The Diploma in Theology is a professional qualification designed to:
- be appropriate for students in Christian ministry
- reflect VCI’s unique Competency-Based Theological Education (CBTE) approach of Integrated Leadership Development (ILD)
- provide a diploma qualification for people in Christian ministry.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to practice as Christian ministers or ministry leaders with skills defined in terms of particular cultural milieus and areas of gifting. In particular, they will be able to:
- form an overview of Scripture so that their theology can be based on an understanding of the overall message of all the Bible books
- do exegesis of exposition/exhortation applied to the New Testament epistles, and exegesis of narrative applied to the Pentateuch and Old Testament historical books, using a form of semantic discourse analysis
- discern the absolutes of a passage on which exegesis has been done and apply them to their local ministry context
- apply the biblical absolutes in such a way that a biblical worldview is cultivated
- develop a number of ministry skills that are effective in their own ministry setting.
These five main learning goals are taught in an interdisciplinary fashion, weaving them together as strands through an integrated educational approach. Students are required to integrate spiritual development during the completion of each competency unit.
Duration
The student learning outcomes of the Foundation Training are incorporated in the Diploma. Therefore, if students have achieved these learning outcomes before enrollment, the Diploma will typically be done over three semesters.
Should VCI decide to run Diploma cohorts for which prior completion of the Foundation modules is not required, this material must then be covered in the program itself, which will likely result in extending the typical program duration by additional trimesters.
As the program is offered within a cohort, students who do not complete within the three trimesters will need to obtain special permission to continue to work on the qualification and be required to pay a continuous enrollment fee.
Students who have not completed the program before applications close for the next Associate degree program, will not be able to continue their studies with their current cohort. Instead they will be required to apply to join a subsequent cohort.
Prerequisites
To be considered for admission, a student should have all of the following:
- a high school diploma*
- a suitable position in Christian ministry
- satisfactorily completed the first two non-formal VCI Foundation Training modules as the basic educational skills acquired through the Foundation Training are presupposed and further developed in the Diploma.
Successful facilitation of the Foundation Training modules will be considered a commendation for admission.
For general requirements: See General Admission Policies and Procedures in the Catalog.
* * Matured persons (typically 21 or over) who meet all other admissions requirements but who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent can apply for pre-admission status if they demonstrate that they are likely to successfully complete the Diploma. This will typically be by demonstrating satisfactory mastery of the competencies required by the first two non-formal VCI Foundation Training modules.
Persons granted pre-admission status may participate in the intensives for the first four units of the Diploma. They may be formally admitted as Diploma students if they demonstrate sufficient mastery of these four units within the required time.
Persons who meet all admissions requirements but who are not considered as prepared by VCI for some reason, e.g., the applicant lacks certain skills such as technology skills, can apply for provisional admission status during which time they get the opportunity to demonstrate that they have mastered the lacking skills to successfully complete the Diploma.
Persons granted provisional admission status may participate in the program for the first four units of the Diploma. They may be formally admitted as Diploma students if they demonstrate sufficient mastery of these four units.