• 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 • Graduate Certificate of Divinity

Graduate Certificate of Divinity

Duration

1 semester full-time or up to 2 years part-time

Units

4

If you already have an undergraduate qualification, but this is your first experience of studying theology, then the Graduate Certificate of Divinity will give you a great taste of what’s on offer.

A short course of only four units, the GradCert will give you either a better understanding of some core doctrines of your faith like grace or the person of Christ (the theology focus), or help you grasp the big-picture story of the Bible through an overview of both the Old and New Testaments (the Bible focus). You’ve also got different practical ministry options available to you, so you can get to grips with what’s involved in pastoral care, preaching, or church leadership. You’ll also be able to choose one book or key area of the Bible to explore more deeply, uncover a bit of church history, finally discover what ‘eschatology’ is all about, or even learn some Hebrew or Greek.

Perhaps you’re going to continue in the career you originally trained for, but just want to be better equipped to share your faith; maybe you’re thinking of getting more involved at church; or perhaps you’re exploring the idea of full-time ministry work. However you want to live out your faith, this course will give you a well-rounded biblical base from which you can start testing out where God might be wanting to put your interests and skills to work.

APPLY NOW

What you need in order to study the GradCert

To be able to study the Graduate Certificate of Divinity at BST you need to have an undergraduate degree in a non-theological discipline. (If you already have an undergraduate qualification in theology then take a look at our Master of Arts in Theology or Master of Theology programs.)

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 7.0. The restrictions of a student visa also mean that you’ll have to study full-time.

What you have to do to make sure you graduate

The program is made up of four units which are normally studied over just one semester. A total of 16 credit points is required to complete the program. You can study part-time if it suits you better, and we have plenty of evening classes so you can work while you study, as long as you finish the program within two years.

The different topics you'll be studying

If you study the Graduate Certificate of Divinity full-time it will take six months, as you will do four units over one semester and you need 4 units to complete the course. You can study part-time if it suits you better, as long as you finish the course within two years. Of your 4 units, two can be from from one of each of the following categories: Biblical Introduction, Church History, Language and Theology. You also have two elective units 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

The kind of future the GradCert could offer you

Hannah Mbitu
Church Worker, Kenya

“When I came to college I had a passion to serve children and young people, and this greatly increased during my time there. I developed confidence as my understanding of Scripture was growing every day, and I was helped to write good sermons and teaching lessons for my Sunday school work.  Above all I learned the importance of humility in the Christian life, and it made all the difference to me that I could see the lecturers and staff demonstrating this in their own lives – they interacted so freely and kindly with students and served them during community lunch and were the first to be cleaning up afterwards. I was so greatly blessed by my time at BST.”

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