Signature Courses

Meadville Lombard's groundbreaking education model

At Meadville Lombard, leadership formation is anchored by our groundbreaking Signature Courses: multidisciplinary yearlong classes that help students move from discernment to leadership. These courses are designed to give you an opportunity to integrate your academic learning with the real-world experience of service and leadership in community and congregational settings.

Each Signature Course incorporates academic learning, service through internships, and the support of a cohort of peers. The class gathers in person in Chicago each September and February for a two- to three-day Ingathering, and also meets by videoconference four times per semester. Cohorts of about 30 participants meet via videoconference once a month to check in with each other and deepen their learning. The cohort is also divided into smaller groups that meet weekly via video chat or by phone to work on projects and reflections.

Academic classes taken each term align with your degree program, the Signature Course being taken, and your individual learning goals. Each semester-long academic class includes an Intensive portion: 40 hours of in-person classwork, usually held over a five-day period, in late September or early October for Fall term, and in late February or early March for Spring term. Students can choose whether to travel to Chicago for a single Intensive or stay for multiple weeks and complete several Intensives in a row.  

First-Year Signature Course: Cultural Grounding and Theological Formation (Fall) and Social Engagement (Spring)

These courses, required for first-year Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Leadership Studies students, provide students with theological grounding and the ability to read and appreciate communities of difference—key skills for religious and spiritual leaders. As part of the Spring Signature Course, MDiv students serve four hours per week in a community agency, while MALS students begin their year-long 20-hour per week internship. Students are supported in finding a site that offers opportunities to develop multicultural competencies.  

Second-Year Signature Course: Vocational Studies

Vocational Studies (required for Master of Divinity students) supports students in applying the skills developed in the first-year Signature Courses to the nuances of congregational or communal religious life. Site work is conducted most often in a congregational setting, where students serve 20 hours per week. In addition to guidance from Meadville Lombard faculty, teaching pastors (experienced parish ministers) help direct a student’s congregational work.

Leadership Studies Signature Course

Leadership Studies (required for Master of Divinity students) helps students develop and hone religious and spiritual leadership abilities, most often within the context of a continued congregational internship for 20 hours per week under the guidance of Meadville Lombard faculty and a teaching pastor. During this course, students develop and lead a project that helps the congregation expand its cultural borders.