Preseminary Emphasis / Minor Information

As you fill out your application, you will need to choose a preseminary emphasis or minor. The following is meant to help you with that choice.

Both Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and the preseminary faculty of Martin Luther College recommend you choose one of the following nonbiblical language options. (Click on each one to see the specific course requirements.)

As you make your choice, consider the following:

• By choosing a language, you will be following in the footsteps of many generations of pastors who did this before you. 
• Choosing one of these languages enables you to earn a college minor in addition to your major in biblical languages and theology.
• Learning a language requires daily self-discipline — a quality critical for pastoral ministry.
• German and Latin are the languages of our theological history and heritage. The greatest theologians God has given to the Lutheran church wrote in Latin and German. These are the languages of our Lutheran Confessions and our WELS literature.
• The skills you will use in acquiring one of these languages will support your study of the biblical languages of Greek and Hebrew.
• The German and Spanish choices each provide an opportunity to study abroad as you fulfill the course requirements.
• The German, Latin, and Confessional Languages (German and Latin) choices provide you with additional opportunities to study Lutheran theology at MLC.
• An ability to use Spanish can open doors to doing gospel outreach in the United States and abroad.

A scholarship is available to those who choose one of the German, Latin, or Confessional Languages options. Details are available here.

Other Emphasis Choices

Though we recommend you choose one of the languages, the reality is that language is not where every preseminary student has interest and ability. Greek and Hebrew may present enough of a challenge. So, you do have other choices available to you.

Please understand, these other choices will present challenges of their own. Some of them will require much reading, research, and writing. Others will require specialized knowledge. All of them are in addition to courses already required in each of these academic areas. You should also remember that many of the upper-level courses will be filled with education students who are majoring in that discipline. Finally, realize that these options will often leave you with a more limited list of courses to choose from because of prerequisites, corequisites, or scheduling issues. 

But if you know that language is not your strength, and you have a passion for one of these other areas, then this may be the right choice for you as you prepare yourself to serve Jesus and his Church. (Click on each one to see the specific requirements.)