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Master of Theology

180 Credits on NQF level 9

Accreditation

The South African Theological Seminary was the first private tertiary institution in South Africa to earn accreditation for the MTh programme, by the Council on Higher Education, which has a stated policy of national and international comparability. In this regard we have been subjected to a very stringent evaluation. You are therefore assured that the degree you earn is of the highest standard and that the credits are internationally portable.

Our Masters programme offers a wide range of focus areas, each of which is supervised by highly competent academic specialists, who have been carefully selected to provide you with the levels of service excellence for which we have become known.

Options

The seminary offers two kinds of MTh programmes, namely, research MTh and the structured MTh.

OPTION ONE: The research MTh

RES5150 Research Methodology MANDATORY PREREQUISITE: Upon enrolment ALL MTh candidates are required to complete the RES5150 Research Methodology manual as an entrance requirement into the Masters programme. Students will have up to five (5) months to work through the manual online (MySats). The final outcome is a 3 – 5 page draft research proposal. You will have three (3) opportunities to submit a reasonable draft proposal. If you are successful you will be able to continue into the MTh programme and be assigned a supervisor/facilitator, if you are unsuccessful you will not be allowed to continue but be withdrawn from the programme. If the course facilitator feels that the third and final submission is questionable he will consult with two faculty members for guidance before making the final decision.

The research MTh consists of a 180-credit thesis of 40,000-50,000 words (±140-160 pages) in a field of specialisation. Once you have successfully completed the RES5150 manual you will be assigned a supervisor to assist you with developing and finalising your Research proposal for approval by the Postgraduate Committee. Your proposal must be approved by the Postgraduate Committee, after which you may proceed with writing the thesis. You have a maximum of one year to get your proposal passed. If you fail to do so, you will not be permitted to continue with the programme. We have faculty who are able to supervise a Masters thesis in any of the following fields:

Practical Theology	Church Leadership	Christian Education
Pastoral Counselling	Missiology	Systematic Theology
Biblical Studies	Bible Translation	Children's Ministry
Church History	Homiletics	Sports Ministry
Biblical Greek	Biblical Hebrew	Worship Studies
Youth Ministry	Theological Ethics

For more information on the Full Thesis Programme, click on the link below.

Master of Theology: Research Programme

Outcomes Structured Programme

The structured MTh consists of eight 15-credit courses and a 60-credit thesis (±60-80 pages). You will have a maximum of two years to complete the coursework, so you must complete four courses per year. If you fail a course, you have to register for it again (and pay again). The thesis component is expected to take 6-12 months. If you have not finished after one year, you may register for a second year (but may not extend the registration beyond the second year).

The courses for the structured MTh programmes are only offered online. You download all the study materials, upload your assignments, and interact with the course facilitator on the MySats site. The duration for each course is three months; you will need to spend approximately 10-15 hours each week on your studies

 

Pastoral Theology		Credits
THE5150	Biblical Worldview	15
MPT5150	Pastoral Ministry	15
MPT5151	Worldviews and Contemporary Issues	15
MPT5152	Biblical Exposition	15
MPT5153	History, Ecclesiology, and Missiology	15
MPT5154	Theology and Ministry	15
MPT5155	The Life of the Pastor	15
RES5150	Research Methodology	15
RES5600	Thesis	60

 

Biblical Studies		Credits
MNT5150	New Testament Introduction	15
MNT5151	Old Testament Introduction	15
MNT5152	New Testament Theology	15
MNT5153	Old Testament Theology	15
MNT5154	New Testament Exegesis	15
MNT5155	Old Testament Exegesis	15
MNT5156	Biblical Preaching	15
RES5150	Research Methodology	15
RES5600	Thesis	60

 

Missiology		Credits
MIS5150	Introduction to Missiology	15
MIS5151	Approaches to Missiology	15
MIS5152	Theology of Missions	15
MIS5153	History of Missions	15
MIS5154	Strategies for Missions	15
MIS5155	Issues in Missions	15
MIS5155	Biblical Worldview	15
RES5150	Research Methodology	15
RES5600	Thesis	60

 

Counselling Children*		Credits
MHE5150	Biblical Worldview	15
MCC5151	Counselling Children	15
MCC5152	Entering the Child’s World	15
MCC5153	Non-directive Play Therapy	15
MCC5154	Directive Play Therapy	15
MCC5155	Counselling Traumatised and Grieving Children	15
MCC5156	Parents as Co-partners in Treating Children’s Behavioural Problems	15
RES5150	Research Methodology	15
RES5600	Thesis	60

*Disclaimer: PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THE MASTER OF THEOLOGY IN CHILD COUNSELLING PROGRAMME
WILL NOT LEAD TO PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION AS CHILD COUNSELOR, COUNSELOR OR PLAY THERAPIST
AT ANY PROFESSIONAL BOARD IN SOUTH-AFRICA, SUCH AS THE SACSSP OR HPCSA.

Note: There are also semi-structured programmes in Biblical Greek and New Testament. For details about these programmes, please contact the Postgraduate Registrar.

RES5150 Research Methodology MANDATORY PREREQUISITE

Upon enrolment ALL MTh candidates are required to complete the RES5150 Research Methodology manual as an entrance requirement into the Masters programme. Students will have up to five (5) months to work through the manual online (MySats). The final outcome is a 3 – 5 page draft research proposal. You will have three (3) opportunities to submit a reasonable draft proposal. If you are successful you will be able to continue into the MTh programme and be assigned a supervisor/facilitator, if you are unsuccessful you will not be allowed to continue but be withdrawn from the programme. If the course facilitator feels that the third and final submission is questionable he will consult with two faculty members for guidance before making the final decision.

Enrolment Procedure

Entrance requirements

The entrance requirement to enrol for the Master of Theology program is a relevant, accredited, four-year Bachelor's or Honours degree. Bachelor's degrees with majors in fields such as theology, psychology or sociology are suitable. The pre-requisite is an appropriate four-year (level 8, Honours) theology degree (or equivalent). The Seminary offers a free, no obligation evaluation of your transcripts, which can either be faxed to us at +27 11 234-4445 or scanned and sent as email attachments to postgraduate@sats.edu.za . We will initiate a response to your request within two days of receipt.

Application Procedure

Candidates are required to submit a completed application form together with certified copies of their ID, certificates and transcripts. The seminary offers a free, no obligation evaluation of your transcripts, which can either be faxed to us at +27 11 234-4445 or scanned and sent as email attachments to postgraduate@sats.edu.za . We will initiate a response to your request within two days of receipt. To access our online application form, simply go to www.sats‌online.org , click on South African Theological Seminary and Become a Student, then click on Apply Online. Students can enrol at any time throughout the year as applications are kept on file for up to three years. We look forward to being of assistance to you.

Pricing

Bridging programme*	R9250 ($1750) *If applicable
Research proposal Tuition Fees	R9250 ($1750)
M.Th. Tuition Fees	R9250 ($1750)

 

Enrolment

To access our online application form, simply click on apply online. We look forward to being of assistance to you.

Access to further programmes

Successful MTh graduates automatically have access to the Doctoral programmes in related fields at any accredited institution.  

See Postgraduate Faculty: Master of Theology