Curriculum Published for the Online MA Programs

The curriculum for the new online programs has been published on the Grace Theological Seminary web site.  This includes the MA Local Church Ministry program and the MA Intercultural Studies degree.  The course offering schedules have also been posted for these programs.  The revised curriculum added a three-phase ministry preparation course spread over the three final semesters of the last year.  There are still a total of three face to face class sessions, with one in the fall of the first year for a colloquial gathering, one the following spring, and the third and final visit in the spring of the second year.  All of this information is available on the distance education page and also in downloadable PDF format:

http://gts.grace.edu/distance-education.htm 

Grace Theological Seminary began their online MA program in January and is expanding the program in the fall of 2008.  For more information contact Jim Hill at hilljm@grace.edu,  phone at 1-800-54-GRACE x-6435, or by Skype at jimhill1099.  

Final Schedule Released for Fall 2008 Colloquial Gathering Being Held August 29 - 31

Grace Theological Seminary has released the final schedule for the the fall 2008 colloquial gathering to be held on the campus in Winona Lake, Indiana on August 29-31, 2008.  All online and all new residential students will be meeting during this time for orientation, fellowship, and worship during the weekend.  In addition, all returning and new students are invited for the banquet beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening as well as several sessions on Saturday.  This includes the All Student Orientation session from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 and the Doing Good Research presentation from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.   The first online class, Systematic Theology II, will begin meeting for the residential portion of this online class on Monday, September 1, 2008 to Wednesday, September 3 under the direction of Dr. David Plaster.   

The agenda for the colloquial gathering is available on the GTS web site:

Fall 2008 Colloquial Gathering Agenda

Grace Theological Seminary began their online seminary program in January, 2008.  This provides both MA and certificate level programs for students unable to attend traditional residential seminary.  Online students are expected to attend at least one colloquial gathering during their online career.  For more information please contact Jim Hill by email at hilljm@grace.edu or phone at 800-54-GRACE x-6435.   

FAQ: More on the Unclassified Student Program

Why is the unclassified student application program important for online students, especially those that live a great distance from Grace Theological Seminary?

The unclassified student application will allow you to take several seminary level courses without formally applying or being accepted to the seminary.  This program is extremely useful for those online students who live a long distance from Grace and that are considering taking a few seminary courses having first verified that the particular courses do not have any residential requirements.  For example, international students or those currently on the mission field may wish to begin taking online classes.  Or a student may wish to take an online class but not travel to Winona Lake to complete the 3 day residential requirement for a particular class in which that is required. 

The following is a list of the upcoming online courses which at the present time aren't planned to have any residential requirements.  These will only be available in certain semesters and then only after they have been created during the rollout of the online program.  See the distance ed web page for more information on the rollout schedule. 

• TH509 Hermeneutics
• TH502 Systematic Theology II
• MI511 Understanding World Religions
• TH603 Biblical Exposition
• MI505 Intercultural Ministry
• OT500 Old Testament Intro
• NT502 New Testament Intro
• PM513 Philosophy of Ministry
• TH528 History of Doctrine and the Church

The application form for unclassified students is available on the Grace Theological Seminary web page:

http://gts.grace.edu/Unclassified-application.htm

FAQ: Residential Requirement for this Fall

What are the residential requirements for the online program beginning this fall?

• All online students will be required to attend a colloquial gathering here in Winona Lake beginning on Friday, August 29, 2008. Registration will be from 10 AM to 1 PM, and the colloquial meeting will begin at 1 PM and run until 8:30 PM Sunday night August 31.
• Any online student enrolled in Systematic Theology I will be required to stay for an additional three days to complete the residential requirement for this course. Class will meet here in Winona Lake (location TBD). For the new Fall 2008 colloquy this will be held on Monday, September 1, 2008 from 8:00 AM EDT to noon on Wednesday, September 3. Students will find it convenient to fly into either South Bend or Fort Wayne airports. The next closest major airports are Indianapolis / Chicago (2 1/2 hrs), Columbus, Detroit, and Grand Rapids (all about 3 1/2 hrs away).