Pentecostal Theological Seminary Making J-Term More Accessible Through Scholarship Program
Cleveland, TN–Pentecostal Theological Seminary (PTS) President Lamar Vest has announced a new tuition reduction scholarship for the school’s popular “J-term.”
By reading assignments ahead of time and attending classes for 36 hours in one week, an entire class can be accomplished within one week’s time in the months of June, July and January, thus, the terminology, “J-term.”
The scholarship is only for the June J-term and requires students to be enrolled at least six hours between June and July during the summer term to be eligible for the June scholarship. If they have remaining financial aid eligibility for the 2014-15 year, qualifying students can receive a 50% scholarship for June courses (up to six hours) during the June term.
In making the announcement, Vest stated, “It is a goal of the seminary to find ways to be accessible. Because of distance or schedules, many people cannot find twelve weeks to attend three hours of class one day each week. The Seminary’s answer to that is the J-term.”
“J-terms are a great opportunity to take a class on counseling, or discipleship, or leadership or theology and pour yourself into it for one week,” Vest went on to explain. “Some people enjoy spending one of these intensives studying a book of the Bible. And, this June, classes are more affordable because of a 50% scholarship for those taking at least six hours.”
Students may email the financial aid office to inquire if they have any remaining financial aid eligibility for the 2014-15 year or if they otherwise qualify. The email contact is [email protected].
Not everyone who attends a class at the seminary is seeking a degree. Frequently, people will audit a class at a substantially reduced fee.
“I enjoyed taking J-terms because it sped up the academic process,” says PTS student Chad Harris who is associate pastor at The Crossing Church of God in Chattanooga. He continues, “I was able to do in one month what would normally take a semester. It was also beneficial to only focus on one class at a time as opposed to taking several classes during the semester. Your whole attention could be devoted to that single class. I always took advantage of J-term classes because of my current job as a pastor.”
Even with the convenience of completing a class within one week, some people cannot take advantage of that schedule. For them, summertime may be the perfect opportunity to take an online class. Online classes are, typically, twelve weeks long during the school year. However, online classes are only eight weeks long during the months of June and July.
Within the last year, PTS was authorized by its accrediting organization as one of the first six seminaries in the United States to offer master’s degrees fully online.
For those wishing to take classes in June or July, they must complete the application process (application and supporting materials) and register for classes by May 5. The class schedule is at www.ptseminary.edu under the heading “Current Students.” Application can also be made online by clicking on the “Apply Now” icon on the homepage. Additional information can also be obtained by calling 423-478-1131 and asking for Julie in the admissions office.
