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.
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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
NT introduction
Exegesis
OT exegesis (in English or Hebrew)
NT exegesis (in English or Greek)
Ministry and Practice
Evangelism and mission
Pastoral and church-focused ministry
Developmental ministry
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.
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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.”
