Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

MA / ARC

Master of Arts / Biblical & Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages

Rigorous engagement with the ancient near eastern context of the OT and hands-on archaeological experience.

The MA / ARC is designed to provide focused study in the ancient near eastern context of the Old Testament–including geography, archaeology, and languages–as a foundation for further academic work in biblical or theological studies. All students in this program participate in summer archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East as a capstone experience.

Master of Arts / Biblical & Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages

Where can this degree take me?

Alumni from this program generally go on to do further academic work in either another master’s program or a doctoral program. Graduates of the MA / ARC have been admitted to many top-tier doctoral programs both nationally and abroad. While less common, this degree would also be an excellent complement to an MDiv for someone who wishes to academically augment their pastoral ministry. Additionally, this degree qualifies students to teach Bible in Christian secondary schools and some Christian colleges.

What will I study?

The capstone experience for MA / ARC students is participation in archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East. Your coursework will include the following:

  • Theology Core - 6 hours

    Systematic Theology

    Recommended: ST 5101 and ST 5102 or ST 5103 6 hours

  • Biblical and Near Eastern Archaeology - 13 hours

    Required:

    OT 5075 Biblical Archaeology: Introduction to the World of the Old Testament 4 hours

    Select 9 hours from

    OT 5050 Geography of Bible Lands 3 hours
    OT 7420 Ancient Near Eastern Religions 3 hours
    OT 7425 Egypt and the Bible 3 hours
    OT 7430 Origins of Israel 3 hours
    OT 7435 History of Israel 3 hours
    OT 8000 Seminar: Current Issues in Old Testament Studies (when topic is Hebrew Studies; approval by dept chair) 3 hours

  • Cognate Languages - 10 hours

    Required:

    OT 5242 Hebrew Exegesis 4 hours

    Select 6 hours from:

    OT 7010 Biblical Aramaic 3 hours
    OT 7014 Extrabiblical Aramaic 3 hours
    OT 7020 Akkadian I 3 hours
    OT 7021 Akkadian II 3 hours
    OT 7030 Ugaritic 3 hours
    OT 7040 Syriac 3 hours
    OT 7410 West Semitic Inscriptions 3 hours
    OT 7415 Middle Egyptian 3 hours
    OT 8000 Seminar: Current Issues in Old Testament Studies (when topic is Cognate Lang; approval by dept chair) 2-3 hours

  • Elective, Field Education & MA/ARC Capstone

    Elective (1 hour)

    Participants are encouraged to complete one hour of OT 7501 Guided Research in tandem with one of their Concentration Core courses

    Field Education

    PT 5090 Field Education (2 semesters) –or–
    PT 5090 Field Education (1 semester) and ID 5080 Formation Group (2 semesters) 0 hours

    MA/ARC Capstone (2 hours)

    MA/ARC Major Comprehensive Exam 0 hours
    OT 7455 Fieldwork in the Middle East 2 hours

Field Education

All MA / ARC students must complete a field education requirement. Learn more about field ed here.

What are the prerequisites for admission to this program?

In addition to the requirements for general admission, you’ll need the following:

  • An undergraduate major or its equivalent in Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages.
  • An undergrad GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; scores from either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) required if your GPA is less than 3.0

Your undergraduate work needs to include 6 hours of undergrad Hebrew (with a satisfactory score on our Hebrew Proficiency Exam) and 12 hours of undergrad Bible and/or Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies courses (beginning languages are not considered Bible courses).