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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:

  1. Biblical and theological foundations.
  2. Spiritual Formation Focus (SFF).
  3. Academic specialization in one of four disciplines requiring biblical language studies, or general studies in which biblical languages are not required.
  4. Students must include one Semitic language course (TTOT 731 or TTOT 733) and one Old Testament Seminar (TTOT 791).
  5. 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

Prerequisite Courses
Old Testament Survey
New Testament Survey
Program Courses
TTBE 517Hermeneutics and Bible Study Methods3
TTSF 501Introduction to Spiritual Theology and Formation3
TTSF 503Personal Foundations for Spiritual Formation3
TTSF 504Spiritual Formation, Vocation, and the Disciplines1
TTSF 505Talbot Spiritual Direction I0
TTSF 506Talbot Spiritual Direction II0
TTTH 521Theology I: God, Scripture, Creation3
TTTH 522Theology II: Christ, Humanity, Sin, Salvation3
TTTH 623Theology III: Spirit, Church, Last Things3
Old Testament Specialization Courses
TTOT 603Elements of Hebrew I3
TTOT 604Elements of Hebrew II3
TTOT 703Introduction to Hebrew Exegesis3
TTOT 720Critical Issues in Old Testament Studies3
TTOT 722Hebrew Exegesis 12
TTOT 745World of the Old Testament3
TTOT 799Old Testament Capstone1
Elective Courses
Old Testament elective courses9
General elective courses3
Total Credits49
1

Must be taken for 2 credits, may be taken for 3 credits with the remaining credit counting toward electives.