Master of Arts: Biblical Literature
Dr. Carl Leth, Coordinator
Do you want to study the Bible seriously and not just dabble around? Do you care enough about the Bible to learn Greek
or Hebrew so you can understand the commentaries on the original text - or maybe even learn both languages? If this
describes you, then Olivet's new M.A. in Biblical Literature may be for you!
The Program and its Objectives
The M.A. in Biblical Literature is a 36-hour on-campus program that provides an academic focus on the Bible, with
options for further study, scholarship, and ministry. It is designed for those considering further graduate education, and
for ministers and others with a strong commitment to a scholarly understanding of the Bible.
This degree will give you three keys to Biblical understanding:
- You will learn the critical skills you need to understand
the origin, authorship, and composition of the Bible. That also means studying Biblical history and the ancient cultures
in which God gave us the Bible.
- You will use your knowledge of Greek and/or Hebrew to interpret the Bible as it was
originally written.
- You will put it all together in the theological understanding that you need to interpret the Bible
for preaching, teaching, and faith.
Olivet's M.A. in Biblical Literature will meet your needs, whether your focus be ministry, missions, more education, or a
deeper knowledge of the Bible as a believer. You may be interested to learn that we have an arrangement with
Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) that will allow you to study Bible at Olivet, use your Olivet credits towards their
M.Div., and eventually get both your M.A. at Olivet and your M.Div. at the Seminary.
Because you want to be a Biblical scholar, you will begin your M.A. program with an introduction to research and end it
with a thesis.
Olivet's M.A. is a "full Bible" program. You will take courses in both Old Testament and New Testament, although you
can weight your studies towards one or the other. And while you are free to study both Greek and Hebrew, you are
equally free to choose just the one language that best meets your needs.
The M.A. in Biblical Literature requires three credit hours for your "Introduction to Research," three credit hours for
your "Thesis," and thirty hours in Biblical studies, including theology. You may be a student who will take all thirty-six
hours while in the program. You may be a student who will move on to NTS or some other seminary and transfer one or
two of those courses "back" to Olivet to count towards the M.A. You may be an undergraduate at Olivet who will take
some graduate-level courses during your senior year at Olivet and then count those courses towards your M.A. Or
maybe you graduated from college some time ago and have picked up a few graduate courses in Bible at another
graduate school; you may be eligible to transfer up to twelve credit hours into Olivet's M.A. in Biblical Literature. If you
are already a graduate student in one of Olivet's other Master's programs in the SoTCM, you may be eligible to move
over to the M.A. in Biblical Literature and take more than twelve hours of credit with you.
Learn more!
If you have questions about any aspect of the M.A. in Biblical Literature, including planning during your undergraduate
years, please contact the graduate religion office by phone at 815-928-5670 or by email at onugradreligion@olivet.edu.