School of Biblical Studies

Return to: Departments and Programs

O. Herbert Hirt, III, Ph.D., Dean

Department of Graduate Bible

Professor

Paul N. Benware, Th.D.
Michael Dittman, D.Phil.
David C. Hard, Ph.D. 
Timothy Hui, Th.D.
John R. Master, Th.D. 
Gary E. Schnittjer, Ph.D. 
Brian Toews, Ph.D.
Robert E. Wenger, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Paul Isensee, D.M.A.
William L. Krewson, S.T.M.
Timothy S. Yoder, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

John S. Oliff, Th.M.

Part-time Faculty

John O’Brien, Th.M.
Fred Putnam, Ph.D.

Adjunct Faculty

Patrick Cate, Ph.D. 
Earl D. Hagar, M.A.
David A. Marks, M.S. 
V. Lee Martin, M.S.
Larry Moyer, Th.M.
Jay A. Quine, Ph.D.
Allen Ross, Ph.D.
Ben Scott, Ph.D.
Geoff Stevens, Th.M.
David White, M.Div.
Deane Woods, Th.D.
Robert Zweitzig, Th.D.

Master of Science in Bible Degree Program

Students from diverse educational backgrounds apply for the M.S. in Bible degree and find a number of program designs within the curriculum to help accomplish their goals. PBU’s Graduate Programs offer a unique course schedule which enables students to complete their degree without leaving a ministry or current employment. The creative design of evening, weekend, summer, distance, and one-week courses provides a variety of options—and satisfies the scheduling needs of students from across the country and around the world.

The 60-credit master’s program consists of a required core curriculum of 48 credits and a wide range of electives for the remaining 12 credits. A student may choose electives from Bible, Greek, Hebrew, Theology, Christian Counseling, Education, Educational Leadership and Administration, Organizational Leadership, Jewish Studies, or Music courses.

A graduate of an accredited Bible college, Christian liberal arts college or university, or seminary may be eligible for up to 15 credits of advance standing in this program. University Registrar’s Office personnel will evaluate official transcripts, and the Bible enrollment counselor will inform the applicant of the number of credits accepted for advance standing. An individual curriculum design will then be constructed by the enrollment counselor to determine the specific courses a student needs to complete the degree.

An applicant who has taken graduate courses at another accredited graduate school may be eligible to transfer up to 15 credits if coming with advance standing (for a total of up to 30 credits), or 30 credits with no advance standing, toward the Philadelphia Biblical University master’s degree. Again, official transcripts must be sent to the University Registrar’s Office for evaluation. Applicants who do not have any previous academic work in Bible or doctrine will be required to complete the 60 credits outlined in this document in order to receive the Master of Science in Bible degree.

Master of Divinity Degree Program

The Master of Divinity has long been identified as the normative and recognized degree for a person engaged in vocational ministry. Many of PBU’s M.Div. students are pastors who are pursuing the degree to enhance their ministry skills. They want to deepen their biblical comprehension and broaden their understanding of Greek and Hebrew. Additionally, they want to hone their skills in preaching, teaching, counseling, and church administration. Some students come from the mission field; others are elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, administrators, and lay leaders. The application of the Master of Divinity degree is as diverse as the students themselves.

The 93-credit Master of Divinity Program consists of a required core curriculum of 81 credits and 12 elective credits chosen from various programs. A full-time academic load is nine credits per semester. At this rate, a student without any advance standing credit will need ten semesters to complete the program.

Many students, however, come from an undergraduate experience in an accredited Bible college, Christian liberal arts college or university, or seminary. This enables them to receive up to 15 credits for advance standing in the M.Div. program. University Registrar’s Office personnel will evaluate official transcripts, and the Bible enrollment counselor will inform the applicant of the number of credits accepted for advance standing. An individual curriculum design will then be constructed by the enrollment counselor to determine the specific courses a student needs to complete the degree.

An applicant who has taken graduate courses at another accredited graduate school may be eligible to transfer up to 15 credits if coming with advance standing (for a total of 30 credits), or 30 credits with no advance standing, toward the Philadelphia Biblical University Master of Divinity degree. Again, official transcripts must be sent to the University Registrar’s Office for evaluation. Applicants who do not have any previous academic work in Bible or doctrine will be required to complete the 93 credits outlined in this document in order to receive the Master of Divinity degree.

Return to: Departments and Programs