Bachelor of Christian Studies (B. Chr.Stud.)

This degree can be obtained by two years of study at the RTC combined with one year studying subjects of choice at one of Australia’s Universities. For example, the B. Chr. Stud. can be undertaken at the RTC and Deakin University, next door to the RTC.

The B.Chr.Stud. will give students a strong Christian foundation in preparation for teaching, social work and numerous other professions.

The degree aims to provide tertiary students with a coherent program of general theological study to enable them to apply a Christian perspective and commitment to their life in the world including their professional and vocational life.

Entrance requirements

The degree is open as a first degree to persons who have achieved a Universities Admission Index (UAI) score of at least 75.00 or its local or overseas equivalent. Consideration will be given to other factors such as practical experience, maturity and motivation, and the likelihood of satisfactory completion of the academic requirements of the course.

Except for those candidates who have a tertiary qualification taught in English, international candidates whose first language is not English will be required to sit an IELTS test. For candidates wishing to enrol in the BTh degrees, an overall band score of 6.5 is required with no module score under 6.0.

Provisional mature age entry is available for candidates over the age of 21.

Course Structure and Content

All students must complete 96 credit points (i.e., 24 subjects), 8 of which will be in the form of transfer credit from a university course), including a set of common units in New Testament and Old Testament and a minimum of units from the fields of Theology and Church History. These units comprise the “core”.

The core units, to be completed by BChrStuds students, comprise:

• Old Testament Introduction - 8 cps (2 units), OT301, OT302
• New Testament Introduction - 8 cps (2 units), NT301, NT302
• Church History - 4 cps (1 unit), one of CH301, CH302, CH303, CH304 or CH305.
• Theology - 4 cps (1 unit) from TH401–TH404

In addition, BChrStuds students require:

• At least 32 credit points of degree level study in a non-theological field of which at least 24 points must form a coherent area of study in a distinct nontheological area of study, e.g., business, psychology, physical sciences, comparative religions. This study would be part of an accredited non-theological degree at an Australian university and would preferably be done simultaneously with the study of the ACT units;
• At least 8 further credit points in OT and/or NT exegesis;
• At least 8 further credit points in Church History and/or Theology;
• 4 credit points of independent study that relates the student’s non-theological area of study to the Christian faith (IN490);
• 12 credit points in Type A electives;
• A maximum of 8 credit points in Type B electives (if offered).

No more than 32 cps of foundational level units can be counted in a student’s course of study. Biblical Hebrew (LA301, 303) and New Testament Greek (LA302, 304) are excluded from this requirement.

Regulations

• Students must not enrol in more than 20 cps in any one semester,
• Greek or Hebrew exegesis requires satisfactory completion of the relevant 8 cp Hebrew or Greek language unit.

Subjects Available

For a listing of subjects available at the RTC that could be included in the B. Chr Stud., please consult the list under Bachelor of Theology.