Advanced Master of Divinity
The Advanced Master of Divinity allows students to build upon undergraduate theological training by taking advanced courses in place of the introductory courses in the regular Master of Divinity curriculum.
Entrance Requirements
The student must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0. The student’s undergraduate major should be in a discipline directly related to the courses in the Advanced MDiv curriculum. The Advanced MDiv is built upon 33 hours of prerequisites.
| Course Title | Hours |
|---|---|
| Old Testament I and II | 6 |
| New Testament I and II | 6 |
| Greek or Hebrew | 9 hours in one language |
| Systematic Theology I, II, and III | 9 |
| Baptist Heritage | 3 |
| Total | 33 |
The prerequisite courses must cover the entire range of material covered in the SWBTS courses and must be completed with a grade of B- or higher.
Students who have not fulfilled all prerequisites may complete the remaining prerequisites at the beginning of work toward the degree.
Degree Requirements
The 73-hour degree includes advanced courses in Biblical Studies, Theological Studies, Ethics and Philosophical Studies, as well as courses in Preaching and Ministry Studies and Evangelism and Missions Studies. In addition, the degree includes 12 hours of free electives which are used to complete any available Fish School concentration or to complete a variety of Fish School electives not required elsewhere in the degree. Free elective hours may not be used for basic survey courses.
| Course Title | Course Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
Biblical Studies |
||
| Old Testament Elective | OLDTS Elective | 3 |
| New Testament Elective | NEWTS Elective | 3 |
| Biblical Hermeneutics | BIBST 3203 | 3 |
| Biblical Hebrew I1 | HEBRW 4313 | 3 |
| Biblical Hebrew II1 | HEBRW 4323 | 3 |
| Hebrew Exegetical Method1 | HEBRW 5003 | 3 |
| Hebrew or Greek Exegesis Elective | HEBRW or GREEK Elective | 3 |
| 1This presentation assumes the student completed 9 hours of Greek as prerequisites. If Hebrew was completed in the prerequisite category, the student takes GREEK 3313, 3323, and 4313 instead. | ||
Theological Studies |
||
| Church History I | CHAHT 3103 | 3 |
| Church History II | CHAHT 3113 | 3 |
| Church History Elective | CHAHT | 3 |
| Systematic Theology Elective | SYSTH | 3 |
Ethics and Philosophical Studies |
||
|
Christian Ethics (three options): The Christian Home, Christians Ethics OR The Bible and Moral Issues Christian Apologetics |
ETHIC 4303, 4313, OR 4323 PHILO 4373 |
3 3 |
Evangelism and Missions Studies |
||
| Contemporary Evangelism | EVANG 3303 | 3 |
| Introduction to Missiology | MISSN 3363 | 3 |
Preaching or Teaching |
||
| Introduction to Expository Preaching or Introduction to Expository Teaching2 | PRCHG 3313 or WOMST 40432 | 3 |
| Advanced Expository Preaching or Free Elective2 | PRCHG 3323 or Free Elective | 3 |
Ministry Studies |
||
| Foundations for Christian Ministry or Ministry to Women2 | PASMN 3313 WOMST 40032 | 3 |
| Christian Leadership | EDMIN 3043 | 3 |
| Applied Ministry - Mentoring | APLEV 4031 | 1 |
| Applied Ministry - Disciple-Making | APLEV 4041 | 1 |
Spiritual Formation |
||
| Spiritual Formation | SPFRM 3022 | 2 |
School of Evangelism and Missions Concentrations |
||
| Any Combination Fish School Electives or Concentration specific courses. 3,4 |
12 | |
| Total | 73 | |
|
2Female Students enrolled in MDiv complete these courses instead of the courses required for male students 3Students seeking a concentration take specific courses in lieu of elective hours. See Master of Divinity Concentrations - School of Evangelism and Missions for details. 4 Students may take up to 6 hours of Arabic courses for the Islamic Studies Concentration. |
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Advanced M.Div. with International Church Planting Concentration
This degree follows the same basic format as above with variances in the courses specific to the concentration. Students interested in the Adv. M.Div. with a concentration in International Church Planting should contact the Registrar's Office for information, application, and approval. The office is located in Fleming 204 and can be reached by phone at (817) 921-8820.
Transfer Credit
Master's courses from an eligible institution may transfer into the Advanced M.Div. The courses must be comparable to the Southwestern courses for which transfer credit is requested and be completed with a “B” or better.
Additional Resources
Students interested in more information regarding the program should contact the Fish School of Evangelism and Missions Dean's Office at (817) 921-8642 or by emailing FishSchool@swbts.edu. Students may also contact the Office of the Registrar at (817) 921-8820 or in Fleming 204.