The Master of Divinity (MDiv) educates and prepares men for official, ordained ministries of instruction and leadership in the church as pastors, evangelists, missionaries, and teachers. The goal is to furnish students with every tool they will need to bring the Word of God to the part of God’s church they serve.
The program is rigorous and thorough, covering exegesis, church history, systematic theology, homiletics, pastoral theology (teaching, leadership, counseling, church order and discipline, and missions), biblical interpretation, and practical theology (human relationships, Christian living, and church administration).
To begin your online application for the MDiv, please fill out this form.
The aim of the MDiv is to teach students to:
- Exegete individual passages of Scripture accurately, employing their knowledge of the original languages, historical circumstances, and literary and theological relationships;
- Understand the major issues in faith and life that the Church has confronted throughout its history, and the system of truth revealed in the Scriptures;
- Systematize exegetical, historical, and theological data into a consistent and coherent theology, and explain how that theology applies to personal beliefs and behavior;
- Use homiletical skills to proclaim the Word of God to the congregation biblically, doctrinally, experientially, and practically;
- Show effective pastoral skills in leading worship, teaching youth, exercising leadership and administration, counseling publicly from the pulpit and privately, implementing church order and discipline, and promoting evangelism and missions;
- Respond with discernment to contemporary trends in biblical interpretation and to contemporary and cultural movements;
- Understand human relationships, Christian living, and church administration, thereby assisting him to become a sound, sensitive, and edifying servant of the Word in his future ministry.
The program requires a total of 115 credits, including Greek and Hebrew (103 if sufficient Greek and Hebrew have already been completed), which must be completed in eight years or less.
The program’s outline is as follows:
Curriculum For MDiv Students (for a print-friendly PDF version, click here).
Total Credits: 115
Old Testament Department (19 Credits Total)
111 Hebrew I (3 credits)
112 Hebrew II (3 credits)
121 Old Testament Exegesis I: Narratives (3 credits)
122 Old Testament Exegesis II: Poets and Prophets (3 credits)
132 Old Testament Introduction (2 credits)
142 Biblical Theology I: Old Testament (2 credits)
151 Hermeneutics (3 credits)
New Testament Department (16 Credits Total)
201 Greek I (3 credits)
202 Greek II (3 credits)
221 New Testament Exegesis I: The Gospels & Acts (3 credits)
222 New Testament Exegesis II: Epistles & Revelation (3 credits)
232 New Testament Introduction (2 credits)
241 Biblical Theology II: New Testament (2 credits)
Historical Theology Department (13 credits total)
313 Reformation Church History (3 credits)
314 Modern Church History (3 credits)
322 Reformed Theological Research (1 credits)
324 Puritan Theology (3 credits)
One of the following:
311 Ancient Church History (3 credits)
312 Medieval Church History (3 credits)
Systematic Theology Department (22 credits total)
411 Systematic Theology I: Prolegomena (2 credits)
415 Systematic Theology V: Soteriology (4 credits)
421 Introduction to Apologetics (3 credits)
432 Biblical Ethics (2 credits)
9 additional credits from the following:
412 Systematic Theology II: Theology Proper (3 credits)
413 Systematic Theology III: Anthropology (3 credits)
414 Systematic Theology IV: Christology (3 credits)
416 Systematic Theology VI: Ecclesiology (3 credits)
417 Systematic Theology VII: Eschatology (3 credits)
One of the following:
441b Symbolics: The Three Forms of Unity (2 credits)
441c Symbolics: The Westminster Standards (2 credits)
Preaching Department (14 credits total)
511 Homiletics I: Sermon Preparation, Construction, & Delivery (3 credits)
512 Homiletics II: Reformed Experiential Preaching (3 credits)
516 Homiletics VI: Preaching Christ in the Old Testament (2 credits)
521 Practice Preaching I-VI (1 credit per semester for 6 semesters)
Pastoral Department (15 credits total)
611 Foundations and Process of Biblical Counseling (3 credits)
612 Issues in Biblical Counseling (3 credits)
613 Teaching and Youth Ministry (2 credits)
614 The Christian Minister and Ministry (2 credits)
615 Leadership and Administration (2 credits)
626 Ministry Practicum I (1 credit)
627 Ministry Practicum II (1 credit)
628 Ministry Practicum III (1 credit)
Missions Department (6 credits total)
631 Foundations of Reformed Missions (2 credits)
Four additional credits from the following:
632a Missiology II: Evangelism (1 credit)
632b Missiology II: Church Planting (1 credit)
633a Missiology III: Revival (1 credit)
633b Missiology III: Prayer (1 credit)
634 Encounter with World Religions (2 credits)
635 Intercultural Gospel Communication (2 credits)
636 The Intercultural Missionary (2 credits)
637 Contemporary Studies in Missions (2 credits)
638 Mission or Evangelism Internship (2 credits)
Electives (10 credits total)
Ten additional elective credits are required to complete the M.Div. They can be chosen from the following (or other course in consultation with faculty/staff):
131 Archeology (1 credit)
162b Ezra and Nehemiah (1 credit)
162c Preaching from the Book of Job (1 credit)
233 The Text of the Bible (2 credits)
261a New Testament Seminar: John (1 credit)
261b New Testament Seminar: Romans (1 credit)
261c New Testament Seminar: Hebrews (1 credit)
261d New Testament Seminar: Paul’s Associates (1 credit)
315 North American Church History (2 credits)
321a Life and Thought of Augustine (1 credit)
321b Theology of John Calvin (1 credit)
325a Theology of John Owen (1 credit)
325b Theology of Wilhelmus a`Brakkel (1 credit)
325c Theology of Jonathan Edwards (1 credit)
326a Post Reformational Dutch Traditions: Second Reformation (1 credit)
326b Post Reformational Dutch Traditions: Secession Theology (1 credit)
327a Post Reformational British Theological Traditions: Scottish
Presbyterianism (1 credit)
327b Post Reformational British Theological Traditions: Early
English Non-Conformity (1 credit)
328 Covenant Theology (1 credit)
329a Contemporary Theology & Preachers: British Preachers (1 credit)
329b Contemporary Theology & Preachers: Liberal Theology (1 credit)
401 Basic Systematic Theology: Compendium (1 credit)
433 Critical Thinking for the Ministry (1 credit)
441a Symbolics: Theology of Patristic Creeds(1 credit)
441b Symbolics II: Three Forms of Unity (2 credits)
441c Symbolics III: Westminster Standards (2 credits)
513 Homiletics III: Sermon preparation for Special Services (3 credits)
514 Homiletics IV: Preaching from the Heidelberg Catechism (3 credits)
524 Preaching Practicum (4 credits)
615a Pastoral Theology: Leadership (2 credits)
615b Pastoral Theology: Reformed Worship and Liturgy (1 credit)
622 Church Polity: Church Order of Dort (2 credits)
629 Ministry Practicum IV: Long-term internship (3 credits)
