Bachelor of Arts Theology

Programme information

 

The programme is designed with a variety of Christian ministry roles in mind. All students benefit from a core of compulsory modules that provide a biblical, theological and practical grounding. And all students, in conversation with their sending church, and for full time students their personal tutor, have an opportunity to choose option modules that help them make progress towards their specific ministry goals (e.g. as pastors, teachers, elders, leaders, women’s workers, cross-cultural workers, youth, children and family workers). For the BA (Hons), the option modules comprise 120 credits out of the total of 360 credits required.  The ability to tailor your choices increases each year due to the number of elective credits available.

Mode

The normal length of time a full time student will spend on the programme is three academic years of two semesters each. A full time load will normally comprise 120 credits a year, although a student may be allowed to vary this by up to +/- 20 credits a year by agreement with the College.  

Full time students are expected to be in College five days a week, from Monday to Friday, and are required to attend all classes, fellowship group meetings and to meet faithfully all College requirements as regards placements. Chapel takes place every weekday in the middle of the day and full time students are expected to attend every day. There are no module classes on Wednesdays. We encourage students to treat being a full time student in the same way as having a full time job.

 

The award may also be studied on a part time basis, normally at a rate of 60 credits per year, although a student may be allowed to vary this by up to +/- 20 credits a year by agreement with the College.  

Part time students are required to attend all their classes and are expected to attend Chapel on the days that they are in College. Chapel takes place every weekday in the middle of the day. The compulsory modules for the BA (Hons) are split across six years for part time students. At CertHE and DipHE Level, the College will ensure that the required compulsory modules for the relevant half of the programme are offered on a Monday or Tuesday, along with sufficient option modules for you to complete those Levels. At BA (Hons)-level, the days of the week that students need to come into College will be determined by their module choices. The College will endeavour to offer the required compulsory modules on a Monday or Tuesday during each year; however, this will not always be possible because of timetabling constraints. 

Many part time students will find they need time for writing and reading that goes beyond the two days of lectures. The amount of time will vary during the rhythm of each semester and academic year, as well as being specific to each student’s own situation.

In addition to the normal weekly study required for a module, please note that there may be other aspects of your studies and college life which cannot be timetabled for a Monday or Tuesday which you are required to attend e.g. exams and safeguarding training. Other college activities such as study skills sessions may also take place on days other than a Monday or Tuesday. The College will endeavour to give as much notice as possible to enable you to make alternative arrangements so that you can attend these activities.

 

Summer Intensives

The College aims to offer some of the option modules through a rolling programme of Summer Intensives. During any 12-month period, an option module may be offered either in intensive format or in standard format, but will not normally be offered in both. The Summer Intensives will normally take place in the first two weeks of July, after the Semester 2 Assessment Board. 

Students may opt to study up to 20 credits of their total required credits for the year in the Summer Intensive period preceding the start of their next academic year, subject to timetabled offerings: i.e., each student's learning for an academic year will take place during Semester 1, Semester 2 and, optionally, the preceding Summer Intensive period. No student may access an intensive module as part of their programme prior to enrolment or after completion of their award: as such, Summer Intensives will not be available to new starter students but only to returning/continuing students.  The modules studied may be: 

  1. At the student's current level;  
  2. At the level(s) below; or
  3. At the level immediately above.

Students may not take modules that are two Levels above.  Please see the Programmes Handbook for more details.

 

Auditing

In addition students are permitted to audit individual modules (i.e. to study, but not for credit) alongside the compulsory and option modules that they are studying for credit as part of their programme. The maximum permitted amounts for auditing shall be determined by the amount that students are studying for credit towards their programme in any given year as follows:   

Full time   

Programme credits      
100 (min)
120 (norm) 
140 (max)

Part time   

Programme credits      
40 (min)
60 (norm)
80 (max)

 

Maximum audit credits permitted
40*
20
0

   

Maximum audit credits permitted
40*
20
0

*Permissible only at the discretion of the college

 

Placements

Two weekly church placement modules are a compulsory part of the BA (Hons), and an optional additional placement is available as an option module. Some of your training goals for ministry will be pursued in your placement which will also provide opportunities to develop some of the skills you are learning elsewhere in the curriculum. It will keep you focussed on ministry in the real world and provides opportunities for some great adventures discovering the riches of church life. It is College's responsibility to allocate placements, although part time students normally stay in their home church or the church they are working in for their placement. 

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