The Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Church Ministry is an accelerated degree-completion program designed for busy adults. This program focuses on theology and its application in church ministry.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
60 Credit Hours
24 Months
UPCOMING START DATES
You can join a live cohort about every 5-8 weeks (depending on holidays and breaks). If you are interested in joining a cohort, please apply right away. Classes meet on Tuesdays from 6-10 PM Eastern.
Program Summary
An online program where adult students take one course at a time for approximately two years to finish their Bachelor’s Degree. Students will take courses in Orthodox Theological Studies and Church Ministry. Every course incorporates Orthodox Theological Studies into the curriculum. Our cohorts have a maximum of 20 students, so APPLY today to reserve your spot.
Our curriculum focuses on five key areas
- Orthodox Theology
- Personal Development
- Christian Leadership
What To Expect?
Doable. You might think you’re too busy to go back to school. Maybe you haven’t found a program designed for busy adults. With our program, you will commit to one night a week of class, homework, and a simple project per semester. That’s it! During the senior year, students engage in a year-long capstone. Some Capstone Senior Projects can be done at work to benefit your employer.
Support. Every instructor and staff member is committed to helping you graduate. Whether it’s a little extra tutoring or some inspiration to finish that project, we are ready to help you achieve your career goals.
New Options. Finishing your degree can help remove the glass ceiling in your career. Graduating transforms students’ lives with promotions, raises, or possibly moving into a whole new career.
Faculty
Be assured that every faculty member is fully qualified to guide students through the coursework.
Courses
Core Studies
LDR 301: Leadership Development. With assessments and an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, students will gain a better understanding of themselves and their potential.
TH 410: Missiology. A study of the mission, theology, and praxis of the Orthodox Church as established by the apostles in commission from Jesus Christ to the modern efforts in places like Africa and North America.
SG 303: Unseen Warfare Part 3: Prayer & Spirituality. Discover a deeper understanding of the spiritual significance of a disciplined prayer life and how developing a habit of prayer is a necessary ingredient if one desires to build and grow in understanding the grace of God and the fullness of His Church.
TH 407: St. Athanasius of Alexandria. A study of the life and works of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, patron of the college.
TH 408: Foundations of Orthodox Christian Ethics. Evil and sin are discussed in terms of experience and therapy. Human moral capacity, natural moral law, and related issues are covered in connection with the Scriptures and the Fathers. Ethical decision-making is related to the evangelical ethic and confirmation of the image and likeness of God.
TH 409: Survey of the Latin Orthodox Fathers. A study of the life, works, and legacy of some of the major Latin church fathers of the Orthodox West before the schism of 1054 A.D. The writings of many “greats” such as Saint Augustine, Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Jerome, Saint Ambrose, and many more are examined.
BIB 301: Introduction to the Old Testament. This course is a survey of the Old Testament based on the St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology Septuagint Translation in the Orthodox Study Bible. Topics include: major divisions, authors, dates, themes, backgrounds, and outlines. Also included is the liturgical use of the biblical canticles, Psalms, and Festal Readings.
BIB 302: Introduction to the New Testament. This course is a survey of the New Testament based on the commentary found within the Orthodox Study Bible. Topics include: genres of literature, placement, major divisions, gospels, Acts & St. Paul’s letters, and the Catholic Epistles.
PC 301-302: Practicum. Students complete a simple project each semester of their junior year. Project ideas include independent study, book studies, parish training guides, a workbook on a theological text, and more. All projects must be theologically rooted in Orthodox Theology and the student must be able to demonstrate so.
CAP 301 & 302: Theological Capstone Part 1. A Capstone Project is a two-semester project where students identify a problem, select a possible solution, apply the solution, and measure the results. All of this is reported in a Capstone paper that is presented to the cohort before graduating.
Eight Electives
- A Study of the Spiritual Direction of St. John Climacus
- Pastoral Theology
- Introduction to Parish Volunteers
- Church History
- Patristic Survey
- Dogmatic Theology
- Sacramental Theology
- Canon Law
Tuition
Every effort has been made for our students to graduate WITHOUT student loans. This is an important principle for this program. Every course in this program is 3 credit hours.
3 credit hours = $425
Each course is $425. Our program is 60 credit hours which equals a total cost of $8,500. We also put a limit of $75 on the cost of textbooks per course. At the beginning of each semester, the student enrolls in two courses at $425 each (for a total of $850). Then students take one course every five weeks until the end of the semester.
Program Schedule
The cohort meets on Zoom every Tuesday. Class sessions are four hours long from 6 PM – 10 PM Eastern. A 10-minute break occurs every 50 minutes.
When a U.S. Holiday or Eastern Orthodox Major Feast occurs on a Tuesday, the cohort will not meet. However, if the Holiday occurs the day before or after, the cohort will meet. A break is also given for Eastern Orthodox Holy Week.
Attendance & Tardiness Policy
Excused absences do not affect a student’s grade. Two unexcused absences will result in a grade reduction for the course one half of a letter grade (e.g. A to A-, A- to B+, etc.), however, the final decision concerning grade
reduction is the prerogative of the course instructor. Further absences will affect the final grade accordingly. A student whose attendance of the course is lower than 70% may receive the grade of FN (failure for non-attendance), with the approval of the instructor. A student may appeal the grade reduction.
A student who is late for the regularly scheduled class session for more than seven (7) minutes (given that the instructor is in class and the class session has begun) is considered “tardy” for the class and is marked accordingly on the attendance record. Three instances of tardiness may trigger a grade deduction at the instructor’s discretion. Students who may be late for class are obliged to inform instructors in advance. Students who arrive more than 15 minutes late may be marked “absent.” Students who miss more than 15 minutes of class time (excluding the breaks) may be marked “absent” at the discretion of the teacher.
Transcripts & Acceptance
Here are the following requirements for acceptance into the program.
- 60 transferable semester credit hours completed before the first day of class that have a C grade or higher. Send unofficial transcripts for evaluation to adamr@antiochian.org. Upon acceptance, official transcripts are required immediately.
- Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English.
- The ability to execute and complete a capstone project either in the workforce or at one’s home church. Those in the Satellite Campus Program must complete their practicum and capstone at the host parish.
- For the Satellite Campus Program, all high school graduates are welcome to apply. For online only, we recommend (not required) an age of at least 21 years old on the first day of the program.
Degree Requirements
The degree will be awarded upon the completion of the degree requirements, which include:
- A minimum of 120 semester credit hours in courses numbered 100 – 499.
- Of the minimum total hours, 60 semester hours must be in upper-division courses (numbered 300 – 499).
- Minimum GPA requirements for coursework in the major, and a minimum GPA of 2.0 overall in coursework completed at St. Athanasius College.
- Candidates for the bachelor’s degree must complete at least 60 credits at SAC. A minimum of 20 of these credits must be completed in upper-division courses, and a minimum of 10 credits must be completed in courses in the student’s selected degree program.
- Candidates must complete at least 18 credit hours in upper-division theological studies. Up to 9 of the 18 credit hours may be obtained in alternate ways, such as through transfer credit, testing out of a course, the substitution of a major research paper, or in rare cases through advanced standing with proof of proficiency, pending the approval of the dean.
- The degree must be completed within a period of seven years, once begun at SAC.
© St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodoxy Theology
