Berkeley since 1866 · PSR Collective · Kwaray
Begin the work you are called to
For 160 years, Pacific School of Religion has prepared spiritually rooted leaders on Holy Hill in Berkeley. Today, you can join that tradition through a single online course, a certificate, or a graduate degree.
Courses, community, and accredited study
Begin with one course or build toward a degree
PSR brings 160 years of theological education together with open Kwaray courses, PSR Collective formation, and accredited degrees. Start small, go deeper, or choose the program that fits your life.
Explore · a single course
Start with one course
Kwaray courses are open to everyone: no application, no degree commitment. PSR faculty and trusted partners teach online.
Deepen · a degree or certificate
Study for the long work
PSR’s degrees and certificates form spiritually rooted leaders, on campus in Berkeley and online.
Lead · with a community
Learn alongside other changemakers
PSR Collective brings faith-rooted leaders together for courses, cohorts, and shared practice, without enrolling in a degree.
- Theological Imagination · Leaders who want to think theologically about their context before acting in it.
- Contemplative Activism · Leaders who want a sustainable spiritual practice alongside justice work.
- Intentional Creation · Leaders building something new, from a ministry program to a social venture.
Begin · when you are ready
Have a question? Start here
Tell PSR what you are considering or begin an application. You can save your place and come back anytime.
Established in Berkeley in 1866
Deep roots, new ways to learn
1866
Founded by Congregational ministers and laypeople as an institution of the people, a child of the churches. From the start it enfranchised Chinese immigrants, well ahead of the Exclusion Act.
1887
The school’s first Japanese student graduates. Students from across the Pacific and around the world have been part of PSR’s story since its first decades.
1895
Enrolls women during the heart of the suffrage movement, twenty-five years before the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteed women the vote.
PSR prepares spiritually rooted leaders from many backgrounds with the vision, resilience, and skill to help communities thrive.
Voices from the community
What people carry away from here
“I came to PSR not sure that I actually had a call to ministry. The combination of thought-provoking academics that stretched me, field work that engaged and challenged me, and professors who saw my gifts paved the way for me to see and claim my call to ministry.”
Rev. Dr. John H. Vaughn, MDiv graduate (’85) and Executive Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta
One learning community
How PSR, PSR Collective, Kwaray, and GTU connect
Each plays a different role: accredited study at PSR, open courses through PSR Collective, online learning on Kwaray, and a wider academic community through the GTU.
Pacific School of Religion
Students seeking an accredited degree or certificate in theological or leadership formation.
A 160-year-old accredited seminary and graduate school in Berkeley, offering the MDiv, MAST, MTS, DMin, and graduate certificates.
PSR Collective
Changemakers, working leaders, and lifelong learners who want coursework without enrolling in a degree.
PSR’s own courses, cohorts, and microcertificates hosted on the Kwaray platform, open to anyone without applying to a degree program.
Kwaray
Seminaries, churches, and faith-based organizations seeking a shared learning technology platform.
The digital learning platform PSR built with a $5 million Lilly Endowment grant, now used by PSR Collective and other partner organizations.
Graduate Theological Union
PSR degree students who want to take courses across Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, and other traditions.
An interreligious consortium of more than twenty Bay Area seminaries and institutes, of which PSR is a founding member.
Questions are welcome
Tell admissions what you are considering, and they can help you compare programs, formats, costs, and next steps. Ready to apply? You can save your progress and come back anytime.