TALBOT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
Master of Theology Program
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS A. Residence Requirements: Aminimum of two semesters in residence at Talbot is required for the Th.M. degree. No more than four advanced graduate semester course units from an accredited seminary or theological school will be accepted toward ful fillment of Th .M. course requirements. B. Time Limit for Degree: All course , examination and thesis require ments must be completed within five years, beginning on the date of the student's first registration for Th.M. courses at Talbot. C. Major Areas of Academic Study: Majors in the Th .M. program are offered in the departments of Bible exposition, missions and intercultural studies, New Testament, practical theology, semitics and Old Testament, and sys tematic theology. Aworking knowledge of French or German is required of Th.M. majors in semitics and Old Testament. This requirement may be satis fied in one of the following ways: I) two years of college level instruction with a grade of "B" or better or 2) a satisfactory score on an examination administered bythe department. Students must fulfill this requirement during their first 16 units of course mrk in order to continue in the program. D. Course Work: The Th.M. program requires the completion of 26 semester hours of course mrk distributed as follows: IO units in the major department, six units in the major department or closely relat ed areas approved by the major advisor, 10 units in any area (two of which must be TCE 720. Students majoring in systematic theology must take TH 709). Students are required to take a minimum of I4 units in Th.M. courses numbered in the 800 series, with the remain der at the 600 and 700 levels. TCE 720 is required of all students, regardless of major. At the discretion of the advisor, a maximum of four units in any department at any level may be credited toward the course requirements. A Th.M. student must carry nine (9) or more units to be considered a full-time student. Those carrying less than nine units are con sidered part-time students. Amaximum of six (6) units may be taken by Th.M. students in "independent study" courses. It is recom mended that this be done in the middle or latter portion of the program, and in any case the advance approval of the major departmen tal advisor and faculty member concerned is required. E. Concurrent Enrollment Option: Senior Talbot M.Div. students who have com pleted 80 or more units and are accepted in the Th.M. program are permitted to take a maximum of four units per semester of Th.M. courses (with faculty permission), for applica tion to Th.M. program requirements. Such course work must meet all normal Th .M. standards and cannot be credited toward M.Div. program requirements. This option al lows students who accelerate their M.Div. stud ies by taking courses in interterm and summer session to obtain both the M.Div and Th.M. degrees in four years or less. F. Admission to Candidacy: Student completing I6 hours of course mrk maybe granted status as a degree candidate by written application to the program director. Applications for candidacy must be supported
by (I) evidence of satisfactory completion of all prerequisite and normal course mrk to that point; (2) a recommendation for admis sion to candidacy by the department chairman in the student 's major field; (3) approval by the major departmental chairman of an ac ceptable thesis topic. G. Comprehensive Examinations: All candidates for the Th.M. degree must pass awritten comprehensive examination over the major field of study. At the discretion of the Graduate Committee, on recommendation of the faculty, candidates mayalso be required to take minor comprehensive examinations in Old Testament, New Testament and Systematic Theology. These examinations serve as a ma jor means of evaluating the student's academ ic competency and ability to complete the degree requirements. Comprehensive exami nations may be taken any time after comple tion of 18 units ofTh.M. course mrk. Only two retakes of such an examination are permitted. H. Thesis: An acceptable thesis evidencing a high degree of scholarlycompetence in the student's major field must be submitted by all Th.M. candi dates. Information regarding thesis form and submission deadlines is provided in the "The sis Information" section of the Talbot gradu ate student handbook for details. The original and four copies are to be presented to the library for binding. The thesis fee is to be paid the semester the thesis is presented for exami nation. Students are encouraged and trained to make presentations at the meetings of pro fessional organizations and to publish their research in appropriate professional journals or as monographs. Advance permission to publish material submitted in a thesis to Tal bot School of Theology should be requested in writing from the university theological faculty. Only one year following the completion of course work is normallyallowed for comple tion of a thesis. Astudent who has completed his course work must register as a thesis-non resident student for every semester the thesis remains outstanding. Astudent may go be yond this one year period only by advance permission of the Graduate Committee. Such permission is usually granted only in extreme circumstances. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS Degrees are awarded to qualified candidates at the university's winter and spring commence ments. Students are required to be present for graduation unless advanced permission to gradu ate in absentia has been secured. To qualify for graduation, candidates must present acceptable theses, have satisfactorily passed their compre hensive examinations and have completed all required course work with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 No grade less than a C (2.0) will be credited toward the Th.M. degree units. Students who repeat courses for the purpose of raising their GPA must adhere to the Universi ty's general policy for grades, as spelled out on page 14of the graduate programs catalog. Candi dates for the Th.M. degree should also manifest promise of usefulness in Christian ministry, ex hibit exemplary and consistent Christian charac ter and evidence sound theological beliefs in ac cordance with the university's doctrinal state ment.
Program Director: Clinton E. Arnold, Ph.D. PURPOSE The Master of Theology curriculum is a challenging post-graduate degree program designed to equip the student with special ized academic knowledge and advanced pro fessional skills. The program represents not merely an extra year of formal theological study but a high level of academic attain ment, refinement of research capabilities and personal professional development. The program prepares students for both increased effectiveness in professional pastoral ministry and further study at the Ph.D.and Th.D. Level. Since both A.T.S. (the Association of Theological Schools) and A.A.B.C. (the American Association of Bible Colleges) con sider the Th.M. degree the minimum educa tional credential for teaching biblical and theological subjects at accredited seminaries and Bible schools, the Master of Theology is of special interest to students pursuing a teaching career. Qualified students aspiring to excellence and leadership in many areas of ministry and service fo r Christ find the Th.M. program personally enriching and ac ademically stimulating. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS The student must present acceptable Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor or Master of Divinity degrees. Specifically, they must have maintained at least a 3.25 average in their Divinity program and have completed at least eight semester hours of Greek beyond beginning Greek and 12 semester hours of Hebrew, four of which may be Aramaic. Applicants deficient in the biblical languages may take the prerequisite units at Talbot while taking other Th .M. courses but such deficiencies must be made up before more than I6 units in other subjects may be taken. Divinity degrees presented from non-accredited seminaries and theological schools are individually evaluated. Deficiencies discerned in such cases may be made up bycourse mrk at Talbot or other specified accredited insti tutions. Students must also have the personal qualifications necessary for a minister of Christ, including promise of future usefulness. Theymust be spiritually qualified byproviding evidence of a born-again experience and a consistent Christian manner of life. Graduates of other seminaries must file a full application with the office of admissions and records. Master of Divinity students currently en rolled at Talbot may file for admission by submit ting a written request to the Graduate Committee in care of the director of admission. All applicants are required to submit a statement of one to two double spaced typewritten pages explaining their career goals and personal objectives in seeking Th.M. training.
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