Master of Arts (MA) in Biblical and Christian Studies
Concordia’s Master of Arts in Biblical and Christian Studies encourages a comprehensive approach to Biblical and Christian studies. Students in this program develop a high level of competence in research, writing, teaching, and communication skills.
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- This program prepares students with the knowledge and skills that will qualify them for any Ph. D. program in the broad field of Biblical and Christian Studies at any university offering such a program.
- Students are expected to demonstrate their scholarly ability through the preparation and defense of a major thesis.
- In this program students are prepared to serve as highly qualified resource people within a church or para-church setting or, after further graduate work in a doctoral program, to seek a teaching or administrative position in a university or seminary.
- They have the opportunity in this program to expand their communication skills in seminar settings and in supervised lectures delivered by them to undergraduates.
- This program also helps students to increase their knowledge of what it means to think in a Christian manner about their vocation, their relationships, their activities–indeed, about all of life.
Accreditation
Concordia’s Master of Arts in Biblical and Christian Studies has been approved by the Board of Regents of Concordia University College of Alberta and fully accredited by the Government of Alberta. During its process of accreditation it was favourably reviewed by Alberta’s Campus Alberta Quality Council and by a panel of experts from five universities across the country. It was designed to meet national and international standards by satisfying the expectations on the master’s level outlined in the Canadian Degree Qualifications Framework endorsed by the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada. Concordia’s Master of Arts in Biblical and Christian studies compares favourably in both entrance requirements and program requirements to other two-years master’s programs in Alberta and across Canada, and Concordia is a full member of both the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
Program Design
Students in the Master of Arts in Biblical and Christian Studies will receive instruction in a specialized field of study. A wide-range of subjects is offered in three areas of concentration:
- Old Testament Studies
- New Testament Studies
- Christian Theology and History
Each student will complete three courses (9 credits) in one of the above areas of concentration, two courses (6 credits) from among the other two areas of concentration listed above, a Principles and Methodology of Biblical and Christian Studies course (3 credits), and a Thesis (12 credits) in his/her major area of concentration, for a total of 30 credits needed to complete the program.
In addition a foreign language requirement must be satisfied. The usual foreign language requirement is a reading ability in a language other than English that is most likely to be relevant to the student’s research.
Students entering the MA program may transfer from one area of concentration to another during the first two calendar years of their graduate studies, provided the Faculty of Graduate Studies judges their progress to be satisfactory and the GPA requirement has been met.
Students must meet a minimum residency requirement consisting of 12 months full-time continuous registration in the program. Students must complete the requirements for the degree within four years of the term in which they first register as a candidate for the master’s program. In exceptional circumstances, an extension may be granted.
Qualified Faculty
Concordia’s Religious Studies faculty consists of professors who have been specifically trained and are active scholars in the areas that are taught in the master’s program. Only those who have an earned doctorate in the specific field and who have demonstrated their academic and scholarly abilities within their specific area have been called to teach in the program. All faculty are actively engaged in scholarly research and writing. Upon enrolment in the program, each student receives an advisor from among the faculty who will generally advise the student in all matters related to their studies and serve as their supervisor as they write their thesis.
Class Size Matters
Class sizes are small. This enables our professors and instructors to work with students at a more personal level. Smaller class sizes also translate into a variety of learning opportunities– individual, pairs, small groups, and seminars. Further to this, we are proud of our record in being able to meet our students’ individual needs.
Course Selection
The course offerings reflect the composition of the student body. However, besides the methodology course that is offered during each fall term (as required), a minimum of one course at the graduate level is taught in each of Old Testament Studies, New Testament Studies, and Christian Theology/History in a given semester. Therefore, it is possible for a student to complete all the courses in his/her program in the first year, leaving the thesis to complete in year two of the program.
Student Support
The graduate faculty is committed to the intellectual development of graduate students through sustained participation in activities involving graduate students, such as colloquia, conferences, scholarly presentations, and other public lectures and events. Concordia also has a Graduate Student Association which provides the opportunity for graduate students to support one another and to deal with common concerns.
Graduate Assistantships
A limited number of graduate assistant positions in teaching and/or research are available to well-qualified students on a first-come, first-served basis. Students are compensated in return for their services on an hourly basis. They are expected to be available to assist a professor who supervises their work, which may include guest lectures in an undergraduate course, the grading of exams and/or research papers, specific research assignments, and/or other related duties as assigned.
Graduate Awards
Federal and provincial scholarships are available to students who display outstanding academic achievement and are normally awarded on a competitive basis. For a listing of graduate awards, see Section 13.1 of the Calendar.
Graduate Fees
Each year, students are assessed a per-credit education fee for the courses in which they are registered. A limited number of other mandatory fees are assessed on a per-credit basis while they are completing the program.
In a thesis-based M.A. program, students who have completed all of the course work may register in either Full-time Thesis or Part-time Thesis. Students who are unable to complete their thesis during one year of Full-time Thesis registsration will subsequently register in Part-time Thesis. Fees for Full-time Thesis registration will be assessed at the same rate as a 6-credit course for each semester. Fees for Part-time Thesis registration will be assessed on a per-credit basis. For a listing of fees see Section 5.0 in the current Calendar.
Graduate Courses
Each year a selection from the following courses is offered to students in the Master of Arts in Biblical and Christian Studies program:
BCS 500 Principles and Methodology in Biblical and Christian Studies
BCS 502 Intermediate Hebrew Grammar and Readings
*BCS 511 Religion and Pop Culture
*BCS 513 Special Topics in the Pentateuch
*BCS 516 Special Topics in the Prophet Isaiah
BCS 530 Readings in the Greek New Testament
*BCS 532 Studies in Luke-Acts
*BCS 534 Topics in Pauline Literature
*BCS 536 The Historical Jesus
*BCS 537 Topics in the Gospel of Matthew
*BCS 543 Studies in Reformation Themes
BCS 544 Faith and Philosophy
*BCS 551 History of Christianity in Canada
BCS 661 Studies in Christianity and Pop Culture
BCS 613 Studies in the Pentateuch
BCS 634 Studies in Pauline Literature
BCS 637 Studies in the Gospel of Matthew
BCS 651 Studies in the History of Christianity in Canada
*Courses with an asterisk may be cross-listed with courses in the undergraduate program.
See the Concordia website, www.concordia.ab.ca for the full listing of courses with course descriptions. For a listing of courses to be taught in any given year, contact Concordia’s Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. Marco Loverso (email: marco.loverso@concordia.ab.ca)
Admission Requirements
- Students should have completed 36 undergraduate credits in Religious Studies at an accredited university, including 6 credits in one of the following concentration areas: 1) Hebrew Scripture, 2) New Testament, 3) Christian Theology/History.
- A minimum admission grade point average of 3.0 (on Concordia’s 4-point scale) or equivalent on the most recent 60 credits of undergraduate (or graduate) study.
- Students must have completed six credits of a language other than English: Biblical Hebrew for students who intend to study Hebrew Scriptures, Classical/Koine Greek for those intending to study New Testament, one of Latin, French, or German for those intending to study Christian Theology/History. Students lacking these requirements upon application to the program will have their cases reviewed by the Master’s Program Committee who may prescribe placement exams or make-up courses.
- Students must also submit with their applications a recent written sample of work, normally a research paper produced in the last two years of a BA program. Papers specifically prepared for application also will be accepted.
- They must also submit a statement of interest (approximately 500 words) and two letters of reference: please ask your referees to use Concordia’s Graduate Application Confidential Assessment Form (click on Forms at the top of this page and download the pdf version of this form).
Application requirements are subject to change. For complete admission and application requirements, please see the current Calendar or contact Student and Enrollment Services at 780-479-9220.