Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminaries are educational institutions run by the Presbyterian Church (USA), geared primarily towards the training of ministers. The seminaries are independent institutions but relate dynamically to the PC(USA) through the Committee on Theological Education, a committee of seminary presidents and ministers and elders from across the PC(USA). The Theological Education Fund (TEF) is the only denomination-wide funding system to support the schools.
All PCUSA seminaries grant the Master of Divinity with some also granting other degrees, such as the Master of Theological Studies, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Theology, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Presbyterian seminaries are often very highly regarded academically. That reputation is in part a reflection upon the Presbyterian emphasis on education, as well as the relatively high academic requirements for ordination in the PC(USA). The Presbyterian Church, for instance, is one of the few Protestant denominations that still requires all ministers to have a working knowledge of both Biblical Greek and Hebrew.
The ten Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminaries relate to the denomination through the Committee on Theological Education (COTE). COTE has responsibility for providing an arena wherein a comprehensive plan for theological education from the perspective of the whole church can be developed and maintained. It seeks to identify, develop, and propose strategies for a systemic approach to theological education within the denomination.
COTE serves as an advocate for theological education, seeking to support the seminaries (both financially and in other ways) and to strengthen them for their mission to the whole church. It is the body through which the seminaries report and are accountable to the denomination. COTE can also be seen as a two-way communication link between the denomination and its graduate theological institutions.
PC(USA) seminaries include:
Two additional seminaries are related to the PC(USA) by covenant agreement. They are: