I’m pursuing ordination, and I decided to major in psych out of practicality for multiple appplications as well as for learning pastoral counseling
However, theology is my true passion and I’d love to study at a school with a strong theology department from a Lutheran perspective. I’m ELCA, and they have a lot of schools to choose from. I’ve heard good things about St Olaf as well as a bunch of other midwestern schools. There’s also Valparaiso which is independently Lutheran and not affiliated with any synod. Any suggestions?
Bonus points if they have a study abroad program in the Nordics, particularly Sweden. I’d love to study in Uppsala
I would reach out to Lutheran clergy you know and see if they have any recommendations regarding the theological instruction at various Lutheran universities. There are religiously-affiliated universities where there is a strong religious presence on campus, and there are others where there is an affiliation in little more than name. Do you care about the feel of the campus, or just about the quality of the theology department?
But here are some names of Lutheran universities with respectable graduation rates:
St. Olaf
Muhlenberg
Gettysburg
Gustavus Adolphus
This link will hopefully take you to the remainder of the list of Lutheran-affiliated schools.
ETA: It appears as though St. Olaf lists various exchange programs its students can participate in, including in Norway; Gettysburg has exchange programs in Denmark & Norway, Gustavus Adolphus runs its own semester in Sweden every other year and seems to have other exchange options. Muhlenberg seemed to have its closest option in the Netherlands, but I’d double-check that.
Thanks, I’ll definitely try asking my pastor for advice on the reputations of the different schools. If St. Olaf offers semesters in Sweden (particularly Uppsala) then I might go with that, otherwise it seems both Gustavus Adolphus and Augustana offer studying abroad there
Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks California.