TALBOT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
MASTER oF ■ •itu:Hn PROGRAM
OBJECTIVES
their divergences. Al l the wh ile they are measured by the pattern of the Word. Talbot's program focuses on the enti re person and is meant to con u·ibute to personal spiritual formation as well as cognitive awareness and the development of ministry ski lls. The cur riculum is structured to develop "sus tainable habits" that can be continued in life and minisuy after graduation. The various componenlS of the cunicu lum are designed to complement one another and to reinforce basic princi ples to which students have been exposed in other parlS of their seminaiy program. Agoal of the program is to equip studenlS LO think biblically and to respond appropriately to the variety of challenges of life and ministry. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS All applicanlS, to be accepted, must hold the Bachelor of ArlS degree, or its academic equivalent. They must have a 2.6 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average. Those not meeting this latter require ment, if accepted, wi ll be placed on pro bation. Graduates from approved unac cred ited colleges, if accepted, will be gramed prm~sional acceptaiice, though exceptions may be made when the grade poim average is 3.0 or higher. Graduates from approved unaccredited colleges may be required LO take certain addi tional liberal ans course work (not appli cable toward the graduate degree) , if their undergraduate program did not include these courses. Students who have not had Greek but wish LO take it in semina,y may take Beginning Greek at Talbot ai1d receive elective credit applica ble toward the graduation requirement. EMPHASIS REQUIREMENTS Emphases are offered in the follow- ing areas of professional prepai·ation: Pastoral and General Ministries Christian Education Pastoral Care and Counseling Mmriage and Family Minist,ies Evangelism and Discipleship Missions Urban/Multi-Ethnic Minist1ies Each student is to select an emphasis and satisfactorily complete its requirements. Students should indi cate their choice of emphasis at th e beginning of their program. Changes of emphasis may be autho rized under certain circumstances prior to the completion of 48 units, but are discouraged after that point. Students without a working knowl edge of Greek must take NT 501 and
502 (Beginning Greek) wh ich are not for cred it unless taken in place of elective unilS. Electives in the Curriculum Electives are open to the student ' s choice (check prerequisites) regard less of emphasis, but that choice may be governed by the following guide lines: l ) If writing a thesis, the stu dem's advisor may require up LO four units of electives in an area of study in preparation for the thesis; 2) Students who do not write a thesis are required LO take two additional eleCLive units for a program total of98 units. Program Reduction Based Upon Prior Academic Study Qualified students coming from accredited Bible colleges or Christian liberal arts co ll eges may request exemption from certain required courses. Requests for exemption may be considered from two perspectives: I) Program reductions ai·e possible up Lo a maximum of 16 unilS from the normal M.Div. requirement, i. e., 96-98 unilS may be reduced by up to 16 unilS. A reduction of as much as six units (included in the 16) is possible for stu dents with collegiate studies in either Hebrew or Greek. El'<uuations for reduc tion are considered for undergraduate courses with satisfactory pai-;illel content, provided that the collegiate courses ai·e approximately double the unit value of the comsponding semina,y courses. To qualify for such reductions the studem must have earned at least a "B"grade in the specific course(s) and be able to demonstrate competency in the subject matter. In the event the student takes a course which had been previously waived, that previous reduction would then be nullified. 2) The substitution of electives in li eu of required courses may be arranged in certain circumstances. In some cases where one of the above crite ria may preclude a program reduction, the student may nevertheless be able to demonsu-ate a satisfactory level of com petency in a given subject. ln this event, electives may be substituted for the course in question. Interested studenlS would contact the appropriate depart melll chairman regarding course substi tutions. This alternative is also avai lable for those who qualify for the maximum program reduction indicated above. Request for program reduction should be submitted to the Admissions and Regis trar 's Offices before studies begin at Talbot, because reductions for a specific course
cannot be considered after registration for that course. The s1tbstitution ofelectives in lie1t of req1tired co1trses may be rel/1tested anytime dwing the student's fmt year. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS A. Satisfactorily comp lete 96-98 semester units. See (D) below. 8. Take the cou rses prescribed in the Master of Divinity cu rriculum. C. Complete the requirements in one of the emphases. D. Submit an acceptable thesis (four units) chosen in consu ltat ion with the majo r advisor , or at the option of the major adv isor and in lieu of the thesis, complete six units of electives. Students who wr ite theses wi ll have a total requirement of 96 units and those who take six units of electives in lieu of a thesis will have a total requirement of 98 units. Five unbound copies of the thesis are LO be submitted LO the librarian. E. At least 24 units must be taken in this semina1y by transfer students. Students are placed on academic probation if their grade poim average for any semester fa lls below 2.5 and remain on probation as long as the sin gle semester of cumulative grade point average remains below 2.5. Students on probation are granted one semester in which LO bring their academic work up LO the required level (2.5) for con tinuance in the seminary. A student cannot graduate while on probation. F. The standard rate of progress through the program ( 12 units per semester) will allow the program LO be completed in four years. CURRICULUM Two biblical lan guages are required: Greek and Hebrew. Either may be taken first. Creek- NT 503, NT 604 and NT 605 each required beyond beginning Greek. Aqualifying examination is available LO all interested students. Those who pass the examination may enroll directly in NT 503; others must take NT 501 and NT 502 {two unilS each) as prerequisite to NT 503. Hebrew- OT 603, OT 604 and OT 705 are required. Aqualifying exami nation is available to interested stu dents. Those who pass the examina tion may take OT 604, plus 3-4 units of Hebrew electives instead of OT 603.
The Master of Divinity curriculum at Talbot School of Theology is designed to foster the purposes for which the seminary was established - preparation for the propagation of the faith. This purpose entails an accurate knowledge of the Word of God, the source of faith, and the effective means of its communication. The cou rse of study is therefore designed around these two basic foci. Believing firmly that God in love and grace has provided an answer for the needs of the world in Jesus Christ and that this Jesus is the Christ of the Scriptures, Talbot emphasizes a knowl edge of the con ten Lof the Word of God. So that the Word may be known and expounded accurately and authori tatively, matters of biblical background, including the languages of the Old and New Testaments, are studied. Sound principles of literary interpretation are also explored as a basis for the interpre tation of the Scriptures. On the basis of such interpretation there comes system atic sn1dy so as to organize various parlS of the Word into theological categories. Since the faith of today does not stand alone, but is rooted in past cen turies during which God has preserved and instructed His people, cognizance of this heritage is taken in a study of the history of the church and its doc trine. Previous interaction between faith and the world provides a basis for understanding modern times. It is the seminary's aim that this knowledge of the faith first grip the life of the studem, and then motivate the studem to share it with the world. In accord with this latter aim instruction is given in vital areas of ministry and com munication. From the preparation and delive1y of sermons to individual involve ment in counseling, the curriculum is designed to provide instruction which will facilitate propagation of the faith in the various fields of God's call. Oppor tunity is also given for the development of minisuy skills as principles are app lied in the comext of minisuy in the church. With recognition that the Great Commission commands the church to go imo the world to minister to all peo ples, the cross-currents of modern thought are considered relevant Lo the preparation of God's minister. Throughout the course of instruction, interaction is provided with various per spectives for the purpose of inculcating their conu·ibutions and understandi ng
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