Priority Scholarship Deadline
for Fall 2022 is MARCH 1st!
Teaching and Living A Radically Inclusive Gospel
Since 1866, we’ve prepared a diverse cadre of spiritually rooted leaders with the vision, resilience, and skill to create a world where all can thrive. Grounded in the rigorous study and faithful practice of progressive Christian faith, we partner with students of all backgrounds to deepen their spirituality and enhance their capacity to lead in transformative ways.
The community at Pacific School of Religion stands in solidarity and grief with the victims and families of the horrendous attack on Club Q in Colorado Springs this past Saturday night. Five precious lives were lost, many more were hurt and traumatized, and a place known as a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community was violently destroyed. Once again, an act of hatred and senseless violence has targeted the LGBTQ+ community and on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance. Such actions deeply impact us all but particularly members of our own beloved community.
In a resolution shared at the funeral service for Eli Mata’afa, one of our own lost to gun violence last month, we stated: “Be it also resolved that as a community, we will pattern our own lives and study after the principles, values, and practices he demonstrated among us – caring for the young, caring for the earth, caring for family, and committing ourselves to combat the scourge of violence.” In the words of Psalm 34, we name God’s grief and call for justice, and commit to our work of preparing leaders that can create a world where ALL can thrive.
— David Vásquez-Levy, PSR President
As a progressive Christian seminary and graduate school, PSR is firmly committed to serving the church and nonprofit organizations. PSR welcomes students from all denominations and religious backgrounds. We embrace diversity and are committed to racial, gender, sexual orientation, economic, and social justice.
PSR Class of 2021 Rises to the Challenges of a Transformative Year
About Us
Mission and Fast Facts
Pacific School of Religion prepares a diverse cadre of spiritually rooted leaders with the vision, resilience, and skill to create a world where all can thrive.
Grounded in the rigorous study and faithful practice of progressive Christian faith, PSR partners with students of all backgrounds to deepen their spirituality and enhance their capacity to lead in transformative ways. Connected to a broad network of religious, educational, not-for-profit, and private sector organizations—with a particular commitment to the wisdom of historically marginalized communities—PSR offers an education that is marked by innovation, reflection, and excellence.
Pacific School of Religion is a member of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), an interreligious consortium of seminaries and institutes in the San Francisco Bay Area. PSR is a non-profit founded in 1866 and is located in Berkeley, California.
Academics
Pushing the Boundaries of Theological Education
PSR’s innovative curriculum combines theological study with contextual education, cross-cultural immersion, spiritual formation, and professional development. We have both online and on-campus programs.
An advanced professional degree for experienced, spiritually rooted leaders and practitioners
Prepares students for ordained or lay ministry, related vocations, and further academic study (with concentrations in Congregational Ministry and Chaplaincy)
Designed for students who are entering teaching ministries, as well as those who want to pursue an area of particular interest before taking a call.
An opportunity for students from other professions to integrate theological studies into their practice, and preparation for doctoral studies
Offers a broad, yet comprehensive, education in theological studies across a range of disciplines
Offers students an opportunity to explore theological studies and vocational goals
A chance for those who are already engaged in social change, as well as those eager to embark on this vocational path, to combine spiritual formation and theological reflection in a cohort of changemakers, leadership skills for critically constructive social analysis, and immersive learning and practice with experienced mentors
Provides specialized leadership training in the theological, historical, ethical, pastoral, and practical dimensions of sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity
A graduate-level continuing education program for those seeking advanced research through theology and ministry.
Student Life
Building Community Through God's Presence
At PSR, you’re sure to be with others different from yourself. We welcome students who have diverse theological views and cultural backgrounds.
Upcoming Events
Admissions, Admissions / Financial Aid
PSR Engage: Doctor of Ministry Event
Office of Community Life
Community Chapel: Advent
Office of Community Life
Community Chapel: Advent
Admissions, Admissions / Financial Aid
PSR Engage: New Faculty Panel
Badè Museum
Bade Museum Lecture Series: Women’s Religious Rituals and the Sea: Phoenician Coastal Evidence
Latest News
- November 21, 2022
- November 18, 2022
- November 7, 2022
ENROLLMENT
Reach Out to Our
Admissions Team
Our Centers
Pacific School of Religion is home to several centers that provide critical scholarship resources on some of today’s most cutting-edge theological, social, cultural, and ethical issues.
Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology
Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion
Ignite
Institute
Theological Education for Leadership
Graduate Theological Union
Fostering a greater understanding of and appreciation for the ancient biblical world.
Shaping a new public discourse on religion, gender, and sexuality.
Prepares leaders to transform society through personal, communal, and spiritual work.
Special courses and seminars providing progressive, accessible Christian theological education year-round for clergy, laity, and spiritual seekers.
The most comprehensive center for the graduate study of religion in North America.
Alumnx & Giving
Invest in the future by making a donation through Pacific School of Religion that will impact not only our students, but the lives they touch through ministry, community-building, and social transformation.
Alumnx
Our alumnx are making a real difference in the world!
Ways to Give
Your gift allows students to apply a critical, theological lens to pressing social concerns and impacts the lives they touch through ministry, community building, and social transformation.
A Timeline of PSR’s Legacy
1866 – Enfranchised Chinese Immigrants Ahead of the Exclusion Act
1895 – Enrolled Women During the Heart of Suffrage
1942 – Opposed Japanese Internment During WWII
1950 – Appointed Georgia Harkness, the First Female Full Professor of Theology at a U.S. Protestant Seminary
1959 – Combined Civil Rights Activism and Scholarship
1966 – Marched for Farmworkers’ Rights
1969 – Protested the War in Vietnam
1972 – Alumnx Bill Johnson is the the First Openly Gay Man Ordained by a Mainline Denomination (UCC)
1997 – Protested Nuclear Proliferation at the United Nations
2000 – Founded the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion, the First Seminary-Based LGBTQ Center
2015 – Protested in Support of Black Lives Matter
2016 – Standing with Standing Rock
2017 – Protested the Militarization of the Police
2020 – Reaffirming Our Commitment to End Racism
2021 – Renewed our Commitment to Educating an Emerging Generation of Students of Color
Unafraid Since 1866
As we emerge from the pandemic, we’re called to stand up. There are churches to reimagine. There are lives to restore. The fight for justice and equality must continue. New demands for climate action must be made. PSR’s legacy was formed in defining moments, and now it’s our generation’s turn.
It’s time to reinvent the story of grace and inclusion
for a new world, for a new day—Unafraid.