What Interdenominational Theological Center does

The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a private, nonprofit, historically Black graduate theological institution chartered in 1958 in Atlanta, Georgia. ITC is structurally unique as the world's only graduate theology program operating as a consortium — housing five constituent seminaries under a single accredited institution: Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary (Pentecostal/COGIC), Gammon Theological Seminary (United Methodist), Morehouse School of Religion (Baptist, organized 1867), Phillips School of Theology (Christian Methodist Episcopal, founded 1944), and the Richardson Ecumenical Fellowship. ITC delivers graduate theological education through two core for-credit programs — the three-year Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and the asynchronous Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), with a Distance Learning Program enabling up to two-thirds of M.Div. coursework online via Zoom-based synchronous and asynchronous delivery.

Revenue derives from tuition and fees ($847 per credit hour at the Master's level, $3,540 per semester for the D.Min., plus $50 application fees, $150 admission acceptance deposits, and $350 graduation fees), supplemented by philanthropic grants (Lilly Endowment's Connecting With Hope Innovation Hub since 2017, a $1M undisclosed academic redesign grant in 2021, a $250K Home Depot Campus Improvement Grant in 2025, and $210K in Chairman's Dinner commitments in March 2026). The student experience is anchored by co-owned access to the Digital Theological Library (DTL2) with 1.4M+ eBooks and 104M+ articles. The institution holds dual accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and participates in SARA for interstate distance learning.

ITC is repositioning under its 12th President, Rev. Dr. Herman 'Skip' Mason, Jr. (appointed 2023), broadening its Lifelong Learning non-credit portfolio with new 2026 Certificates in AI and Church Administration, scaling its Lilly-funded young adult ministry initiative across five mentoring/mentee church cohorts, extending international partnerships (Brazil, Ghana, Portugal) and a Polaris Fellowship with Princeton Theological Seminary, and elevating brand visibility through USA Today coverage and selection into the inaugural HBCU Brilliance Initiative cohort. The institution serves approximately 50-100 staff supporting graduate students, congregational leaders, alumni, and ministry practitioners across 22+ U.S. states and 10+ countries.

Name

Interdenominational Theological Center

Legal name

Interdenominational Theological Center

Website

https://itc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ITC is a nonprofit, historically Black graduate theological institution in Atlanta that operates as the world's only consortium of five denominational seminaries, delivering accredited Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry programs with online distance learning to ministry students and congregational leaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Theological Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Jewish Theological Seminaries & Rabbinical Colleges (EDAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Graduate theological education
• Seminary degree programs
• Distance learning ministry
• Theological certificate programs
• Ministerial leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Graduate theological education with per-credit and per-semester tuition models for Master's and Doctorate programs
2. Application and Processing Fees: Non-refundable application fee of $50 and tuition deposit of $150
3. Graduation Fees: Graduation fee of $350 and Self-assessment fee of $250 for graduating students

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a graduate theological institution that delivers accredited Master's and Doctorate degree programs in ministry and theological studies through a unique consortium of five constituent seminaries and an ecumenical fellowship. It supplements its core degrees with a Certificate of Theology lifelong-learning program, an asynchronous Doctor of Ministry track, a hybrid Distance Learning platform, and a Digital Theological Library (DTL2) providing access to over 1.4 million eBooks and 104 million articles.

Product overview

The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a historically Black Christian Africentric ecumenical consortium of theological seminaries offering graduate-level theological education. Its portfolio consists of two core degree programs — the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), offered on-campus and via a Distance Learning platform, and the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), an asynchronous virtual program. Supporting these are the Certificate of Theology (an 8-month non-credit program) and upcoming certificates in Artificial Intelligence and Church Administration. The consortium encompasses five constituent seminaries (Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary, Gammon Theological Seminary, Morehouse School of Religion, Phillips School of Theology, and Richardson Ecumenical Fellowship), each affiliated with different denominations, plus a digital library partnership (DTL2), a lecture series (Charles B. Copher), and the Connecting With Hope Innovation Hub community engagement initiative. The institution serves a multi-generational student population and is positioning itself as a digital-first theological powerhouse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of Divinity (M.Div.) A three-year graduate professional degree that integrates theological studies with practical ministry application through parish assignments, preparing students for church, academy, and world ministries. Offered on-campus and online via the Distance Learning program.
• Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) An asynchronous, virtual, advanced theological degree for working professionals who hold an M.Div. or equivalent, requiring 36 credit hours of coursework and culminating in a final doctoral project applying human-centered design thinking and design justice principles. Designed to be completed in three years with one intensive week of study per semester.
• Certificate of Theology An 8-month, non-credit lifelong theological program for recently called ministry candidates, veteran pastors, and laypersons, delivered in a cross-denominational and cross-cultural educational context with 8 courses taught by ITC faculty.
• Distance Learning Program An online education delivery platform offering asynchronous lessons and synchronous course sessions, allowing students to complete two-thirds of the M.Div. degree online with one-third of courses requiring on-campus attendance.
• Connecting With Hope Innovation Hub A Lilly Endowment-funded collaborative network of mentoring and coaching hubs for congregations, focused on young adult ministry (ages 23-29) and helping churches develop innovative approaches to faith formation and community engagement.
• Digital Theological Library (DTL2) A co-owned, member-funded, born-digital library specializing in religious and theological studies, providing ITC students and scholars with virtual access to over 1,400,000 eBooks, 104,000,000+ articles, 61,000+ journals, and 119+ specialized databases.
• Charles B. Copher Annual Faculty Lecture Series An annual lecture series that enables ITC faculty to present cutting-edge research in their respective disciplines during ITC Charter Week, with presentations published by the Journal of ITC (JITC).

Quantifiable outcome

• Students and faculty delivering ministry in over 22 states and 10+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Princeton Theological SeminaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Polaris Fellowship program for young adult leadership network, connecting ITC young adults with Princeton Fellows
• Atlanta Theological Association (ATA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Doctor of Ministry degree program, offering advanced theological education for social impact to qualified men and women engaged in ministry
• International Seminary PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnerships with seminaries and church bodies in Brazil, Ghana, and Portugal

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Payne Theological Seminary: Payne Theological Seminary at Wilberforce University is an AME-affiliated ATS-accredited HBCU graduate theological school. It is a direct peer in African-American ministerial formation, offering competing M.Div. and continuing education programs.
• Howard University School of Divinity: Howard University's School of Divinity is a historically Black graduate theological school accredited by ATS, training ministry leaders across denominational lines. It is the closest direct peer to ITC given shared HBCU legacy, ATS-accredited M.Div./D.Min. offerings, and a comparable African-American theological education mission.
• Princeton Theological Seminary: Princeton Theological Seminary is one of the largest ATS-accredited graduate theological schools in the U.S. and is already a strategic partner of ITC through the Polaris Fellowship program. It competes broadly in the graduate theology market and is directly comparable in the M.Div. and D.Min. segments.
• Turner Seminary (AME-affiliated programs): African Methodist Episcopal theological education is represented across multiple institutions; ITC's Turner Theological Seminary is one of the few AME-aligned seminaries in the world. Comparable AME-aligned ministerial training programs elsewhere are direct peers serving the same denominational education need.
• Shaw University Divinity School: Shaw University Divinity School is an HBCU-affiliated graduate theological institution. It is directly comparable in serving African-American ministerial candidates and offers ATS-accredited M.Div. programs in the same competitive segment as ITC.
• Morehouse College School of Religion: Morehouse College operates the School of Religion, a Baptist-affiliated theological program that has historical and alumni ties to ITC's Morehouse School of Religion constituent seminary. It is a direct peer in the African-American Baptist ministerial training space.

Broad incumbents

• Union Theological Seminary: Union Theological Seminary in New York is one of the oldest and most prominent ATS-accredited graduate theological institutions in the U.S., offering M.Div., M.A., and doctoral programs. It is a broad incumbent peer with overlapping curricular and audience overlap with ITC's graduate offerings.
• Boston University School of Theology: Boston University School of Theology is a research-university divinity school with ATS-accredited M.Div., M.T.S., Th.M., and Ph.D. programs. It serves as a broad incumbent peer in graduate theological education with comparable distance-learning and continuing education offerings.
• Vanderbilt Divinity School: Vanderbilt Divinity School is an established research-university divinity school offering M.Div., M.T.S., and D.Min. programs accredited by ATS. It is a broad incumbent in graduate theological education, competing with ITC for students seeking rigorous academic ministry preparation.

Regional players

• Emory University Candler School of Theology: Candler is an ATS-accredited United Methodist-affiliated graduate divinity school located in Atlanta. It is the most geographically proximate peer, sharing ITC's Atlanta footprint and competing for similar students pursuing ministry careers, though it is a research-university divinity school rather than a historically Black institution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ITCatlanta
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCby0k9aAOLCIhCIz5NZVPfg
• Facebookfacebook.com/134868005186
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/interdenominational-theological-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/itcatlanta

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Interdenominational Theological Center