Faculty - Princeton Theological Seminary

M.Div. and M.A. students are required to register for field education courses during
each semester of participation, according to procedures that govern the selection
of academic courses. A grade of P (pass) or F (fail) is recorded at the end of the
course. One placement is full time in the summer (ten to twelve weeks) and the
other takes place during the academic year (ten to fifteen hours per week). One
must be in a church and one related to the student’s future vocation, which can
be done in either a church or specialized ministry setting. Whenever possible the
church responsibilities should include areas most germane to a student’s future
ministry. Ordinarily each unit should be done in a different setting and not in the
student’s home church.
Placement Opportunities
The Seminary attempts to locate suitable sites for its students, and is constantly
updating its placement pool by establishing new sites and training new supervisors.
All field education placements are done in approved sites under the direction
of certified supervisors.
Princeton Seminary has a remarkable location, and as a result, placements are
available in sites drawn from a pool of seven hundred churches and specialized
ministries. We work with twenty-eight different denominations, located in rural,
suburban, and inner-city settings. Specialized ministries include prisons, health
institutions, community service agencies, campus and teaching ministries, and
ministry with persons with special needs.
Clinical pastoral education opportunities may be used to satisfy one field education
unit. These placements are also located in urban, rural, and suburban areas
within commuting distance from the Seminary during the academic year, and in
more than thirty different states around the country in the summer. Funding is the
student’s responsibility.
The Field Education Office also provides opportunities for cross-cultural, racial/
ethnic, and international placements in areas of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean,
and Latin and South America. There are several special opportunities for placements
focused on ecumenical work, on teaching, and on urban ministry, particularly
in the summer program in Trenton.
Student Advisement System
Upon entering the Seminary, each M.Div., M.A., and dual-degree student is
assigned a field education adviser. Students are required to have two meetings
per year with their adviser: the first one in October to discuss their call and general
objectives in field education; the second one in January-February to focus on the
type of field education placements they would like to pursue. Whenever possible,
students are placed in settings of their own denomination. All programs for M.Div.,
M.A., and dual-degree students must be planned with the approval of their field
education advisor and secured by April 1.
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