Advanced Degree

CURRICULUM

The MTh programme is designed to be completed in one and a half years when the full load is taken. However, students who reside in Singapore have up to three years to complete it.

COURSE AND THESIS REQUIREMENTS

The following are the minimum requirements for each of the three MTh courses:

1. One 3-hour written examination (in lieu of this, a paper could be written with the consent of the course instructor).
2. One semestral paper of 5,000 words.
3. The minimum final grade required for each course is B-.

*Meaning and Practice of Theology is only graded pass or fail, and does not count towards the final grade.

The thesis must be written within the limit of 25,000 words (not including bibliography).

COURSES OFFERED

The MTh programme is designed to be completed in three semesters (one and a half years) when the full load is taken. However, students who reside in Singapore have up to three years to complete it.
All international MTh students are required to reside in Singapore for the first three semesters. Any exception to the residence requirement must be agreed by the advisor/supervisor and approved by the Academic Dean.

MTh students will take two courses per semester. In the first semester, students across the different concentrations will sit for the General Core course: The Meaning and Practice of Theology, and go through a seminar on Theological research and academic writing. The student will complete the remaining three MTh courses in an area of concentration in the remainder of the academic year. One out of the three MTh courses will be designated as the Disciplinary Core course for the area of concentration. In the second semester, the student will be assigned a supervisor to guide them in the preparation of the thesis proposal, with commencement of thesis writing beginning in the first semester of the following academic year.

DESCRIPTION OF COURSES

General Core (across all concentrations)
The Meaning and Practice of Theology: The course serves as a foundational module to the MTh programme of TTC. It seeks to set theological thinking in an expansive framework that incorporates Scriptural interpretation, doctrinal construction and contextualisation. The consideration of this expansive framework is intended to prompt the integration of the student’s selected focus for advanced studies with related disciplines and practice. Appreciating an integrative network also prevents tunnel-visioning or theological myopia, priming the student for a sophisticated engagement with his/her chosen focus.

Disciplinary Core (specific to a concentration)
The following is the disciplinary core course for a specific concentration that all MTh students studying in that area of concentration have to go through:

Advanced Textual Criticism (New Testament)
Text and Canon (Old Testament)
Readings in Key Seminal Theological Texts (Theology & Ethics)
Studies in Mission and World Religions (Missions and World Religions)
Theology of Religions and Inter-Faith Engagements (Public Theology)
Methodological Issues in Practical Theology (Practical Theology)

Other Courses Offered  
The following are some courses that could be offered under the different concentrations:

Intertextuality (New Testament, Old Testament)
Theological Anthropology (Theology & Ethics)
Theodicy (Theology & Ethics)
Global Theology in Asia (Theology & Ethics, Missions and World Religions)
Church-State Relations (Public Theology)
Theology of Religions and Inter-Faith Engagements (Missions and World Religions, Public Theology [Disciplinary Core])

Guided Studies
Students may also be assigned guided studies on a specific topic in lieu of one of two MTh courses (not including the disciplinary core).

TTC reserves the right to remove or add courses.