Biblical Studies (Taught)

The MA in Biblical Studies Programme provides students with the opportunity to engage with the complexities of Christian Theology through critical engagement with biblical texts, contemporary thought and culture and the practice of Christian ministry.

The programme is part-time, studied online over 2 or 3 years.

The programme is offered entirely online (asynchronous) mode on the VLE. Students are able to choose 1 optional module from across our level 7 provision, these modules may include (optional) live seminars delivered by video conferencing.

Programme Overview:
This Programme enables students to engage with the complexities of Christian Theology through critical engagement with biblical texts, contemporary thought and culture and the practice of Christian ministry. Through the programme, the student will develop mastery in the interpretation and application of scripture and theology in order to encourage personal and spiritual growth and development. This will be achieved, primarily, through enabling the student to develop mastery in understanding hermeneutical theory and its implementation in order to exegete and interpret biblical texts.

Recognising that every student has their own distinctive worldview that can act as filters on biblical interpretation, the student will be asked to examine these for their influence on their understanding of Scripture and the contemporary world and enable them to develop as reflective practitioners, who use skills of critical enquiry and reflection to enhance their own practice of ministry, to become agents of change within the church context locally and globally.

Entry Requirements:
In normal circumstances students will be required to have a UK BS Honours degree at 2.2 level (or equivalent) as well as the necessary English language ability. A qualification in theology is not required.

Some students may be required to undertake preliminary studies to provide background and foundation knowledge prior to commencing the MA. Although this delays the start of the programme, our experience is that those students who take this route into the MA gain more from the programme and are able to produce stronger assignments as a result.

Time Commitment:
Students will usually complete the 180 credits in 2 or 3 years, studying part time. A weekly time commitment of 15-20 hours per week should be allowed, this will enable progress through the weekly units of teaching material provided on the School’s Virtual Learning Environment.

PGCert

The PGCert is particularly suitable for students with no formal theological education who may be unsure as to whether an entire MA programme is achievable. Thus, this award allows progression to taught MA programmes, by way of formal introduction to theological education at a postgraduate level.

The PGCert Biblical Studies (60 credits) lays the foundation for the study of the Hermeneutics (core module) and allows the student to engage in further hermeneutical study through one optional module. The PGCert is comprised of Core Module: Hermeneutics (40 credits) and one optional module (20 credits).