We are glad to announce BGST’s
MTh program in Biblical Studies.

RATIONALE

Singapore maintains a highly attractive position in the region as an educational hub due to its quality of English education as well as advanced internet facilities. This is true also for theological education especially in view of the growing leadership needs of the church within the region and especially in South and East Asia. We hope to meet the leadership and training needs of this broader area in Asia through our MTh in biblical studies when these graduates in turn go back and train grassroots level leaders in their own places.

The content covered MDiv/MCS levels will not be repeated, but building on that knowledge, we hope to take the program beyond content level focusing on critical issues in Biblical literature, history, theology, and hermeneutics and contextual and pedagogical issues. For this reason only a limited number of courses will be taken in the area of concentration in order to develop analytical skills and critical thinking to an advanced level. While the basic aim is to prepare leaders and teachers for the Church, we hope this would also form adequate basis for them to go for a PhD program afterwards.

PROGRAM DESIGN

This program is designed for both full‑time and part‑time students. We encourage each student to be sponsored by a Church or a Christian agency. It will be a one and half years to two years program with a combination of Old and NT courses. The program consists of 23 credit hours of course work and a thesis of 12 credit hours. A thesis of 25,000‑30,000 words on a topic of student’s interest approved by the BGST Faculty Board is required. Thesis will normally be carried out during the third and fourth semesters, that is, after the course work is complete. Roughly 50% of the course work will be in lecture form and the rest through seminars where students will offer papers on required topics in a weekly graduate seminar. It is hoped that seminar papers will introduce the students to methods of research and presentation which will in turn prepare them for the advanced work required for a thesis. The course work shall include the following areas of study:

REQUIREMENTS

1. An MDiv, or an equivalent degree from an accredited institution with a GPA 3.3 on a scale of 4.0.

2. MA/MCS degrees with a GPA 3.3 will be accepted provided students upgrade their course work/thesis at BGST to the level of an MDiv.

3. Six credits of Hebrew or Greek grammar and 3 credits of exegesis in one of the languages.

4. A TOEFL score of 570 is required for graduates whose medium of instruction at their primary and secondary school was not English.

TEACHING FACULTY

Old Testament
Philip Satterthwaite, PhD (Manchester)
Augustine Pagolu, PhD (OCMS, Oxford)

New Testament
Quek Swee Hwa, PhD (Manchester)
Aquila Lee, PhD (Aberdeen)
Oh Boon Leong, PhD (London)
Quek Tze‑Ming, PhD (Candidate, Cambridge)

Inter‑Disciplinary
Ng Peh Cheng, PhD (Michigan, USA)
Douglas Milne, PhD (South Africa)
Edwin Tay, PhD (Candidate, Edinburgh)

SCHOLARSHIP

A scholarship of S$4,200 may be awarded to deserving students from ‘third world’ countries. The scholarship amount will only cover application fee, course fee, thesis binding, and graduation fee. The student/sponsoring body must be responsible for his/her own living expenses during his/her course of study.

COURSE CONTENT

The course work shall include the following areas of study: 

Courses commencing after this week

• *Better Speech for Leadership & Ministry (AT231, 1.5 credits) starting Wed, Feb 21, 7.30-10pm. Lecturer: Rev Ng Seng Chuan. The commencement of the course may be changed to a later date. Call the Admin office for information.

• Contextual Hermeneutics: Reading the Bible in the Asian Context (HE210, 1.5 credits), starting Fri, Mar 16, 7.30-9.30pm. Lecturer: Dr Augustine Pagolu.

• The Psalms through the History of the Church (OT214, 3 credits), Guest Lecturer: Prof James Houston. This intensive course covers 8 double-lecture sessions on Apr 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16; time: 7.15-10.15pm.

• Romans: The Gospel According to Paul (NT311, 1.5 credits), starting Sat, Apr 7, 4.00-5.30pm at Bishan campus. Lecturer: Dr Quek Swee Hwa.

• *Greek Homiletics (BG252, 1.5 credits), starting Sat, Apr 7, 2.00-3.30pm, at Bishan campus. Lecturer: Dr Quek Swee Hwa.

• Zechariah Elective (OT364, 1.5 credits), starting Tue, Apr 17, 7.30-9.30pm. Lecturer: Dr Philip Satterthwaite.

• Culture Research (ME257, 3 credits, video), starting Tue, Apr 17, 7.15-10.15pm. Lecturer: Dr Miriam Adeney/Dr Ng Peh Cheng.

• *Communication Skills for Speakers & Church Leaders (AT232, 1.5 credits), starting Wed, Apr 18, 7.30-10.00pm. Lecturer: Rev Ng Seng Chuan.

• *Counselling Skills: Pre-Marital Counselling (CO232, 1.5 credits), Thu, May 3, 7.15-10.15pm. Lecturer: Mr Song Cheng Hock.

*Courses marked with an asterik are not offered on audit basis. Visit our website for the course descriptions. Registration is open for all courses. You can register on-line or send us an email at bgst@pacific.net.sg