Courses | Master of Arts (Old Testament)
Below are the course requirements for this academic program. For more program details, including graduation requirements and learning outcomes, visit Biola's academic catalog.
Specialization Requirements
Competency Requirement
Students must pass TTOT 603, TTOT 604, and TTOT 703 with a C- or better to progress to any course for which TTOT 603, TTOT 604, or TTOT 703 is a prerequisite or receive approval from the department chair.
Program Structure
The academic program leading to the degree Master of Arts with a specialization in Old Testament is comprised of 49 credits, including:
- Biblical and theological foundations.
- Spiritual Formation Focus (SFF).
- Academic specialization in one of four disciplines requiring biblical language studies, or general studies in which biblical languages are not required.
- Students must include one Semitic language course (TTOT 731 or TTOT 733) and one Old Testament Seminar (TTOT 791).
- Additional elective courses determined by the student in consultation with the advisor.
Students may complete this specialization online, on-campus, or by a combination of those two modalities.
Combined B.A. - M.A. Program
Students in Biola University's Bachelor of Arts in Bible, Theology, and Ministry with a concentration in Old Testament may take graduate courses in their senior year, allowing the completion of a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in an accelerated format. See the Bachelor of Arts in Bible, Theology, and Ministry for the undergraduate portion of the accelerated B.A. - M.A. program.
Advanced Standing
Applicants who have taken undergraduate courses in biblical or theological studies may request advanced standing based on collegiate work. See Talbot Admissions Requirements for details. Note: if master's level courses are given advanced standing based on undergraduate coursework, some Ph.D. programs may require additional graduate courses in order to meet doctoral program requirements.
Hebrew Language Requirement
The language courses listed below are required. Qualifying examinations to test out of TTOT 603 or TTOT 604 are available to all interested students. Depending on exam results, a student may enroll directly into TTOT 604 or TTOT 703. For any language courses waived by the qualifying examination, the student should take an equal number of Hebrew or Semitic language credits in the Old Testament department (3 or 6).
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite Courses | ||
| Old Testament Survey | ||
| New Testament Survey | ||
| Program Courses | ||
| TTBE 517 | Hermeneutics and Bible Study Methods | 3 |
| TTSF 501 | Introduction to Spiritual Theology and Formation | 3 |
| TTSF 503 | Personal Foundations for Spiritual Formation | 3 |
| TTSF 504 | Spiritual Formation, Vocation, and the Disciplines | 1 |
| TTSF 505 | Talbot Spiritual Direction I | 0 |
| TTSF 506 | Talbot Spiritual Direction II | 0 |
| TTTH 521 | Theology I: God, Scripture, Creation | 3 |
| TTTH 522 | Theology II: Christ, Humanity, Sin, Salvation | 3 |
| TTTH 623 | Theology III: Spirit, Church, Last Things | 3 |
| Old Testament Specialization Courses | ||
| TTOT 603 | Elements of Hebrew I | 3 |
| TTOT 604 | Elements of Hebrew II | 3 |
| TTOT 703 | Introduction to Hebrew Exegesis | 3 |
| TTOT 720 | Critical Issues in Old Testament Studies | 3 |
| TTOT 722 | Hebrew Exegesis 1 | 2 |
| TTOT 745 | World of the Old Testament | 3 |
| TTOT 799 | Old Testament Capstone | 1 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Old Testament elective courses | 9 | |
| General elective courses | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 49 | |
- 1
Must be taken for 2 credits, may be taken for 3 credits with the remaining credit counting toward electives.