MA in Biblical & Near Eastern
Archaeology and Languages

36 credit hours | 2-3 years

Why Study MA in Biblical & Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages at TEDS?

This engaging program requires students to participate in summer archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East as a capstone experience. Graduates of the MA/ARC have been admitted to top-tier doctoral programs both nationally and abroad. While less common, this degree would 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 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).

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:

BIBLE AND THEOLOGY CORE: 9 HOURS

Course	Title	Credits
ID 5000	Biblical Theology and Interpretation	3 hours
ST 5201	Theology I: The God of the Gospel	3 hours
ST 5202	Theology II: The Gospel of God	3 hours

BIBLICAL AND NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY: 12 HOURS

Required:
Course	Title	Credits
OT 5075	Biblical Archaeology: Introduction to the World of the Old Testament	3 hours
Select 12 hours from:
Course	Title	Credits
OT 5075	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 Israe	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: 9 HOURS

Required:
Course	Title	Credits
OT 5242	Hebrew Exegesis	3 hours
Select 6 hours from:
Course	Title	Credits
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 7655	West Semitic Inscriptions	3 hours
OT 7660	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
Course	Title	Credits
PT 5090	Field Education (2 semesters)	–or–
PT 5090 and ID 5080	Field Education (1 semester) and Formation Group (2 semesters)	0 hours
MA/ARC Capstone (2 hours)
MA/ARC Major Comprehensive Exam		1 hour
OT 7455	Fieldwork in the Middle East	2 hours