Berkeley Divinity School, founded in 1854, is an official
seminary of the
Episcopal Church, based in
New Haven, Connecticut. The seminary was originally founded as a middle-way between the
Anglo-Catholic leaning
General Theological Seminary in New York, and the
Evangelical-leaning
Virginia Theological Seminary. Although the school began in
Middletown, Connecticut, it moved to New Haven in 1928 to take advantage of the resources of
Yale University. In 1971 a formal agreement between
Yale and Berkeley cemented their bond. Today, all students of Berkeley Divinity School are also students of
Yale Divinity School. Approximately one third of Yale Divinity School's students undertaking the Master's degree in Divinity are members of Berkeley. Thus, Berkeley operates as a denominational seminary within an
ecumenical divinity school. Students graduating from
Berkeley Divinity School at Yale earn both a
Masters of Divinity degree from Yale and a Diploma in
Anglican Studies from Berkeley, certifying that they have received education specific to preparation for
Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church.