Religion Degrees Online

Programs of study leading to the degrees of master of arts (MA) in religious studies and doctor of philosophy (PhD) in religious studies are offered.

Objectives and Methods
The orientation of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies (sector: religious studies) is that of the “Science of Religions” or Religionswissenschaft. Thus, the study of the religious phenomenon is pursued through teaching and research in the same manner and on the same level as any other category of facts accessible to human experience and observation.

The disciplines that play a role in the study of religions are primarily of a historical, sociological, psychological and anthropological nature. Moreover, in the modern context, such a study must take into account the plurality of religious traditions and expressions in society and examine the relationships among them.

In light of the above, the Department of Classics and Religious Studies (sector: religious studies) takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of religious phenomena using the perspectives of historical, sociological, psychological, anthropological and literary studies to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of people as religious beings. Research on the meaning of religious phenomena is accomplished through analysis and comparison of the various means of religious expression, both in the past and present. No tradition is considered normative.

Areas of research
The doctoral program in religious studies focuses on religions in Canada, including Amerindian and Inuit traditions, and on religions in a comparative cultural context. The comparative cultural approach provides an opportunity to explore religious phenomena across different religious traditions expressly within their specific cultural contexts. The program favours the methods of anthropology, history, psychology and sociology.The comparative cultural approach focuses on religions in the Roman Empire and in the contemporary period.

Tuition and Fees

All charges listed are for the academic year 2008-09 and are subject to change.

Basic Degrees Tuition
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Education, Master of Arts (Theological Studies), and Master of Divinity/Master of Arts in Christian Education Dual Degree
$1,076 per course. If ten credits are taken in the nine-month academic year, the total is $10,760. Courses worth 2 credits (summer language courses, summer supervised ministry, clinical pastoral education, field-based learning) cost $2,152. The total cost for 12 credits is $12,912.

Advanced Degrees Tuition
Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy

$11,904 per year. Ph.D. students in their third year or later pay $1,082 tuition each long term for one credit in dissertation research and writing for a total of $2,164 per year.

The Th.M. degree is designed to be completed in one nine-month academic year. Students in this program are charged tuition at the yearly rate listed above. Depending on the number of credits completed, Th.M. students who receive permission to extend their program beyond one year may pay a continuation fee of $1,082 for each fall term and each spring term until all degree requirements are completed.

Fees
Student Activities Fee
All full-time students will be charged $200 per year. Part-time students, including doctoral level students after the first two years in residence, will be charged $76 per year. ECP and D.Min. students will be charged $13 per course.

Late Registration Fee
This $60 fee applies to registrations received after the date shown on student registration forms.

Graduation Fee
$125 per degree for all degree programs except M.Div./M.A.C.E. The fee for M.Div./M.A.C.E. degree students is $150, reflecting the two degrees earned.

Directed Study Fee
There is a $60 fee for all directed studies submitted after the first day of the term for which they are to be registered. Directed studies submitted after the end of the drop/add period of a term will, except in the case of a graduating senior’s final term, be registered for the following term (summer excluded) though the work may be done prior to that with the professor’s permission. An additional $150 honorarium fee is charged to students who are given permission to do directed studies with adjunct faculty members.
By Pass and Advanced-Standing Examination Fee
There is a $125 fee for each by-pass and each advanced-standing examination.

Dissertation Fee
Ph.D. students pay this $500 fee in their final year.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Christian Counseling
Course work in Christian Counseling and Christian Marriage and Family Counseling prepares our students to attend to issues of faith and spirituality while addressing the mental health needs of persons. SFBC&TS Counseling programs integrates faith and reasoning in the helping profession.

Graduates should be able to:
Demonstrate the ability to provide counseling services to the church and community.
Be prepared to contribute to the development of knowledge as it relates to integrating faith and reasoning.
Be equipped to apply insights of Christian theology along with the knowledge and techniques of the behavioral sciences.

This program of study consists of forty-two credit hours of study and counseling practicum. The student must hold a masters degree in a related field of study and have a minimum 600 hours of clinical experience.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Christian Clinical Counseling
Course work in Clinical Christian Counseling and Christian Marriage and Family Counseling prepares our students to attend to issues of faith and spirituality while addressing the mental health needs of persons. SFBC&TS Counseling programs integrates faith and reasoning in the helping profession.

Graduates should be able to:
Demonstrate the ability to provide mental health services to the church and community.
Be prepared to contribute to the development of knowledge as it relates to integrating faith and reasoning.
Be equipped to apply insights of Christian theology along with the knowledge and techniques of the behavioral sciences.

This program of study consists of sixty credit hours of study and practicum. The student must hold a masters degree in a related field of study, have a minimum of seven years of full-time, paid, occupational life learning experience related to the counselingmajor.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Christian Marriage and Family Counseling
Course work in Clinical Christian Counseling and Christian Marriage and Family Counseling prepares our students to attend to issues of faith and spirituality while addressing the mental health needs of persons. SFBC&TS Counseling programs integrates faith and reasoning in the helping profession.
Graduates should be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to provide counseling services to the church and community.
Be prepared to contribute to the development of knowledge as it relates to integrating faith and reasoning.
Be equipped to apply insights of Christian theology along with the knowledge and techniques of the behavioral sciences.

This program of study consists of sixty credit hours of study and counseling practicum. The student must hold a masters degree in a related field of study, have a minimum of one year, full time post-masters clinical experience.
Program Requirements
Sixty credit hours of directed and independent studies that include documented research and reading of 20,000 pages (i.e., a minimum bibliography of sixty books and journal articles).

The dissertation must be typewritten, double spaced, and not less than 150 pages, covering a topic in the student’s field of study.

Two thousand hours of internship with a mental health provider; i.e., licensed Christian counselor, psychologist, etc., approved by the Provost Office.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Christian Thought & Theology
The Doctorate of Philosophy is the highest academic degree awarded by SFBC&TS A Ph.D. degree is normally a pre-requisite for a teaching career. With this in mind the Ph.D. in Christian Thought and Theology is designed to prepare students for a vocation in theological instruction at Christian scholarly service to the church.

Graduates should be able to:
Have an in-depth knowledge of biblical and theological problems and their solutions.
Contribute to the knowledge of the specific area concentration in theology
Demonstrate competence in theological teaching and scholarship
Have knowledge of essential tools and research methods of theological scholarship
Develop skills in teaching
Possess demonstrated academic gifts

Committed to a Christian calling in a life of scholarly research and theological reflection, leading to teaching and publication

This program of study consists of sixty credit hours of specific and independent studies. The seminary Ph.D., is an academic degree to advance the students’ knowledge in religion. The student must have a background in hermeneutics, apologetics, theology, philosophy, and church history. The student must hold a Master degree in this field, A Master of Divinity degree is preferred.

Programs of study leading to the degrees of master of arts (MA) in religious studies and doctor of philosophy (PhD) in religious studies are offered.

Objectives and Methods
The orientation of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies (sector: religious studies) is that of the “Science of Religions” or Religionswissenschaft. Thus, the study of the religious phenomenon is pursued through teaching and research in the same manner and on the same level as any other category of facts accessible to human experience and observation.

The disciplines that play a role in the study of religions are primarily of a historical, sociological, psychological and anthropological nature. Moreover, in the modern context, such a study must take into account the plurality of religious traditions and expressions in society and examine the relationships among them.

In light of the above, the Department of Classics and Religious Studies (sector: religious studies) takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of religious phenomena using the perspectives of historical, sociological, psychological, anthropological and literary studies to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of people as religious beings. Research on the meaning of religious phenomena is accomplished through analysis and comparison of the various means of religious expression, both in the past and present. No tradition is considered normative.

Areas of Research
The master’s program in religious studies focuses on religions in Canada, including Amerindian and Inuit traditions, and on religions in the comparative cultural context. The comparative cultural approach provides an opportunity to explore religious phenomena across different religious traditions expressly within their specific cultural contexts. The program favours the methods of anthropology, history, psychology and sociology.

In September 1981, Iliff and the University of Denver jointly inaugurated a program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Religious and Theological Studies. Although planned and staffed initially by the faculties from Iliff and the University of Denver’s Department of Religious Studies, other faculty from the graduate Schools of Professional Psychology, Social Work and International Studies and from the departments of Anthropology, History, Sociology, Political Science, Psychology and Philosophy at the University are currently involved in the program.

In 1999-2000 the Joint Ph.D. Program was revised to make it more responsive to contemporary movements in theological and religious studies. It features a combination of three required courses for all students in the program and a great deal of flexibility and permeability between the subject areas making up specialized concentrations in the study of religion and theology. The revised structure gives educational breadth as well as opportunity for specialization.

The Centre for the Study of Religion offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy programs for the study of religion and facilitates research and publication on religion. The Centre consolidates the vast curricular and faculty resources that are distributed throughout the many departments and colleges of the University and enables its students to use any resource in the University which serves the study of religion.

The Centre conceives the academic study of religion in interdisciplinary terms and embraces humanistic, historical, and social scientific approaches and methods. Programs of study are constructed individually to fit the specific needs and interests of each student. At the doctoral level, from the point of admission onward, student programs must be matched with the expertise of at least three professors who help supervise the student’s work. The Centre’s Graduate Studies Handbook, available on the Web and from the Centre, gives full information on admissions and programs as well as the research and teaching interests of the faculty.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religious Studies with an emphasis in Buddhism:This is for advanced research students specializing in the comparative study of Buddhism in relation to another religion, or the intensive study of an aspect of Buddhism, leading to a dissertation. The Ph.D. in Religious Studies is a research degree that prepares students to work at the university level. Research, writing and lecturing skills are developed to the level necessary to participate in professional academic discourse.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religious Studies with an emphasis in Comparative Religions: This is for advanced research students specializing in the comparative study of Religions. It prepares students to work at the university level. Research, writing and lecturing skills are developed to the level necessary to participate in professional academic discourse.