Theological education is not just for people planning a career in ministry. EDS affords the opportunity to ask the deeper questions of life and ministry, and to be transformed by them. We have trained leaders of the Episcopal Church for many generations. We have built on this tradition to become a place of study and spiritual formation for lay and ordained leaders of hope, courage, and vision, in the Episcopal church, in other religious traditions, and in the wider society. Laity and clergy are welcome to participate in most EDS courses as Lifelong Learning students.
All courses are at the graduate level.
Some assume no previous study, while others have prerequisites. Courses may be taken for credit or non-credit. Courses taken for credit on a Lifelong Learning basis may be applied to the M.Div. The EDS curriculum values adult learners. It acknowledges the variety in students' ages, backgrounds, experiences, motivations, preparation, and possibilities for ministry.