Online BA in Biblical Studies

Are you passionate about seeing the Kingdom expanded in the midst of the tumultuous times that the Middle East encounters readily? Are you interested in seeing a transformation of a region that is often portrayed through the lens of brokenness and war?

Here at Bethlehem Bible College, we are keenly aware of the importance of sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in this region. We have recently developed an entirely online-based Biblical Studies Program in Arabic, which allows Arabs from all over the world to access our material and enroll in our classes with a click of a button. We believe wholeheartedly that this is part of our calling to train people to serve Christ around the world.

Large numbers of people in the region are coming to Christ, but have few resources to help them dive deeper in their faith and ministries. Our main focus with the Online Diploma Program in Biblical Studies is to help our students dig deeper in God’s Word, and attain a depth of knowledge in Scriptures and Theology that will allow them to thrive in their ministry and calling. The Church is growing in number, but there is often a depth that is missing after one names Jesus as Lord and Savior. Our aim in launching this specialized program is to bring depth to those who are involved in the ministry of the Word or have a strong calling for it, whether through evangelism, discipleship, preaching or teaching.

At its core, the curriculum being taught is centered around the Bible. Developed by professors of Theology at Bethlehem Bible College in collaboration with the Middle East Association for Theological Education (MEATE), this Bible-centric curriculum sets the foundation upon which the various ministries of Word, including teaching, preaching, evangelism, and discipleship can thrive. The program consists of 18 courses. Thirteen of these courses are in Biblical Studies, and 5 cover various topics pertaining to church history, comparative religion, and Christian life and ministry. By the end of the program, the student should have grown not only in their faith, but also in their ministry of the Word of God.

Launched in September of 2016, the Diploma in Online Biblical Studies Program currently has more than fifty students enrolled. Many of the students are receiving their training for ministry through our program, and are already involved in the ministries of evangelism, discipleship, church planting, preaching, and teaching in their communities. Our students represent more than ten different Arab nationalities, and live in fourteen different countries across the world, in the Middle East, North Africa, East Asia, Europe, and North America.

The program consists of (38) courses.

The courses are categorized as follows:

Each academic year is divided into three terms. In each term, a number of courses is offered, and students can register for any course they need while keeping in consideration the sequence of some courses.

Generally speaking, students are recommended to register in 2 or 3 courses per term. Full time study of the program (3 courses per term) would insure that the student would finish the program in two years. Through part time study (average of 2 courses per term), the student would finish the program in 3 years.

With the completion of the program’s courses successfully, the student will receive a diploma certificate in Biblical Studies from Bethlehem Bible College. Students also have the option to study in the program for personal reasons without pursuing a diploma certificate, and will instead receive a transcript for the courses they completed successfully.

FULL TIME

The following table shows the recommended division of courses for the full-time study plan. On average, students would enroll in 3 courses per term, where each course would require around 6 to 8 of study hours per week (a total of 18-24 hours of weekly study).

PART TIME

The following table shows the recommended division of courses for the part-time study plan. On average students would take 2 courses per term, where each course would require around 6 to 8 hours of study hours per week (a total of 12-16 hours of weekly study).

In a diligent effort to make the material offered in this course accessible to our students across the world, the entirety of the program is online. Our instructors provide readings, locally produced video lectures, learning activities, forum discussions and live video conferencing to make the program as engaging and impactful as possible. At the core, the desire of our professors and instructors in this program is to create a space where students can further their knowledge of the Scripture, but also be connected to a community of believers that will walk alongside them through their own faith journey. This online community also provides pastoral care with regular calls and check-ins, as this is the only Christian community some of your students have.

Due to the variation of backgrounds and work settings that our students come from, we offer two different study modes for most of our courses to help accommodate for those that may not be able to comply with a traditional academic time-frame.

Interactive Study Mode: Students begin their study alongside their classmates at the designated time, and finish the course in about 14-15 weeks. Courses are generally divided into 10 lessons, whereas the student is given a week to finish the requirements of each lesson (around 7 hours of study per week). Each course includes a midterm (or more), and a final exam. This study method is interactive in the sense that the students engage with each other through discussion forums and video conferences.

Independent Study Mode: This study mode gives the students the flexibility to study at their own pace. A course is usually divided into two or three parts over a longer period of time (around 17 weeks). This option is ideal for those who cannot commit to the weekly study because of familial or vocational obligations. At the same time, the student loses the ability to engage with his classmates through discussion forums and video conferences. Opportunities for direct conversations with the instructors are always available, however.