To help ensure and enhance the quality of student learning across its degree programs, Luther Seminary tracks and reviews a variety of useful measures. These include broad measures, like graduation and retention rates, as well as direct and indirect measures of student experience and student learning, such as student surveys, course evaluations, and the direct assessment of student learning measured against clearly stated learning outcomes.
Detailed information about student achievement at Luther Seminary is available here. For questions about these measures, including the seminary’s program of assessment and educational effectiveness, please email the Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment, and Research at research@luthersem.edu.
Student Graduation Rates
Graduation rates are calculated over time periods defined by Association of Theological Schools reporting requirements. Luther Seminary’s overall graduation rate across its degree programs over the past three years was roughly 72%, which is in line with other graduate school completion rates. (A comprehensive study of graduate school programs published in 2017 reported a 65% completion rate.)
3-Year Average Graduation Rates by Degree Program Type
| M.Div. (% completed within 6 years) | 69.6% |
| M.A. (% completed within 4 years) | 72.0% |
| Th.M. (% completed within 2 years) | 42.1% |
| D.Min. (% completed within 6 years) | 86.7% |
| Ph.D. (% completed within 8 years) | NA* |
| Overall | 71.6% |
*Ph.D. program admission was paused in fall 2013 and restarted again in fall 2018. Consequently, we cannot calculate 8-year completion rates at the present time.
Student Retention Rates
Retention rates are calculated as the percentage of students who begin a program of study in one year and return in the following year. Luther Seminary’s overall retention rate across its degree programs over the past three years was around 91%, and its lowest rate of retention across degree programs was around 88%.
3-Year Average Retention Rates by Degree Program Type
| M.Div. | 93.0% |
| M.A. | 87.5% |
| Th.M. | 87.5% |
| D.Min. | NA* |
| Ph.D. | 100.0% |
| Overall | 91.1% |
*No new D.Min. students were admitted in the prior year.
Student Satisfaction Measures
Each year, Luther Seminary graduates are invited to participate in the Graduating Student Questionnaire (GSQ) survey conducted by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). In that survey, students are asked to respond to a number of statement prompts on a five point scale, from “strongly disagree” (1) to “strongly agree” (5). Two of these prompts are highlighted here.
“I have been satisfied with my academic experience here.
The average response of Luther Seminary graduates across degree programs for the past three survey years was 4.3 out of a possible 5.0, which is partway between “agree” (4) and “strongly agree” (5). Across ATS schools for this same period, the average response was 4.5.
3-Year Average Responses by Degree Program Type
| M.Div. | 4.3 |
| M.A. | 4.4 |
| Other | 4.3 |
| Overall | 4.4 |
“If I had to do it over, I would still come here.”
The average response of Luther Seminary graduates across degree programs for the past three survey years was 4.2 out of a possible 5.0, which is partway between “agree” (4) and “strongly agree” (5). Across ATS schools for this same period, the average response was 4.4.
3-Year Average Responses by Degree Program Type
| M.Div. | 4.2 |
| M.A. | 4.2 |
| Other | 4.1 |
| Overall | 4.2 |
Graduate Placements
Each fall Luther Seminary collects information from its most recent graduates about their post-graduation plans and vocational placements. This is the data we are required to report to the Association of Theological Schools, although seminary graduates often require more time to complete ordination requirements and secure their vocational placement.
Placements of All 2022-23 Graduates by Degree Program Type
| 2022-23 grads | M.Div. | M.A. | Th.M. | D.Min. | Ph.D. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational placement | 50 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 68 |
| Non-vocational placement | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Further study | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Seeking placement | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Other | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Unknown | 19 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| Total | 78 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 128 |