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Master of Theological Studies

The Master of Theological Studies is an academic program specifically designed for those who intend to go on for further academic studies or those who wish to explore the Bible and theology without taking on pastoral roles. Students in this program take the same biblical and theological courses as do the Master of Divinity students.

The Master of Theological Studies program is designed for persons who do not seek ordination but desire theological education in support of various vocational objectives. Normally it is a two-year program and requires a student to concentrate in the area of biblical or theological studies.

Admission Requirements (show | hide)

  1. Academic requirements
     
    1. To qualify for admission as a candidate for the M.T.S. degree, an applicant must possess an A.B. degree or its equivalent from an accredited college and have a grade-point average of 2.67 (B-) or higher.
    2. The applicant's pre-seminary education must include courses in the following areas: English, history, philosophy, natural sciences, and social sciences.
    3. Two years of Greek are required. It is strongly recommended that applicants, especially those considering graduate study, also study languages such as Dutch, French, German, Spanish and/or Latin.
    4. An applicant whose academic history does not show sufficient breadth in the liberal arts may be requested to do additional work as a condition of admission.  
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Program Requirements (show | hide)

  1. Course requirements
    Division Course Quarter Hours
    Biblical Old Testament Department  
      101 Biblical Hebrew 6
      113 Intro to Heb.Exeg. for Ministry 3
      115 Narrative Literature of the OT 3
      126 The Message/Psalms and Wisdom Books 3
        One of the following two: 3
        128 The Major Prophets  
        129 The Minor Prophets (The Twelve)  
      New Testament Department  
      216 The Greek Text and New Testament Interpretation 3
      219 The Pauline Letters 3
      224 The Gospels 3
      One exegetical elective 3

    Theological
    Historical Theology Department    		  
      311 General Church History I 3
      312 General Church History II 3
      313 General Church History III
    (Students with a strong background in history may substitute an elective for a core course with special permission from the department and the registrar)     		3
      *399 Any additional course in Historical Theology or Major Research Paper 3
      Systematic Theology Department  
      415 The Doctrine of God and Creation 3
      425 The Doctrine of Christ/Salvation 3
      435 The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, Church and Kingdom 3
      One departmental elective 3
      Philosophical and Moral Theology Department
      521 Fundamental Apologetics 3
      531 Basic Christian Ethics 3
        One of the following three: 3
        555 Church and Society  
        568 Reformed World and Life View
        574 Readings in Christian Social Ethics  

    General    		    
      The candidate for this degree must take five electives (15 quarter hours), four of which must be in the area of the student's chosen concentration. If a student wishes to concentrate in an area other than biblical or theological studies, his/ her program must be approved by the vice president for academic affairs. 15
     
    Total Hours
    78
  2. Comprehensive examinations

    In addition to taking regular quarter examinations, candidates for the M.T.S. degree are required to sustain four comprehensive examinations: a written examination on Bible content, written examinations testing competence in the use of biblical Hebrew (pdf) and Greek, and a one-hour oral examination by representative members of the faculty in the field of theology as a whole. Specific rules are found in the Student Handbook.

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