Dr. Jeffrey P. Tuttle, Director

Purpose of the Certificate of Graduation

The Certificate of Graduation is an 80-hour program designed for those who have expressed a desire to be involved in ministry but have not had the opportunity to complete a bachelor's degree. Closely following the Master of Divinity degree in purpose and in structure, the purpose of the Certificate of Graduation is to prepare persons for vocational ministry who have knowledge and experience of the Christian faith, who give evidence of emotional and spiritual maturity, who relate to others with integrity, who possess skills for ministry, and who meet the educational requirements. Specifically, it seeks to develop leaders who evidence the following :

1. Understand the contents of the Old and New Testaments, and have the ability to interpret the Scriptures;
2. Have knowledge of the history and theology of the Christian church and the Baptist heritage;
3. Are committed to evangelism and discipleship;
4. Understand and are skilled in preaching, evangelism, teaching, and counseling;
5. Are able to develop, administer, and evaluate programs and ministries of the local church; and
6. Model the practice of prayer, worship, a servant attitude, personal discipleship, and are able to function as lifelong learners.

Admission requirements for the Certificate of Graduation

The applicant must demonstrate—through transcript, experience, reference, and/or personal interview—the ability to do work on a graduate level. Applicants must have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Tuition and fees are equivalent to those for the M.Div. program.

In addition, all applicants to CBTS programs must meet the general requirements for admission to the seminary (see the General Admissions section).

Graduation requirements for the Certificate of Graduation

The Certificate of Graduation requires The completion of 80 hours, including all core courses for the Master of Divinity except Hebrew and Greek, with a GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale within nine eight years. Certificate and M.Div. students receive identical grading and work loads in all courses.

In addition, the candidate must be enrolled in the mentorship program for each fall or spring semester in which the student is enrolled. The mentorship program is an integral part of the student's training and ensures that each Certificate candidate has had hands-on ministry experience. The student's record will contain reports of each semester's mentorship. Reports are filed at the end of semester by the chaplain; any appeal for removal of this requirement must be submitted to the dean for consideration. All students graduating from the Certificate program must have completed at least two semesters of mentorship.

Upon the approval of from the Master of Divinity admissions committee, graduates from the Certificate program may become candidates for the Master of Divinity by (1) earning an undergraduate degree at a recognized undergraduate institution and (2) completing all degree requirements for the Master of Divinity, including biblical language requirements.

The seminary confers a Certificate of Graduation upon students who complete the prescribed course of study. However, graduation is not automatic when academic requirements have been met. Since the seminary aims to graduate those who qualify as Christian leaders, the faculty and administration will evaluate a student's qualifications in terms of spiritual, doctrinal, and professional standards as well as academics. All financial obligations to the seminary must be paid prior to commencement and students must be present at the commencement exercises.

Course requirements for the Certificate of Graduation

Core and elective courses for the Certificate of Graduation program are as follows:

Old Testament

• OT510 Old Testament Backgrounds, 2 credits
• OT520 Old Testament Introduction, 2 credits
• OT526 Daniel, 2 credits

New Testament

• NT510 New Testament Backgrounds, 2 credits
• NT520 New Testament Introduction, 2 credits
• NT527 Revelation, 2 credits

Systematic Theology

• TH500 Hermeneutics, 2 credits
• TH501 Prolegomena and Bibliology, 2 credits
• TH502 Trinitarianism, 2 credits
• TH503 Angelology and Anthropology, 2 credits
• TH504 Soteriology, 2 credits
• TH505 Ecclesiology, 2 credits
• TH506 Eschatology, 2 credits
• TH510 Dispensationalism, 2 credits
• TH520 Ethics, 2 credits

Historical Theology

• CH501 Church History I, 2 credits
• CH502 Church History II, 2 credits
• CH503 American Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism, 2 credits

Pastoral Theology

• PT501 Spiritual Formation, 1 credit
• PT510 Biblical Philosophy of Ministry, 2 credits
• PT511 Church Administration, 2 credits
• PT512 Pastoral Theology, 2 credits
• PT513 Church Planting, 2 credits
• PT514 Baptist Polity, 2 credits
• PT521 Expository Preaching I, 2 credits
• PT522 Expository Preaching II, 2 credits
• PT523 Expository Preaching III , 2 credits

Pastoral Care and Counseling

• PC501 Counseling Principles, 2 credits
• PC505 Marriage and Family Counseling, 2 credits

Christian Education

• CE501 Research Methods, 1 credit

Electives

• Bible electives (6 OT; 8 NT), 14 credits
• General electives, 8 credits

Total: 80 credits

Suggested three-year Certificate of Graduation program:

The Certificate of Graduation program is designed to be completed in three to four years of full-time study. A suggested program of study for a three-year completion is listed here.