Curriculum

Master of Divinity Curriculum

Program Overview

A total of 90 semester credits of course work is required for the International Master of Divinity Program. The course work is divided into three major areas: biblical studies, 24 credits; theological, historical and ethical studies, 30 credits; and pastoral studies, 21 credits and 12 hours of free electives. In addition, the program also requires a student to have field education, a non-credit service learning component. Although Field Education is non-credit, it is equivalent to 4 credit hours. In their senior year, the students are required to take a 3-credit Senior Colloquium.

Free Electives (12 credits)

Courses may be chosen from the regular elective offerings of the program or course offerings at the University Graduate School as long as the requirements are met and the courses taken are not duplications of the courses already taken by the student in the International M. Div. program. They may also be the study of the Thai language as well as long-distance courses offered by other ATESEA-member schools.

Comprehensive Examination

Since the Master of Divinity is a Professional Degree, a thesis is not required. However, to qualify for graduation, a candidate for the International M. Div. Degree must pass a comprehensive-integrative examination in the fields of biblical studies, theological, historical and ethical studies, and pastoral studies. The examination, both oral and written, will be given a month before the end of the student’s course-work.

Thesis Option

For students who are inclined to do research work, they may write a thesis in lieu of 6 credits of the required elective courses. For this purpose, a thesis supervisor will be assigned to supervise the student’s research and writing. The topic of the thesis should be approved by the faculty before the student commences his research. It should be not less than 12,500 words and should follow the standard rules of research and thesis writing. The thesis should be submitted not later than six months after the student passes the comprehensive examination.

Course Numbering Legend

  1. The first two letters have the following meanings:
    TS – Theological Studies
    CM – Church Music
  2. The first number (“5”) designates year a student may enroll for the course:
    5 – junior (first year)
    6 – middler (second year)
    7 – senior (third year)
  3. The second number (“2”) refers to the area of study:
    1 – Biblical Literature
    2 – Biblical Languages
    3 – Theology, History and Ethics
    4 – Religion and Philosophy
    5 – Pastoral Studies and Psychology
    6 – Christian Education
    7 – Field Education
  4. The last number (“1”) is the number of the course. An odd number usually indicates that the course is offered during the first semester and an even number is a second semester offering.

Master Of Divinity Information: