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The academic Master of Arts degrees are intended for students desiring knowledge in a particular field and who are not planning to enter pastoral ministry in the church, for which the M.Div. is the appropriate degree. Individuals wishing to pursue university doctoral studies usually in areas other than Bible and Theology, school teachers, professionals from fields other than ministry, and missionaries who desire to focus on a particular area are typical of students in the programs.
Master of Arts students can choose from among five programs of study:
Students participating in these degree programs must complete 20 courses (60 credit hours) with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in order to graduate. Eight courses must be completed in the area of concentration plus up to six courses spread through the three divisions of Biblical Studies, Christian Thought, and Ministry.
Students completing degrees in Old or New Testament must complete two semesters of a biblical language as part of their concentration. The Biblical Language degree requires advanced courses in biblical languages as well as at least one other ancient language. Students in the Church History or Theology degree programs may substitute a research foreign language suitable to the degree and vocational objective in place of the biblical languages; completion of the language requirement for Church History or Theology may be done on the undergraduate level prior to coming to seminary.
A summative evaluation is required of all M.A. students and may take the form of an oral examination or a thesis, or, for students for whom English is a second language, a major integrative paper. The writing of a thesis is done only upon invitation by a faculty member in the field.
Students participating in these degree programs must complete 20 courses with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher and be present for graduation exercises. No more than 8 of the 20 courses may be taken at other schools in the Boston Theological Institute.
Area of Concentration: Complete eight courses in the same area in which the degree is being taken.
Language Requirement: Complete, or have completed, at least two terms of a biblical language. For programs in Church History and Theology, a research foreign language suitable for the anticipated doctoral program may be substituted with the permission of the Director and faculty advisor.
General Core Requirements: Complete up to six courses in the areas of Biblical Studies, Christian Thought, and Ministry. Depending on one’s declared concentration the number of required courses may vary.
General Electives: Complete at least four elective courses. The number of electives required is dependent on one’s concentration and how that concentration reduces the number of required core courses.
Bible Competency: All M.A. students must demonstrate Bible competency either by successfully completing the Old and/or New Testament Survey courses, or by passing the Bible Competency Exams. Those who do not pass the Competency Exams, or elect not to sit for the exams will be required to complete OT 500, Old Testament Survey and/or NT 501, New Testament Survey as electives.
Summative Evaluation: A summative evaluation is required of MA students, and may take the form of an oral examination or a thesis, or, for students who have learned English as a second language, a major integrative paper.
Area of Concentration: Complete ten courses in the area in which the degree is being taken.
General Core Requirements: Complete five courses in the areas of Christian Thought and Ministry.
General Electives: Complete five elective courses, which may include, if necessary, basic Greek and Hebrew (GL501/502, OL501/502).
Bible Competency: All M.A. students must demonstrate Bible competency either by successfully completing the Old and/or New Testament Survey courses, or by passing the Bible Competency Exams. Those who do not pass the Competency Exams, or elect not to sit for the exams will be required to complete OT 500, Old Testament Survey and/or NT 501, New Testament Survey as electives.
Summative Evaluation: No thesis is required in the program, but an oral summative evaluation must be sustained
Program Recommendations: Students are required to take at least a year of a biblical language prior to matriculation and are encouraged to take at least a year of a modern research language (e.g. German, French, Dutch, Spanish) either prior to matriculation or as an elective in the program.
Course Offerings: Most of the courses are drawn from the offerings of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, but the student also has the option of drawing upon the resources of the Boston Theological Institute, particularly in those areas where the seminary does not provide courses. Courses in ancient languages related to Bible study may be taken at the seminary as independent reading/research courses (710, 711, 760 and 860 courses) or at one of the Boston Theological Institute schools.
To view a Master of Arts (Academic) checklist in Adobe PDF Format click on the appropriate degree program. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader (required for viewing PDF files), you may download it for free from Adobe Systems.
To view the goals of these degree programs, please visit our Academic Goals section devoted to each degree program.
Click here to download the South Hamilton campus catalog.
Click here to request the Boston/CUME campus catalog.
Click here to downlaod the Charlotte campus catalog.
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