Bachelor of Theology

No longer offered

The Bachelor of Theology requires three years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time).

The course is offered by the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

Students who wish to exit the award after completion of 36 units or 72 units may be awarded a Diploma of Theology or an Associate Degree of Theology respectively, subject to specific requirements. Refer to the links below for the requirements for these programs:

• Diploma of Theology
• Associate Degree of Theology

Enrolment in the Honours program may be offered to a student who meets certain academic criteria and subject to the College being able to provide appropriate resources and staff to supervise the program of study.

• Admission requirements
• Course aims
• Learning outcomes
• Program of study
• Honours 
  
  

Admission requirements

The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements 

Course aims

The Bachelor of Theology aims to:

• provide students with an opportunity to develop a broad understanding and expression of Christian faith
• provide students with an opportunity to study Christian traditions and thought, including systematic theology, biblical studies, church history and ministry studies
• examine and reflect upon Christian traditions and develop an understanding of connections with other disciplines, in the context of modern Australian culture and society
• enable students to develop sound communication and presentation skills (both oral and written)

Learning outcomes

At the completion of the Bachelor of Theology, students will be able to demonstrate:

• a broad understanding and expression of Christian faith, and of the academic study of Christian traditions and thought
• a capacity to make connections between Christian traditions and other disciplines, in the context of contemporary society
• an ability to reason and argue clearly, and to understand complex positions involving Christian traditions and values in modern Australian culture and society
• sound communication and presentation skills (both oral and written)

Program of study

To complete the Bachelor of Theology degree, a student shall complete 108 units with a grade of Pass or better. The 108 units must include:

• 36 units of Biblical Studies topics and

• 36 units of Historical and Systematic Theology topics and 

• 36 units of Ministry Studies topics (Ministry Studies may include 4.5 units status for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)), and/or other disciplines / Biblical Languages topics

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year and some topics are offered in various internal/external modes as indicated.

Biblical Studies

Students are required to have completed all 13.5 units of Year 1 topics before commencing Year 2 or 3 topics.

Core - Year 1 topics

 THEO1101  Interpreting the Old Testament  (4.5 units)
 THEO1201  Interpreting the New Testament  (4.5 units)
 THEO1204  Synoptic Studies. Engaging the Gospel of Matthew, Mark or Luke  (4.5 units)

Core - Year 3 topic

 THEO3002  Biblical Hermeneutics: Making Sense of the Bible  (4.5 units)

plus 18 units of Biblical Studies options from the topics listed below (at least one Year 3 topic must be completed, and both Old Testament and New Testament topics must be represented)

Option - Year 2 & 3 topics

 THEO2110  Israel's Response to Exile  (4.5 units)
 THEO2111  Pentateuch  (4.5 units)
 THEO2216  Pauline Letters  (4.5 units)
 THEO2220  Bible and Popular Culture  (4.5 units)
 THEO3109  Writings of the Hebrew Bible  (4.5 units)
 THEO3110  Wisdom Literature  (4.5 units)
 THEO3111  Prophetic Literature  (4.5 units)
 THEO3217  Study Tour: Lands of the Bible  (4.5 units)
 THEO3218  John's Gospel and the Johannine Epistles  (4.5 units)
 THEO2704  Biblical Greek 1  (4.5 units)
 THEO2705  Biblical Hebrew 1  (4.5 units)

Historical and Systematic Theology

Core - Year 1 topics

 THEO1401  Church History A (4.5 units)

plus 9 units from the year 1 topics listed below

 THEO1301  Faith and Revelation  (4.5 units)
 THEO1303  Humanity and God  (4.5 units)
 THEO1304  Introduction to Christian Theology  (4.5 units)

Core - Year 2 topics

 THEO2314  The Theology of Jesus Christ, Word and Saviour  (4.5 units)
 THEO2410  Church History B  (4.5 units)

plus 13.5 units of Historical and Systematic Theology options from the topics listed below

Option - Year 2 & 3 topics

 PHIL2610  Truth, Reality and God: Themes from the Philosophy of Religion  (4.5 units)
 THEO2315  Orientation to the Uniting Church in Australia  (4.5 units)
 THEO2411  Service as Good News -The Diaconate in History  (4.5 units)
 THEO2520  Exploring Cross-Cultural Ministry  (4.5 units)
 THEO2522  Theology of Reconciliation  (4.5 units)
 THEO3330  Religious Pluralism in a Contemporary World  (4.5 units)
 THEO3331  Christian Ethics  (4.5 units)
 THEO3335  God the Trinity  (4.5 units)
 THEO3336  Church, Ministry and Sacraments  (4.5 units)
 THEO3411  Medieval Church History  (4.5 units)
 THEO3412  Modern Church History  (4.5 units)

Ministry Studies, Biblical Languages and Other Disciplines

Choose 36 units from one or more of the Ministry Studies, Biblical Languages and Other Discipline groups. Up to 13.5 units may also be chosen from the Biblical Studies and Historical and Systematic Theology topics listed above.

Ministry Studies

Students are required to complete 9 units of Year 1 topics before commencing Year 2 or 3 topics.

Option - Year 1 topics 

Up to 9 units may be selected from the Year 1 topics listed below

 THEO1502  Reading Cultures  (4.5 units)
 THEO1507  Introduction to Pastoral Care  (4.5 units)
 THEO1509  Introduction to Christian Leadership  (4.5 units)

Option - Year 2 & 3 topics

Up to 27 units may be selected from Year 2 and 3 topics listed below

 THEO2315  Orientation to the Uniting Church in Australia  (4.5 units)
 THEO2520  Exploring Cross-Cultural Ministry  (4.5 units)
 THEO2521  Ministry and Mission Studies 1  (4.5 units)
 THEO2522  Theology of Reconciliation  (4.5 units)
 THEO2523  Worship in the Protestant Tradition  (4.5 units)
 THEO2524  Community Based Spritiual Care  (4.5 units)
 THEO2525  Christian Education  (4.5 units)
 THEO2526  Soul Stirrings: A History of Christian Spirituality  (4.5 units)
 THEO3511  Ministry and Mission Studies 2  (4.5 units)
 THEO3513  Christian Spirituality  (4.5 units)
 THEO3514  Formation for Christian Ministries  (4.5 units)

Biblical Languages

Students may choose up to 27 units from the following topics of which up to 4.5 units may be included in the Biblical Studies stream.

 THEO2704  Biblical Greek 1  (4.5 units)
 THEO2705  Biblical Hebrew 1  (4.5 units)
 THEO3705  Biblical Greek 2  (4.5 units)
 THEO3706  Biblical Greek 3  (4.5 units)
 THEO3707  Biblical Hebrew 2  (4.5 units)
 THEO3708  Biblical Hebrew 3  (4.5 units)

Other Disciplines

Students may choose up to 36 units from non-Theology disciplines. If 36 units are chosen from non-Theology disciplines then at least 9 units must be Year 1 topics (2 x 4.5 units); at least 18 units must be from the same discipline; and at least 18 units must be chosen at a more advanced level than Year 1.

Honours

Refer to Bachelor of Theology (Honours)