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Master of Arts Concentration in Biblical and Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages

(MA/ARC) 

The admission requirements for the MA/ARC are those described under the Admissions section of the catalog and the following further requirements specific to the MA/ARC program:

• An undergraduate major or its equivalent in Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages. Specific prerequisites include 6 hours of undergraduate Hebrew (with a satisfactory score on Trinity’s Hebrew proficiency exam) and 12 hours of undergraduate Bible and/or Archeology and Near Eastern Studies (beginning languages are not considered Bible courses)
• An undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) are required.

MA/ARC Residency Requirement and Statute of Limitation

• 24 hours must be completed on the Deerfield Campus of Trinity. Generally two to three semesters of full-time course work and comprehensive exams are followed by one year of thesis writing.
• The final 8 hours must be taken through Trinity.
• All requirements in the Master of Arts programs must be completed within five years of matriculation into the program. Petition to extend the statute of limitation may be made by a student to the Academic Exceptions Committee.

MA/ARC Candidacy Requirements

Admission to the Master of Arts programs must be followed by achievement of candidacy for the degree. Program candidacy occurs when

• A minimum of 12 hours in the program is completed with a minimum GPA of 2.5 after admission to the program.
• All entrance deficiencies and conditions are removed.
• After a review of student files for continued progress toward meeting graduation requirements, formal action is taken by the faculty to grant candidacy for the degree.

MA/ARC Concentration Graduation Requirements

In addition to the General Graduation Requirements for all master’s programs, the following are required for the MA/ARC:

1. Completion of all course work in the program, including required Field Education, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5, with no course work graded below a “C-” applicable to the degree. A maximum of 20 percent of course work may be completed in an independent study format (Reading, Guided Research, and Distance Education courses) except in the MA/ICS (see specific program description).
2. Meet the general comprehensive requirements in Old Testament, New Testament, and two in Systematic Theology. See the Academic Handbook for details.
3. Successfully write the major comprehensive exam.
4. Complete a Master of Arts capstone project for the MA/ARC, which is OT 795 Fieldwork in the Middle East. The student will spend a minimum of three weeks working on an excavation at a site in the world of the Bible that is approved by the Department and will write a paper that will integrate the field experience with an issue in Biblical Archaeology. The course normally will be taken at the conclusion of the first year of residency.

MA/ARC Concentration Curriculum

*OT 500, NT 500, and English Bible courses (OT 550; NT 550) are not applicable to the MA program.