Academic Programs - Dallas Theological Seminary

About Dallas Seminary
written revelation. Members of the
school’s boards and faculty subscribe
to the Seminary’s Doctrinal Statement,
which is uniquely complete and detailed,
thus helping safeguard the school’s
unwavering theological stance since
its founding.
• The Seminary’s commitment to the
Scriptures leads to a framework of
doctrine in which the great fundamentals
of the Christian faith are affirmed and
expounded. The doctrines of evangelical
orthodoxy are taught in the framework of
premillennial, dispensational theology,
derived from a consistent grammaticalhistorical
interpretation of the Bible.
Those truths include such essentials as
the authority and inerrancy of Scripture,
the Trinity, the full deity and humanity
of Christ, the spiritual lostness of the
human race, the substitutionary
atonement and bodily resurrection of
Christ, salvation by faith alone in Christ
alone, and the physical return of Christ.
• The goal of all biblical and theological
instruction is to glorify God through a
transformed life that is manifested by a
wholehearted love for God and a servanthearted
love for others.
4. In order to prepare godly servant-leaders
who reflect the heart of God, Dallas
Seminary is committed to a worldwide
vision of Christian ministry.
• Dallas Seminary is committed to fulfilling
the mandate of Jesus to make disciples of
all nations. The Seminary community is
enriched and has its vision for ministry
expanded by the presence of students
from a wide variety of countries and
ethnic backgrounds.
• Dallas Seminary embraces a wide context
of ministries. Training for vocational
ministry is the primary purpose for which
the Seminary was founded and now
exists. A secondary purpose is to provide
theological training for those who choose
to remain in their professions but who
desire to be trained for leadership and a
more effective ministry in the church.
• Dallas Seminary is firmly committed
to promoting the missionary endeavor
throughout the world. This commitment
is demonstrated in a variety of ways that
provide both exposure and experience
for students in the diverse nature of
missions and the unique opportunities
for vocational service in missions around
the world.
HISTORY OF DALLAS SEMINARY
In the fall of 1924 the first student body of
Dallas Theological Seminary met to study
under the noted Bible teacher, Dr. Lewis
Sperry Chafer. This class of 13 students was
the result of Dr. Chafer’s burden and vision
to found a seminary that would emphasize
expository preaching and teaching of
the Scriptures.
In 1935 the Seminary pioneered the four-year
Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree, which is
a year longer than the three-year Master of
Divinity (M.Div.) degree offered at most other
seminaries. The Th.M. gives all the essential
theological courses offered in a three-year
curriculum with additional emphasis in systematic
theology, Hebrew and Old Testament
exegesis, Greek and New Testament exegesis,
and Bible exposition.
In 1974 the Seminary instituted the two-year
Master of Arts (Biblical Studies) program for
students whose ministries would not require
the in-depth language training of the Th.M.
program. The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
degree was begun in 1980 to provide further
pastoral training for Seminary graduates to
meet the changing demands of ministry. In
1982 the Seminary began the M.A. in Christian
Education so that students could receive
specialized training for Christian ministries.
In 1987 the M.A. in Cross-cultural Ministries
program was inaugurated to give specialized
missions training. In 1993 the Seminary
launched a three-year M.A. in Biblical
Counseling and a two-year M.A. in Biblical
Exegesis and Linguistics. The latter program
is offered jointly with the Graduate Institute
of Applied Linguistics located in south
Dallas. In 2005 the Seminary launched its
new M.A. in Media and Communication for
those interested in employing the media arts
in ministry.
Outstanding leadership and scholarly
expertise have characterized the
Seminary’s presidents:
Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, 1924–52
Dr. John F. Walvoord, 1952–86
Dr. Donald K. Campbell, 1986–94
Dr. Charles R. Swindoll, 1994–2001
Dr. Mark L. Bailey, 2001–
Throughout the Seminary’s history it has
steadfastly maintained its allegiance to biblical
truth. A Doctrinal Statement articulates the
beliefs of Dallas Seminary, and each year the
faculty and board members reaffirm their
agreement with this statement.
A Taste of DTS
ABOUT DALLAS SEMINARY
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