Master of Theology Program Purpose
may be taken. Divinity degrees p1·esented from non-accredited seminaries and the ological schools are individually evaluated. Deficiencies discerned in such cases may be made up by course work at Talbot or other specified accredited inst itutions. Stu dents must also have the personal qualifi cations necessary for a ministe,- of Christ, including promise of future usefulness. They must be spiritually qualified by pro vidi ng 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 admis sions and records. Master of Divinity stu dents currently enrolled at Talbot may file for admission by submitti ng a written re quest to the Graduate Committee in care of the director of admission. All applicants are requi,·ed to submit a statement of one to two double spaced typewritten pages explaini ng their career goals and personal objectives in seeking Th.M. training. Program Description and Requirements A Residence Requirements: A minimum of two semesters in resi dence at Talbot is requi ,·ed frn- the Th.M. degree. No more than fou, advanced graduate semester cou ,·se units from an accredited seminary or theological school will be accepted toward fulfillment of Th.M. course requirements. B. Time Limit for Degree: All course, examination and thes is re qui1·ements must be completed with in five years, beginning on the date of the student's first registration frn- Th.M. courses at Talbot C Ma1or Areas of Academic Study Ma1ors in the Th.M. program are of fered in the departments of Bible expo sition, missions and intercultural studies, New Testament, practical theology, se mitics and Old Testament, and system at ic theology
A working knowledge of French or German is required of Th. M. majors In semitics and O ld Testament This re quirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways: I) two years of col lege level instruction with a grade of "B" or better or 2) a satisfactory score on an examination administered by the de partment Students must fulfi ll this re quirement during their first 16 units of course work in order to conti nue in the program. D. Course Work: The Th.M. program requires the com pletion of 26 semester hours of course work distri buted as fol lows: IO units in the major department, six units in t he major department or closely related areas approved by the ma1or advisor, IO units in any area (two of which must be TPT!TCE 720). Students are re quired to take a minimum of 14 un its in Th.M. courses numbered in the 800 se ries, w ith the remainder at the 600 and 700 levels. TPT!TCE 720 is required of all students. regardless of major. Addi tional research and reading assignments will be made in 600 and 700 level courses to make the work of Th.M. character. At the discretion of the advi sor, a maximum of four units in any de partment at any level may be credited toward the course requirements. A Th.M. student must carry ni ne (9) or mo,·e units to be considered a full-time student Those carrying less than nine units are considered part-time students. A maximum of eight (8) units may be taken by Th .M. students in off-campus "independent study" courses . It is rec ommended that this be done in the midd le or latter portion of the pro gram, and in any case with the approval of the ma1or departmental advisor.
E. Concurrent Enrol lment Option : Senior Talbot M.Div. students who have completed 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. cou rses, (with faculty permission), for applicati on to Th.M. program requirements . Such course work must meet all normal Th.M. standards and cannot be credited toward M.Div. program requi rements. This option al lows students who accel erate their M.Div. studies by taki ng courses in interterm and summer ses sion to obtai n both the MDiv. and Th.M. degrees in four years or less. F. Admission to Candidacy Student complet ing 16 hours of course work may be granted status as a degree candidate by written application to the Graduate Committee. Applications for candidacy must be supported by (I) evidence of satisfactory completion of all prerequisite and normal course work to that point; (2) a recommenda tion for admission to candidacy by the department chairman in the student's ma1or field; (3) approval by the major departmental chairman of an accept able thesis topic. G. Comprehensive Examinations: A ll candidates for the Th.M. degree must pass a written comprehensive ex amination over the ma1or field of study At the discretion of the Graduate Committee, on recommendation of the faculty, candidates may also be required to take minor comprehensive examina tions in Old Testament, New Testament and Systematic Theology. These exami nations serve as a ma1or means of eval uating the student's academic compe tency and abil ity to complete the de gree requirements. Comprehensive examinations may be taken any time af ter completion of 18 units of Th. M. course work. Only two retakes of such an examination are permitted . H. Thesis: An acceptable thesis evidencing a high degree of scholarly competence in the student's ma1or field must be submitted
The Master of Theology curriculum is a challenging post-graduate degree program designed to equip the student with special ized academic knowledge and advanced professional skills. The program represents not merely an extra year of formal the ological study but a high level of academic attainment, refinement of research capa bilities and personal professional develop ment The program prepares students for both increased effectiveness in profession al pastoral minist,·y and further study at the PhD and ThD Level. Si nce both ATS (the Association of Theological Schools) and AAB.C (the American Association of Bible Colleges) consider the Th.M. degree the minimum educational credential for teaching biblical and theological sub1ects at accredited semi naries and Bible schools, the Master of Theology is of special inter est to students pursuing a teaching career. Qualified students aspiring to excellence and leadership in many areas of ministry and service for Ch,·ist find the Th.M. pro gram personally enriching and academically stimulating. Admission Requirements The student must present acceptable Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor or Master of Divinity degrees. Specifically. he must have maintained at least a 3.25 average in his Divinity program and have completed at least eight semester hours of Greek be yond 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 be fore more than I 6 units in other subjects
T-17
113
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker