— The School of Theology —

Advanced M.Div.

• • • • •

The Advanced Master of Divinity is an accelerated degree program for students who have a baccalaureate or Master of Arts degree in religion or biblical studies and who have at least a 3.3 college grade point average. The program is designed to allow a student to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of biblical and theological studies and to gain specific ministry skills as is expected at the Master of Divinity level.

Applicants must have completed at least 6 hours at the introductory level in Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Church History, and Systematic Theology (or 3 hours at the introductory level plus 3 hours at an advanced level in each of these subjects).

In each of the above subjects, students must not only have the minimum of 6 hours, but their course work must have covered the full scope of the discipline, i.e., course work that covers the whole Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi, the whole of the New Testament, Church History from the 1st to the 21st century and Introduction to Theology that covers Bibliology through Eschatology. Only courses credited with a “B” or higher will be accepted for these requirements, and applicants who have not completed these hours will not be admitted to the Advanced M.Div. program.

Applicants must also submit an acceptable 12-20 page undergraduate research paper demonstrating their research and writing ability in some area of biblical or theological studies. Students should also have completed 3 hours each in ethics, philosophy, hermeneutics, preaching, elementary Hebrew, and elementary Greek, but if not, they may complete them as prerequisites while enrolled in the Adv. M.Div. program. Only courses with a “B” or higher will be accepted for these requirements.

In addition, the Advanced Master of Divinity program is designed to develop critical thinking and research skills, and in one of its two concentrations, it offers the opportunity for more in-depth study through the writing of a 40-60 page thesis. In the non-thesis concentration the student will take an additional elective course in the place of writing a thesis.

The curriculum for the Advanced Master of Divinity combines the cohesiveness of a core of required courses with the flexibility of elective choices.

Vocational Objectives

  • Pastorate
  • Preaching
  • Biblical and Theological Studies
  • Doctoral Studies
  • Teaching in University or Seminary
Avanced Master of Divinity
Remedial/Pre-requisite Courses
31980 Written Communication (if required)u (2)
42490 Cooperative Program (0)
Scripture and Interpretation (18 hours)
20440 Hebrew Syntax and Exegesis 3
22440 Greek Syntax and Exegesis 3
27800 Theology of the Old Testament 3
27820 Theology of the New Testament 3
Hebrew Exegesis elective 3
Greek Exegesis elective 3
Theology and Tradition (15 hours)
25140 Advanced Church History 3
26100 History of the Baptists 3
27050 Advanced Introduction to Christian Theology 3
Theology and Tradition electives 6
Worldview and Culture (9 hours)
Philosophy elective 3
Ethics elective 3
Worldview and Culture elective 3
Ministry and Proclamation (24 hours)
32100 Personal Evangelism 3
32960 Introduction to Missiology 3
34300 Introduction to Biblical Counseling 3
35040 Leadership and Family Ministry 3
40150 Personal Spiritual Disciplines 2
40301 Pastoral Ministry1 3
44560 Supervised Research Experience2 2
44910 Applied Ministry: Theology or  
44955 Applied Ministry: Women 2
  Preaching elective3 3
Research and Elective Studies (13-14 hours)
40375 Advanced M. Div. Thesis Writing 2
or free elective4 3
81020 Graduate Research Seminar 2
Free electives 9
Total Advanced Master of Divinity Requirements Thesis Concentration 79
Non-thesis Concentration 80
• Written Communication (if required) +2

uSee Written Communication Requirement in Academic Section.
1Pastoral Ministry (40301) is reserved for men. Women will substitute The Practice of Ministry for Women (40302).
2The two-hour Supervised Research Experience is to be satisfied through supervised research at home or abroad (students are encouraged to travel to Oxford, England to satisfy this SRE).
3If a student takes Christian Preaching (30000) because of an entrance deficiency, then that student must take Preaching Practicum (30020) to fulfill the preaching elective requirement. Christian Preaching (30000) is reserved for men. Women will substitute The Ministry of Teaching (45400). Preaching Practicum (30020) is reserved for men. Women will substitute courses 45450, 46515, or 48100.
4A two-track Adv. M.Div. option is offered: 1) Track One is a thesis track. The student will take Advanced M.Div. Thesis Writing (40375), and write a 40-60 page thesis. 2) Track Two is a non-thesis track. The student will take a three-hour elective in place of the two-hour Thesis Writing Course.


Truth. Legacy. Vision. Southern Seminary Sesquicentennial

Announcements

RSS
Christianity in Africa class

A special opportunity is available to students during the upcoming winter term. Along with George Martin, Randy Arnett (over 30 years ministry experience in West Africa) and Charles Juma (from East Africa) will be offering the course 33477, “Topics in Missions: Christianity in Africa.” The seminar format class will be offered from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Dec. 14-18. (more…)

Church planting family banquet

On Friday, Dec. 4, the Church Planting Center will be hosting its annual church planting family banquet from 6-8 p.m. in the President’s Reception Room. You must RSVP by Nov. 24 to attend. Come hear Cincinnati-area church planter and Southern Seminary graduate Michael Clary, and his wife share about the difficulties and delights of being a church planting family. (more…)

Study break during finals

The SBTS Student Council will serve coffee and doughnuts to all students from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1. Come by the lobby of 5th and Broadway early to pick up your free Blue Book for you final exam. The event is sponsored by the Seminary Student Council.


Blogs

RSS
Render Not to Caesar What Is God’s
by Denny BurkNov 20

I just finished reading and signing The Manhattan Declaration (MD), and I urge you to do the same. The Manhattan Declaration is a document affirming the sanctity of human life, the sanctity of marriage, and the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

The Blur of Gender — Is The New York Times Trying to Tell Us Something?
by R. Albert Mohler Jr.Nov 20

Is The New York Times trying to tell us something? Just eleven days after running a story on gender-bending teenagers on the front page of its “Style” section, the paper is back with yet another front page story in the same section, this time on gender-bending young adults. The articles even cite the same psychologist as authority. What’s going on here?

When Morality Collapses — The Therapeutic Evasion
by R. Albert Mohler Jr.Nov 19

Any civilization requires a stable, rational, and consensual moral framework in order to survive. Western civilization has been built on a framework of Christian morality, with the so-called “Judeo-Christian ethic” providing the moral principles that support laws, ethical reasoning, and moral impulses.

Turning the Bible into Toilet Paper
by Denny BurkNov 18

I mentioned yesterday that I am in New Orleans this week to deliver a paper on homosexuality at the Evangelical Theological Society. Yesterday I came across an article that relates to the subject matter of that paper.