• Who?
    • Our identity
      Discover the vision you’ll be a part of and the values you’ll share
    • Our community
      Get a clearer picture of who you’ll study with
    • Our graduates
      See the kind of person you could be when you leave BST
    • Our staff
      Meet the people you’ll be learning from and be mentored by
    • Our board
      Meet the people who govern our board
    • Our partners
      Check out some of the ministries you’ll be able to connect with
  • What?
    • Courses
      Find the path of study that best suits your skills, time and calling
    • Overseas students
      Be part of our multicultural community
    • Units
      Take a look at some of the units you can study with us
    • Our centre
      Find out about our Centre for Asian Christianity
    • Our college
      See what your week could look like if you spent it at BST
    • Our credentials
      Find out the history that may shape your future
  • How?
    • Our process
      Apply today and begin your journey with BST
    • Our details
      Get in touch to find out more or arrange a visit

BST | Brisbane School of theology

  • Donate
  • Our details
  • Facebook
  • BST blog
Know God's word; take it to the world
Brisbane School of Theology • What? • Courses • Diploma of Theology

Diploma of Theology

Duration

1 year full-time or up to 4 years part-time

Units

8

If you’re new to theological education, and particularly if you don’t have an undergraduate qualification, then the Diploma of Theology is a great way to dip your toe in the water.

It will give you an overview of both the Old and New Testaments, showing you the big-picture story of the Bible and giving you the basic skills to better understand and explain it. You’ll also be able to choose one key book or area of the Bible to explore more deeply, like Paul’s letters, the Gospels, or the Psalms. The broad range of optional units means you can then choose to uncover a bit of church history, get to grips with the doctrine of grace, learn some practical ministry skills like pastoral care or preaching, or even study some Hebrew or Greek.

The DipTh is a good jumping-off point if you’re not yet sure what the future holds for you. It will give you a well-rounded biblical base so you can start testing out which areas of theology interest you most and where God might be wanting to put your skills to work.

APPLY NOW

What you need in order to study the DipTh

To be able to study the course at BST you need to have a minimum OP score of 16 or equivalent. (If you don’t have an OP score, you will have to demonstrate your academic suitability for the course via an English writing exercise or an interview.)

If you get to the end of the DipTh and decide you want to keep on studying, then you can put your credits towards a higher award. You could either do an extra four units and receive an Advanced Diploma of Theology (see below), or continue studying for a further two years (full-time) and work towards a Bachelor of Theology.

International students:

If you’re an international student, and English is not your first language, you need to have taken the IELTS test and achieved an average score of 6.5. (The exception to this is if you are a Mandarin-speaker, in which case you can study the Diploma of Theology through our Chinese program without taking the IELTS test.) The restrictions of a student visa also mean that international students must study full-time.

The different topics you'll be studying

If you study the DipTh full-time it will take two semesters (one year), as you’ll do an average of four units each semester and you need eight units to complete the course. You can study part-time if it suits you better, as long as you finish the course within four years. Of your eight units, four must be from Biblical Introduction, two from Christian Thought and one from Exegesis, Languages or Christian Thought. You also have one elective unit which you can choose from any of the sections below.

Biblical Introduction

OT introduction

  • Old Testament foundations OT301/OT501
  • Old Testament prophets and writings OT302/OT502

NT introduction

  • Jesus and the Gospels NT301/NT501
  • Early New Testament church NT302/NT502
  • 初期新约教会 NT202CH/NT302CH

Exegesis

OT exegesis (in English or Hebrew)

  • The Pentateuch OT420/OT430/OT620/OT630
  • Former Prophets 1 & 2 Samuel
  • Exilic Prophecy (Isaiah 40-55) OT423/OT623/OT433/OT633
  • The Psalms OT426/OT626

NT exegesis (in English or Greek)

  • The Synoptic Gospels: Luke NT420/430/620/630
  • 符类福音:马太福音 NT289CH/NT420CH
  • John's gospel
  • The Pastoral Epistles
  • Pauline Theology and Romans NT425/NT625/NT435/NT635
  • Paul and Corinthian Christianity NT421/NT431/NT621/NT631

Christian Thought

Theology

  • The knowledge of God TH401/TH601
  • The doctrine of God and the work of Christ TH402/602
  • The doctrines of grace and eschatology TH403/TH603
  • Church, sacraments and ministry TH404/TH604
  • 上帝的教义与基督的工作 TH202CH/TH402CH

Church history

  • The Church to 1550 CH301/CH502
  • The Church from 1550 to modern times CH302/CH502
  • 从1550 年后的教会 CH202CH/CH302CH

 

Ministry and Practice

Evangelism and mission

  • Mission perspectives EM301i/EM501i
  • Principles of evangelism EM324/EM524
  • Ministry in culturally diverse contexts EM418i/EM618i
  • Cross-cultural field education EM640
  • Contextual Asian Mission (draft unit outline)

Pastoral and church-focused ministry

  • Foundations of pastoral care PC402/PC602
  • 密集课程 INTENSIVE:  牧者关怀的基础 PC202CHi/PC402Chi
  • Introductory preaching PC447/PC647
  • Congregational field education PC442/PC642
  • Practical ministry field education PC444/PC644
  • Spiritual formation for professional ministry PC408/PC608

Developmental ministry

  • Foundations for youth ministry DM310i/DM510i

Languages

Languages

  • Biblical Hebrew (A) LA003A
  • Biblical Hebrew (B) LA003B
  • Introduction to New Testament Greek
  • New Testament Greek (A) LA004A
  • New Testament Greek (B) LA004B
  • Intermediate Greek LA010

N.B. Core units are generally offered every year, while elective units are offered in alternative semesters. Please refer to the college timetable to find out what’s being offered.

TIMETABLE

How BST has helped others like you

Grace Wong
Pastor (Australia and Hong Kong)

“BST equipped me with a sound knowledge of the Bible, but the lecturers also helped me discover that knowledge alone is not enough. We need to take our knowledge out into the world to bring others to God with true humility and a servant heart. I grew so much in my own spiritual life and in my understanding of the Bible, and also learned how to help others grow into spiritual maturity. The Lord was really moulding me during my time at college and that has prepared me so well for my pastoral work now.”

Robert Harvey
Former missionary (various countries in South America)

“At BST I was formed by the people of God and the word of God. What a privilege it was to get to know the people – staff and students, each with their unique gifts, abilities and idiosyncrasies, but each one a part of my life through the input they had into it. And what a privilege to study and be changed by the word – the strong emphasis on the authority of the Bible helped prepare me to preach it with conviction, affection and dedication; to apply it in defense of my faith when in confrontation; and to stand upon its unfailing promises in times of doubt and difficulty.”

How to get the Advanced Diploma of Theology

The Advanced Diploma of Theology involves all the components of the regular Diploma, but you need a total of 48 credit points (12 units) to complete it – that means you get to choose four additional units and will probably be studying for one semester longer than if you just do the Diploma.

You don’t need to decide whether or not you want to work towards the Advanced Diploma before you enrol; you can just get started with the program and see how you get on. Most organisations consider the AdvDipTh to be a good preparation for many aspects of mission, so if that’s your goal then it’s worth the extra few months to achieve the higher award.

Accreditation

This is a course of the Australian College of Theology.

Resources

  • Moodle
  • Calendar
  • Timetable
  • Courses
  • Units
  • Library
  • BST Connect
  • Events
  • Contact us

BST blog

Rev Dr Bruce Pass joins BST Faculty

Rev Dr Bruce Pass joins BST Faculty

We’re excited to welcome Bruce Pass and his family to the BST community. BruceRead more...

Opportunity knocks on 31 January 2019

Opportunity knocks on 31 January 2019

    Looking to get into mission work? Already in ministry but looking for a change?Read more...

Your BST

  • Alumni
  • Audit
  • Contact us
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Volunteer
  • Support Your BST

Study at BST

  • Apply
  • Centre for Asian Christianity
  • Courses
  • Fees
  • Master of Arts
  • Units
  • 学院简介

About BST

  • Faculty
  • College life
  • Partners
  • Credentials
  • Accommodation
  • Policies

BST Students

  • Moodle
  • Calendar
  • Timetable
  • Courses
  • Units
  • Library
  • BST Connect
  • Events
  • Contact us

(07) 3870 8355 info@bst.qld.edu.au 1 Cross Street, Toowong QLD 4066

Brisbane School of Theology is an operating name of Bible College of Queensland and our ABN is 55009670160.

BST is an affiliated college of the Australian College of Theology, CRICOS: 02650E.

Flip Creative