Course Requirements
The Master of Arts in Theological Studies Program requires 60 units of coursework, comprising 8-16 units of biblical languages (Hebrew and Greek), 16 units in each of the two core areas of Biblical Studies and Theology and Ethics, and 12-20 units of concentration in either Biblical Studies or Theology and Ethics, including 4 units for the preparation of a research paper/thesis, which will be defended in an oral examination. Each student is assigned a faculty advisor who will give guidance in the selection of courses and composition of the research paper/thesis.
Requirements for the Master of Arts in Theological Studies
| Biblical Language Requirement* | 8-16 units |
| GBBL 510 New Testament Greek I | 4 |
| GBBL 520 New Testament Greek II | 4 |
| GBBL 530 Hebrew I | 4 |
| GBBL 540 Hebrew II | 4 |
*Students concentrating in Theology and Ethics will take one biblical language, and students concentrating in Biblical Studies will take two biblical languages. Students who demonstrate transcript evidence of a year of undergraduate Hebrew and/or Greek may apply for Advanced Standing of up to 10 units of credit. In the case of students concentrating in Biblical Studies who have had a year of both undergraduate Hebrew and Greek, courses of advanced language study will be taken for the additional 6 units beyond Advanced Standing credit.
| Biblical Studies Core | 16 units |
| GBBL 511 Seminar in Biblical Interpretation** | 4 |
| GBBL 512 The Gospels’ Witness to Christ | 4 |
| GBBL 521 People of God | 4 |
| Choice of one: | |
| GBBL 531 Kingdom of God*** | 4 |
| GBBL 532 Paul the Apostle and Theologian | 4 |
**GBBL 511 is offered as 511A and 511B at some centers.
***Students may substitute GBBL 631 Community of God by petition to the department chair.
| Theology and Ethics Core | 16 units |
| GTHE 504 God, Creation, and Humanity | 4 |
| GTHE 513 History of the Modern Church | 4 |
| GTHE 514 Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, and the Church | 4 |
| Choice of one: | |
| GTHE 503 History of Early and Medieval Church | 4 |
| GTHE 505 Christian Ethics | 4 |
| Concentration | 8-16 units |
| The student chooses a concentration in either Biblical Studies or Theology and Ethics and selects 8-16 units of courses from the area of concentration. | |
| Research Paper/Thesis | 4 units |
| The student selects GBBL 570/GTHE 570 Directed Research or GBBL 590/GTHE 590 Thesis for the preparation of the research paper/thesis, which is defended orally before a panel of faculty examiners. | |
| Total | 60 units |
Note: All stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Graduate Catalog for the most current and controlling information.
