Episcopal seminary in Austin forming Christian leaders for ordained and lay ministry since 1951.
Seminary of the Southwest is licensed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to award master's degrees in divinity, spiritual formation, religion, spiritual direction, and clinical mental health counseling. The seminary holds three certificates of accreditation: SACSCOC, the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools, and CACREP. Programs follow a three-part formation model emphasizing being, knowing, and doing. The curriculum integrates academic excellence with attention to dispositions and practical skills, preparing graduates for vocations in priesthood, counseling, spiritual direction, and lay ministry.
The 7.5-acre campus features Christ Chapel with hand-blown stained glass windows designed by architect Arthur Fehr, and the Bishop Dena A. Harrison Library, reconstructed in 2023 with over 150,000 items including several thousand in Spanish. The library collaborates with Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and provides free borrowing privileges to the University of Texas at Austin's General Libraries. Campus facilities include a dining hall, guest housing, auditorium, bookstore, and community center, with the Loise Henderson Wessendorff Center for Christian Ministry and Vocation supporting lay theological education.
The seminary welcomes prospective students through multiple pathways: Master of Divinity (with concentrations in Latinx Ministry and Chaplaincy), Diploma in Anglican Studies, Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with Latinx Counseling Concentration), Master of Arts in Spiritual Direction, and Master of Arts in Religion. The community emphasizes trust and academic excellence. Enrollment management staff assist prospective students in selecting degree programs aligned with their vocational calling.
Founded in 1951 by Bishop John E. Hines as a 'seminary for the whole church,' Seminary of the Southwest emerged during a period of Episcopal Church growth. The institution pioneered cross-cultural theological education through its Center for Hispanic Ministries in the 1970s and was among the first to support women's ordination, with Susan Buell becoming the first female graduate ordained in 1978. The seminary maintains strong alumni support and has become known for training diverse leaders in both ordained and lay ministry.