HDS - AFA - ThM Program

Admissions and Financial Aid

The Master of Theology Degree

The master of theology (ThM) program provides an opportunity for students who have received the master of divinity degree or its equivalent (three years of graduate theological study) to pursue advanced theological studies for one year. The program is especially recommended for students who are seeking competence for the ministry beyond that provided by the master of divinity degree.

It is equally appropriate for those who, after some years in ministry, teaching, or another field, wish to return to a theological institution to clarify their thinking, to prepare themselves for new tasks, or to acquire further competence in a specific area of study.

Requirements for the Degree

Program and Distribution | Research | Language

To receive the master of theology degree, students are required to complete the equivalent of one year of full-time study, fulfilling the following:

Program and Distribution Requirements

Students must complete the equivalent of eight half courses with at least four half courses taken in their area of focus. At least one half course in this area must be a seminar or colloquium. Students may cross-register for as many as half of their courses in any term in other Schools of the University or within the member schools of the Boston Theological Institute (BTI).

Research Requirements

Candidates must pass an oral examination, given by a faculty committee, when the course requirements are nearing completion. The candidate must submit one large or two smaller research papers that provide a starting point or a center for the questioning at the final oral examination. These papers may have been prepared in connection with, or as a part of the requirements for, the seminar(s) or other courses the student has completed as part of the ThM program.

Language Requirements

A student must demonstrate that he or she has attained a reading knowledge at an intermediate level in one language of theological scholarship. Languages normally acceptable for fulfilling this requirement are Greek, Hebrew, Latin, French, German, or Spanish. In addition, areas of concentration and particular topics of study may require intermediate knowledge of a second language.

Competence in a language may be demonstrated in one of three ways:

passing a written examination in a classical or modern theological language, taken as early as possible in a student's course of study
completing satisfactorily the second semester of an HDS intermediate-level course in Greek or Hebrew, or one semester of an HDS intermediate-level course in Latin
completing satisfactorily the final exam in a modern theological language course in the HDS Summer Language Program.

A maximum of four half courses in language instruction may be counted toward the eight half course requirement for the degree.