Augustana Divinity School (Neuendettelsau)


The Augustana-Hochschule Neuendettelsau is a divinity school of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria in Neuendettelsau, Germany.

History

The Augustana-Hochschule was founded in 1947 as an outcome of the Church’s struggle with National Socialism upon decision by the Provincial Synod of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Bavaria. In 1949, the Divinity school moved, quite symbolically, into the abandoned barracks that had been part of a former ammunition factory of the Wehrmacht in Neuendettelsau. Since those days, the Augustana-Hochschule has grown considerably as several buildings have been added, including the architecturally fascinating round chapel and the equally interesting shell-shaped library. Still, the Divinity school with its park-like compound has retained its charme as one of the few real campus universities in Germany.
In 1973, the right to award doctoral degrees in cooperation with the theological faculties in Erlangen and Munich was conferred to the Divinity School. Since 1990, the Augustana-Hochschule can award doctoral degrees and Habilitations independently.

Status and Education

The Divinity School is independent of the state, yet recognized by the state. Students usually take up the undergraduate and graduate programs of the Augustana-Hochschule in order to become pastors in the various Landeskirchen in Germany. The Divinity School has got the right to award doctoral degrees and Habilitations. The Augustana-Hochschule is, thus, on par with theological faculties at state universities.
There are six tenured theological professors, as well as one tenured professor for philosophy and, since 2003, one tenured professor for feminist theology. Two lecturers for classical philology and one lecturer for Biblical Hebrew take care of the students' education in the old languages. Additionally, several assistant professors and adjunct lecturers contribute to the variety of undergraduate and graduate courses.

Current Professors

The Divinity School has close ties with the church’s social and welfare work and with its missionary work.
Furthermore, there are good contacts with the nearby Theological Faculty of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo and the Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. The school also maintains connections with the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Tanzania and Zaire through a scholarship program.

Literature