Welcome to Tri-Term!
Tri-Term is Chicago Theological Seminary’s innovative and exciting new way of learning. Beginning in Fall 2022, these three full terms will offer an enormous amount of flexibility for the modern seminary student. It will give the options of speeding up (or slowing down) the time it takes to get a degree.
This is a wonderful opportunity for those who want to get their degree faster. With the move to Tri-Term, students can earn their MDiv in as little as two years. That is a huge bonus for those who want to get out into the world of ministry. This was CTS’s main motivation in going to this format.
In addition, Tri-Term works into your schedule. That means that if you need to take time off, it won’t be as hard to catch back up — you’ll have three terms to choose from rather than two. Because
Tri-Term is also great for the student who needs to take a class or two at a time – the student with kids; the student supporting themself (and others) with a full-time job; the student who cares for an elderly loved one. It fits in with a busy or unpredictable schedule.
And for those who want to go the traditional Fall/Spring route, Tri-Term changes nothing! Students can still attend in Fall and Spring and be considered “full-time,” getting Summers off.
The terms will run in the Fall (14 weeks), Spring (14 weeks), and Summer (12 weeks), with the J-Term (January) and May intensive courses interspersed therein. Fall and Spring terms will include Reading Weeks, while Summer will not. There will be breaks after each extended (12- or 14-week) term, Click here to see the Academic Calendar for the next three school years.
In the new Summer term, required courses and electives will be offered, with core and adjunct/affiliated faculty.
Modalities may include online, synchronous, hybrid, or flex – everything except a weekly on-campus course. For the course catalogue, please click here.
CTS will continue to have rolling admissions, including a recommended deadline for entry in the Summer term. Important dates are as follows:
- February 1: PhD Application Deadline
- February 15: Priority Admission & Merit Scholarships (Summer & Fall) Deadline
- March 15: Need-based Scholarship Deadline
- April 1: Recommended Deadline for Summer
- May 1: Recommended Deadline for Fall
- December 1: Recommended Deadline for Spring
Tri-Term is designed to help students get their degree at a pace that’s right for them. It fits almost any lifestyle, perfect both for the student who wants to get done faster and the one who needs to go slow and steady. It’s all part of our mission to make theological education as accessible as possible.
