St Athanasius College offers a range of tertiary study options from a Diploma in Theology through to Doctor of Philosophy, with a variety of choices in both undergraduate and postgraduate awards. Postgraduate awards can be undertaken by coursework or research. Students also have the option of studying individual units, either as single subjects, by audit, or by joining SAC to complete one unit of study as part of an award course undertaken at a different institution. If you already have university qualifications but have never studied theology, you can choose to study as either an undergraduate or postgraduate student.
Are you wishing to enhance your theological knowledge for spiritual development or to assist you in ministry and mission? Undergraduate study can also be a means to move on to further studies in theology and associated disciplines. Undergraduate students may choose to study either a Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Theology, or a Bachelor of Theology. Units are taught at the same level so progression can be made from one award to the next. Most units may be undertaken online or in a face-to-face setting.
Postgraduate by coursework awards offered at SAC range from graduate certificates through to masters. If your undergraduate degree was in a field other than theology, you can commence study at postgraduate level with a graduate certificate and progress from there to a Master of Divinity. Students undertaking postgraduate studies by coursework also have the option of undertaking specialised study as part of their course.
The Minor Thesis (MT) is a substantial piece of writing (16,000 words) that can be undertaken as a component of a number of postgraduate awards, including a Masters by coursework degree (for example, Master of Theological Studies or Master of Divinity) and some graduate diplomas, and is the core component of the Graduate Certificate in Research Methodology. The MT is an important entry point into a Higher Degree by Research award (Masters or Doctorate). To meet the admission requirements for a research degree you need to achieve a mark of 75% or above for the MT. For more information, see here.
With the approval of the Academic Dean and under the guidance of an appropriate supervisor, students may undertake a Supervised Reading Unit (SRU) as part of their postgraduate course.
The content, learning outcomes, bibliography and type of assessment will be proposed by the student in consultation with the supervisor (a member of faculty), and approved by the Academic Dean. Students taking a supervised reading unit (SRU) will be required to meet with the supervisor at least monthly.
In addition to the re-enrolment procedure, an SRU Approval Template must be completed by the student and supervisor and submitted for approval to the SAC Academic Dean at least one week prior to the semester census date. Students may link this unit and its assessment tasks to an existing unit or participation or presentation in a scholarly conference during the semester in which the unit is taken.
In consultation with the supervisor, students may audit a coursework unit related to an SRU to guide their reading, thinking and writing.
Research may be defined as creative work that is undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase theoretical and/or practical knowledge and to apply knowledge in new ways.
Two Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) are available to suitably qualified candidates at St Athanasius College.
Research degrees are undertaken under the supervision of two appropriately accredited supervisors, one of whom must be a research active faculty member of the University of Divinity. The following degrees are open to graduates of at least four years of full-time tertiary study, including at least one year of study in theology or an associated discipline.
Individual unit study is a means of participating in classes without completing a full award (such as a Diploma in Theology). St Athanasius College (SAC) offers options for students to progress individual unit study either as an Audit student, a full-fee paying student not currently wishing to complete a full course, or as a student undertaking cross-institutional studies.