---

Objectives
Program Requirements
Admission Requirements
Graduation Requirements
Curriculum
Applied Linguistics Concentrations

Objectives

The purpose of the M.A. in Linguistics and Biblical Languages (MA LBL) is to meet the needs of agencies involved in Bible translation, such as SIL International, for Christians who are well-trained in biblical languages and exegetical knowledge. While the M.A. in Applied Linguistics provides broad perspectives on issues such as translation, literacy, orthography, and language planning, the M.A. in Linguistics and Biblical Languages has a more specific focus on linguistics, exegesis and biblical languages. Students who complete the M.A. in Linguistics and Biblical Languages program will be able to accurately analyze either Hebrew or Greek, understand the relevant historical and cultural background, exegete the Scriptures, and apply sound linguistic and biblical principles in the translation of the Scriptures.

Program Requirements

The M.A. in Linguistics and Biblical Languages program consists of 42 units of work beyond the foundational units. Students entering the program without the stated foundational units will be required to take up to 15 units in addition to the regular program. A comprehensive exam is required. (Students, in consultation with their advisor, may apply to write a thesis in lieu of taking comprehensive exams — details are available in the ALT Handbook.)

Two concentrations are possible, in either Hebrew or Greek.

Admission Requirements

Nine units of foundational Bible courses are required, preferably New Testament Survey, Old Testament Survey, and Hermeneutics. Six units of foundational linguistics are required, an introduction to language and linguistics and an introduction to articulatory phonetics.

Applicants for the M.A. in Linguistics and Biblical Languages program must meet the qualifications specified in the Admission to the School of Intercultural Studies section, including a profession of Christian faith. In addition to these, foreign applicants who are non-native English speakers must demonstrate both spoken and written proficiency in English through an oral interview and by submitting their TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) results. The TOEFL must have been taken within the past five years. A score of 600 paper / 250 computer with a TWE score of 5 is normally required for admission to the graduate programs in the department. Non-native speakers are also expected to demonstrate oral English proficiency by means of an interview with a faculty member.

All new graduate students, both native and non-native English speakers, are required to take the department’s Writing Proficiency Exam. If the results of the exam indicate that additional work in written grammar and composition is needed to enable a student to perform at the level expected for this field, he or she will be expected to do independent supplementary work on writing or to take and pass one or more writing courses available on campus.

Students who have all foundational requirements met and who want to study full-time are encouraged to enter the program in the fall.

Applications will be considered as a group. The deadline for priority admission in the fall semester is March 31. You will be informed of your status by April 30.

Graduation Requirements

Students in the M.A. in Linguistics and Biblical Languages program must successfully complete all required coursework with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 to qualify for graduation. No AL course with a grade less than a B (3.0) will be counted for the M.A.

The M.A. in Linguistics and Biblical Languages can be completed within two years by full-time students who do not have foundational requirements to meet, but part-time students may have up to seven years.

Curriculum

Core

	Theology	3
AL523	Introduction to Phonology	3
AL525	Introduction to Syntax	3
AL529	Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics	3
AL535	Introduction to Bible Translation	3
AL5xx	Linguistics of Biblical Languages (currently taught as Topics)	3
AL648	Discourse and Text Analysis	3
AL6xx	Seminar in Linguistics and Biblical Exegesis	3
AL697	Comprehensive Exam	0
	Total	24

Elective (18 units)

Linguistics and Biblical Languages Concentrations

Concentrations of 18 units each are possible in the areas of Hebrew and Greek.

Hebrew Concentration

OT603	Elements of Hebrew I	3
OT604	Elements of Hebrew II	3
OT705	Exegesis in Genesis and Selected Passages	3
OT717	Old Testament in Near Eastern Context	2
NT501	Beginning Greek I	2
	Elective in Hebrew exegesis or linguistics	5
	Total	18

Greek Concentration

NT501	Beginning Greek I	2
NT502	Beginning Greek II	2
NT503	Introduction to Exegesis	3
NT701	The World of the New Testament	2
OT603	Elements of Hebrew I	3
	Elective in Greek exegesis or linguistics	6
	Total	18