Harding University Graduate School of Religion

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Harding University Graduate School of Religion is located in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. It is an entity related to the private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ known as Harding University. As the name implies, the school exists primarily to train religious ministers for the churches affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is located in East Memphis on a campus which consists of part of a large estate given by a wealthy donor, and is shared with the K-12 church affiliated private school Harding Academy.

1 History
2 Academics
3 Campus
4 External links

[edit] History

Harding University began offering graduate studies in Bible and ministry at its campus in Searcy, Arkansas, in 1952. In 1955 Harding started to offer these classes as an extension program in Memphis, and in 1958 the Harding University Graduate School of Religion became a permanent branch of Harding University. Dr. W. B. West was the founding dean of HUGSR.

[edit] Academics

HUGSR is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. It offers several degrees, including the Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry. Degrees may include emphasis or concentration options. The administration is planning to add a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies within a few years.

Approximately half of HUGSR's 240 students live outside the Memphis region. HUGSR offers courses on-line, by audio tape, and in one-week intensive formats (in addition to the regular semester format) to facilitate these students.

[edit] Campus

The 13 acre HUGSR campus is located at 1000 Cherry Road in Memphis on land that used to be part of the E. L. King Ranch. Today, the old ranch mansion houses the administrative and faculty offices. The W. B. West classroom building includes an auditorium and hospitality room in addition to classrooms. Students who choose to live on campus may rent one of 23 apartments in the Benson, Harding, and Brewer buildings. There is also a fitness center and a student lounge available to all students.

The L. M. Graves Memorial Library was built in 1964, and subsequent major additions were constructed in 1978 and 2006. The library contains over 132,000 book volumes and 24,000 periodical volumes, with 615 current subscriptions to periodicals and annuals. The library collection is specialized, focusing in areas relevant to Christian theology and ministry, including counseling.