It began as a small theological educational center, established by
Samuel A. Moffett, an American
PCUSA missionary. Teaching began at his home in 1901, before, in 1903, the Presbyterian Council formally agreed to the formation of a theological education center in Korea. In June 1907, the first class of seven students graduated from the theological course, and among them were the first Korean pastors ordained by the Presbyterian Church: Sun-Joo Kil, Suk-Jin Han, and Ki-Pung Lee. In 1961, fifteen acres of land in
Gwangjang-dong,
Gwangjin-gu of Seoul was purchased, and new buildings were constructed on the site. A new school was launched, under the name of Presbyterian Seminary, gaining accreditation from the government of South Korea in the same year. Presbyterian Seminary opened its Graduate School in 1966. In 1973, the Seminary changed its name to Presbyterian Theological College, and established a joint Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program with
San Francisco Theological Seminary. In the following year, the college received accreditation to open a Master of Divinity Program. With over 2,400 students, by the mid-1980s PUTS had become one of the largest Presbyterian seminaries in the world. The year 1992 saw the School transfer its D.Min. program partnership to
McCormick Theological Seminary. In 1993, Presbyterian Theological College changed its name to the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary. The Graduate School of World Mission was established in the same year, quickly followed by the founding of the Graduate School of Ministry and the Graduate School of Education in 1995, and the Graduate School of Music in 1996. By 2001, the Graduate School of Ministry had broadened to offer Th.M. and D.Min. programs. == Academics ==