Educational Support
Campus Facilities
Western Seminary delivers coursework on the following approved campuses and teaching sites:
Library Services
Each of Western’s three physical campuses—Portland, Sacramento and San Jose—is served by a librarian, staff and resources. Both local campus information and general access to resources are available on the library website.
Portland’s Cline-Tunnell Library contains more than 44,000 physical items and maintains around 30 current journal subscriptions, while the Northern California regional collections contain about 4,000 items each. Additionally, the library databases provide access to over 150,000 ebooks, over 15,000 dissertations, and thousands of journals. Databases of note include ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials PLUS and APA PsycARTICLES.
The library is a member of the Online Private Academic Library Link (OPALL), a group of five private colleges in the Northwest, which grants students reciprocal borrowing privileges at each other’s libraries. Additional resources may be obtained via the library’s InterLibrary Loan services, which networks with international OCLC libraries to borrow materials from around the world.
The Seminary maintains active institutional membership in the American Theological Library Association.
Student Services and Organizations
Mentoring/Student Development
Students are assigned faculty mentors according to the programs they are pursuing. The mentor often assists the student in planning his or her academic program (including the practicum, where applicable) and provides a source for helpful counsel in other areas of life and ministry. These mentors are experienced practitioners in the field in which the student is training. Students and faculty are encouraged to maintain frequent contact with each other.
International Students
Western Seminary provides for the distinctive needs of our international students and their families through the International Student Office, located on the Portland campus. The International Student Coordinator assists with admission, immigration matters, housing, orientation, cultural adjustment, and reentry concerns.
Counseling Resources
Counseling services are available from a variety of sources. On-campus counseling is available through A New Day Counseling Center.
Practicum/Mentored Ministry Supervision
Most programs at Western include a practical ministry experience component. This is taken when deemed prudent by the student, his/her faculty mentor, and a field mentor. The field mentor is an experienced practitioner in the field of the student’s intended ministry. Practicum sites are most often local churches but can include parachurch organizations or college campuses. When needed, students are assisted in both site and field mentor selection.
Placement/Career Development
The Placement Office maintains files and resumes of students and graduates, as well as a current listing of churches, parachurch organizations, and mission agencies that are seeking to fill key ministry roles.
Alumni Services
The Seminary offers a number of services to its nearly 5,000 alumni. In addition to a placement program, Western Seminary also supports opportunities for continuing education, periodic publications, and occasional gatherings with Seminary personnel. Visit the alumni page for news and events.