Theological studies are structured on two levels: foundational and advanced. They are designed primarily to help the student become a creative and resourceful spiritual leader. Bethel Seminary’s closely integrated curriculum progresses from the foundational courses to those on the advanced level.

The foundational courses, constituting the core curriculum, seek to provide the student with a comprehensive course of study integrating all the basic elements of a given discipline. 

The advanced courses build upon the foundational courses in such a way that the student progresses to deeper levels of learning experience through independent study, research, and evaluation. The advanced-level courses are intended to have significant carryover value for the active minister who must depend on his or her own resourcefulness in study.

The obvious need for a new approach to seminary education motivated Bethel to restructure its educational resources around the concept of three centers of emphasis, each charged with implementing part of the Bethel Seminary vision statement. They are:

• the Center for Biblical and Theological Foundations;
• the Center for Spiritual and Personal Formation; and
• the Center for Transformational Leadership.
  

Each center addresses a critical need in the preparation of people for ministry. Together these centers—like the three strands of a cord—ensure a strong seminary producing whole and holy Christian leaders for the 21st century.

Integrated learning between the curriculum’s three centers of emphasis (Bible/history/theology, spiritual/personal formation, and ministry leadership) is an integral part of the Bethel educational experience.  Students have opportunity to explore and integrate their learning across these centers of emphasis and with life and ministry.  Integrative work occurs both within course work (including a senior seminar devoted to integration of learning) and at key junctures in the student’s seminary experience.

In St. Paul, Bethel’s educational resources are organized into teams, called centers. The three centers are interdependent, reinforcing one another.  Each center engages one facet of a student’s life—promoting biblical and theological learning, enhancing spiritual and personal formation, or developing transformational leadership skills—in ongoing conversation with the other centers. On all campuses, the goal is to invite each student to experience significant, appropriate growth in all three areas.