Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology

GENERAL REGULATIONS 

• 1.  The examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology shall be under the supervision of the Continuing Education Board, which shall have power, subject to the approval of the Education Committee, to make regulations governing the examination.

• 2.  Any person who has been admitted under the provisions of this section as a Student for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology, who has satisfied the conditions prescribed in this section, and who has satisfied the examiners for the degree, may supplicate for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology.

• 3.  No full-time student for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology shall be granted leave to supplicate unless, after admission, they have kept statutory residence and pursued their course of study at Oxford for at least nine terms. Time spent outside Oxford while registered as a student for the Undergraduate Certificate in Theological Studies or as part of an academic programme approved by the Continuing Education Board shall count towards residence for the purposes of this clause. No full-time student for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology shall retain that status for more than twelve terms in all.

• 4.  A student who takes the degree by two years of full-time study and the remainder by means of part-time study shall retain the status of Student for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology for no more than fifteen terms. A student who takes the degree by one year of full-time study and the remainder by means of part-time study shall retain that status for no more than eighteen terms. A student who takes the degree wholly part-time shall retain that status for no more than twenty-one terms.

• 5.  A student may transfer from full-time to part-time status or vice versa with the approval of the Continuing Education Board.

• 6.  Part-time students shall not be required to keep statutory residence, but must attend for such instruction at their Hall for such times as shall be required by the Continuing Education Board.

• 7.  Candidates may be permitted under certain circumstances to suspend status for a maximum of six terms. When a student is entered as a candidate in an examination following return from suspension of status within six terms of the term in which they were originally due to be examined, they shall be entitled to be examined in accordance with the regulations pertaining at the time at which they received teaching for the examination.

• 8.  Candidates for this degree may be admitted by such Permanent Private Halls as have been granted permission to do so.

• 9.  The Registrar shall keep a register of all candidates so admitted.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS

A

• 1.  Candidates may be admitted either onto Part 1 or directly onto Part 2 of the course. Admission directly onto Part 2 is at the discretion of the Continuing Education Board, and candidates so admitted will normally be expected to have satisfactorily completed the Undergraduate Certificate in Theological Studies. Applications for dispensation from this requirement will be considered, in exceptional circumstances only, by the Board. To be dispensed from this requirement, candidates must demonstrate that they have undertaken equivalent study to an equivalent standard. Where candidates are admitted on the basis of having completed the Undergraduate Certificate, work done for the Certificate will be deemed to be work done for the Bachelor of Theology.

• 2.  Part 1 is available on a full time basis over three terms and on a part time basis over six terms. Part 2 is available on a wholly full time basis over six terms and on a wholly part time basis over twelve terms.

• 3.  No candidate may attempt Part 2 until they have either satisfactorily completed or have been dispensed from Part 1.

• 4.  For any candidate who is successful in the examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology, and who has already successfully completed the Undergraduate Certificate in Theological Studies (and for the Bachelor of Theology examination has incorporated the assignments submitted for the Undergraduate Certificate) the Degree will subsume their Certificate.

• 5.  Any candidate who has successfully completed Part 1 and who does not either proceed to, or successfully complete, at least six papers from Part 2, and who has not previously successfully completed the Undergraduate Certificate in Theological Studies shall be awarded the Certificate.

• 6.  Any candidate who has successfully completed:

  • i.  Either  Part 1 of the Bachelor of Theology

  • or  the Undergraduate Certificate in Theological Studies;  and

  • ii. at least six papers from Part 2

• and does not proceed to, or successfully complete, Part 2, shall be awarded the Undergraduate Diploma in Theological Studies. The Undergraduate Diploma shall subsume the Undergraduate Certificate.

B

Part 1

• 7.  Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in written assignments or examination papers, format as specified in the course handbook, for six papers to include:

  • i.  Each of papers A1 to A4 from Part 1 of the Schedule;

  • ii.  Two further papers from Part 1 of the same Schedule, at least one of which must be selected from Papers A5 to A8.

• The written work, videos and other recordings will be submitted via the University approved online assessment platform, in accordance with the instructions in the course handbook.

• 8. Full-time students must submit or be examined in at least two papers by the end of Hilary Full term, at least two papers by the end of Trinity Full term and the remainder by the Long Vacation submission deadline. Part-time students must submit or be examined in three papers in year 1 and three papers in year 2 with at least one paper by the end of Hilary Full term each year, at least one paper by the end of Trinity Full term each year and the remaining papers for the year by the Long Vacation submission deadline. The exact dates will be published in the course handbook at the beginning of each academic year.

• 9.  Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in the written work or the examinations under 7. will be permitted to resubmit work in respect of part or parts of the examination which they have failed, on not more than one occasion, which shall normally be within one year of the initial failure.

Part 2

• 10. Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in written assignments or examination papers, format as specified in the course handbook,  for a further twelve papers (or equivalent) to include at least one from each of Sections B, C, D, and E of the Part 2 Schedule.

• Titles for papers must be agreed by a sub-committee of the BTh Suite Committee for dissertations or projects under Section E, and for assignments submitted under Sections B, C or D where the candidate departs from the list provided. Instructions for gaining approval are provided in the course handbook.
• 
  Candidates who do not submit titles for approval by the deadline given in the course handbook may be allocated a title by the BTh Suite Committee.
•  
• Paper A9 or A10 from Part 1 of the Schedule may be offered unless already offered for the Undergraduate Certificate. Papers B6 and B7 may normally only be offered if Paper A9 or A10 respectively were offered for the Undergraduate Certificate.
•  
• The written work,  videos and other recordings will be submitted via the University approved online assessment platform, in accordance with the instructions in the course handbook.
•  
• 11. In each year of Part 2, full-time students must submit or be examined in at least two papers by the end of Hilary Full term, at least two papers by the end of Trinity Full term and the remainder of papers for the year by the Long Vacation submission deadline. Part-time students must submit three papers in each year of Part 2 with at least one paper by the end of Hilary Full term each year, at least one paper by the end of Trinity Full term each year and the remaining papers for the year by the Long Vacation submission deadline. The exact dates will be published in the course handbook at the beginning of each academic year. The sole exception to the submission requirements is that, where a part-time student is submitting a paper under Section E, in that academic year they can submit their Section E paper at either the Trinity Term or the Long Vacation submission deadline.

• 12.  Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in the written work or the examinations under 10 will be permitted to resubmit work in respect of the paper or papers of the examination which they have failed, on not more than one occasion, which shall normally be within one year of the initial failure.

• 13.  Candidates may be required to attend a viva voce examination at the end of the course.

Schedule of Papers

[Note: Not all options may be available in any one year]

Part One:

Section A: Introductory papers

A1  Introduction to the Old Testament 

A2  Introduction to the New Testament 

A3  The History of the Church

A4  Introduction to Christian Doctrine 

A5  Christianity in the Contemporary World

A6  Introduction to Ministry and Worship 

A7  Introduction to Christian Faith and Philosophy 

A8  Introduction to Christian Faith and Science 

A9  Elementary Biblical Hebrew 

A10  Elementary Biblical Greek 

Part Two:

Section B: Biblical Studies 

B1  Further Studies in the Old Testament 

B2  Further Studies in the New Testament 

B3  Biblical Interpretation 

B4  An Old Testament Book 

B5  A New Testament Book 

B6  Advanced Old Testament Hebrew 

B7  Advanced New Testament Greek 

Section C: History and Doctrine 

C1  Issues in Church History 

C2  Issues in Christian Doctrine 

C3  Ecclesiology 

C4  Theologies of Salvation 

C5  A Special Theologian 

Section D: Practical Theology and Religious Studies 

D1  Issues in Christian Ministry 

D2  The Person and Role of an Ordained Minister 

D3  Christian Ethics 

D4  Issues in Mission

D5  Issues in Christian Worship 

D6  Issues in Christian Spirituality 

D7  World Religions 

D8  Philosophical Theology 

D9  Issues in Christian Faith and Science

D10  Christian Faith and Psychology

Section E: Independent Study 

E1  Dissertation  (counts as 2 papers)

E2 Project  (counts as 2 papers)