, Christian Thought, Christian Education, Christian Apologetics, and others.

For more information and a complete list of qualifying courses, visit www.nobts.edu/acceleratedmdiv.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Marilyn Stewart is the assistant director of communications at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College.)