Our Questions and Answers are listed below under four headings:

• General Questions About Our College, its staff and students
• Questions About Course Selection
• Financial Matters (Fee levels, Austudy, FEE-HELP)
• Study Options & Academic Matters (Cross-credits, distance & part time study)

 1. General Questions About QTC

What are QTC's strengths?

An integrated curriculum designed to help you see the connections between the various disciplines of Christian knowledge, and between theology and everyday life and ministry in the world beyond college.

• A lecture timetable and workload that facilitates a balanced life - lectures are on only three and a half days a week maximum, which leaves time for study, ongoing ministry and time for family and friends.  At QTC we believe in working hard and at a high academic standard to better understand God's Word and its place in our world, but that this is best done in the context of maintaining our responsibilities beyond our studies, too.
• We finish every day before the afternoon peak-hour traffic.  Students never have to stay back at college for night lectures, so can get home in plenty of time to spend the evening with family and friends.
• Accessible lecturers with class sizes guaranteeing interactive learning
• A wider range of subjects and electives than is available at most other colleges of our size.
• Lecturers who have had substantial ministry at the coal face and in the real world
• In addition to QTC faculty, several well-known Bible teachers visit QTC each year from around the world to teach short courses
• A philosophy of theological education that values and develops a community context of fellowship, worship, prayer and pastoral care
• A beautiful setting right on the banks of the Brisbane River at Emmanuel College within the grounds of the University of Queensland - a central location with excellent public transport connections.  QTC is within easy walking distance of the UQ library, which contains many additional resources for theological students.

Is QTC only for Presbyterians?

No.  Around half of our current students are members of congregations which are not affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of Queensland.  Only about 20% of our students are ordination candidates for Presbyterian Ministry.  While we work very hard at providing our ordination candidates with the best possible training, we are also conscious that many of our students will fill various non-ordained roles or work in other denominations or non-denominational contexts - and we seek to prepare them for this.

Do the lecturers have any experience of the real world and real ministry?

Yes.  All of our full-time faculty spent several years engaged in other kinds of work before entering theological study and paid ministry.  Between them, our four full-time teaching staff have spent a total of around 25 years in full-time ministry in local churches overseas, in regional and metropolitan Australia, in addition to their experience teaching theology to students.

 2. Questions About Course Selection

Which course should I study?

This depends on who you are and how you hope to serve in the future.  For example, if you wish to pursue ordination, many Christian denominations would expect you among other things to have completed either the Bachelor of Theology or Master of Divinity rather than one of our shorter courses.  On the other hand, if you are a Christian who wants to be better equipped to serve God and His people while remaining in your current area of work, then the Graduate Diploma of Divinity, the Diploma of Theology or the Dimploma of Ministry would often be more suitable. For those interested in working particularly with youth and children, our WordWorks course is a good option.  If you are unsure, please contact us and also consult with your pastor or minister.

I would like to become a chaplain - which course do I need to do?

QTC offers several units related to different kinds of chaplaincy which can be taken with any of our courses, including units in Educational Chaplaincy, Pastoral Skills, Youth and Children's Ministry and field work options. Many different organisations employ both full-time and part-time chaplains - schools, industry groups and companies, hospitals, the defence forces, emergency services and many more.  The qualifications required depend on what kind of organisation and which part of the community you would like to work as a chaplain with.  So the best thing to do is to ask the kinds of organisations you might like to be a chaplain with what they would expect.  That said, even if the requirements for the kind of work you are interested in are not high, doing a significant amount of theological study is probably still going to be very worthwhile - to be a faithful witness to the gospel of Christ in a chaplaincy setting can be very challenging, and so it is best to be over-prepared rather than under-prepared!  For those interested in school chaplaincy in particular, we would encourage you to seriously consider Wordworks, our new degree in children's, youth and student ministry; two years full-time, or part-time equivalent.

 3. Financial Matters

What are your course fees?

See here for our current fees.

A 10% discount applies for upfront payments.

Are your courses Austudy-approved?

Yes.  Students taking any of our courses full-time - Bachelor of Theology, Bachelor of Ministry, Master of Divinity, Graduate Diploma of Divinity, Diploma of Theology, Diploma of Ministry, WordWorks / Associate Degree of Theology and Bachelor of Theology (Honours) - are eligible for Austudy provided they meet the Commonwealth Government's eligibility criteria.  Likewise, eligible students can also access other kinds of Centrelink payments for students (such as Youth Allowance and Abstudy where appropriate).  Our courses are accredited by the Queensland Office of Higher Education and its interstate counterparts as awards of the Australian College of Theology, of which QTC is a member along with around 20 other colleges nationally.

Is FEE-HELP available?

Yes.  FEE-HELP is a loan given by the Commonwealth Government to eligible fee-paying students to help pay part or all of their tuition fees.  All of our degree courses are eligible (BTh, BTh (Hons), BMin, MDiv, GradDipDiv, MTh) to those students who meet the Government's criteria.  FEE-HELP is not available to students who are not Australian Citizens except for holders of permanent humanitarian visas.  For more information, please visit the Australian Government's FEE-HELP website.

Do you offer any scholarships to students?

Candidates for Presbyterian ministry at QTC receive financial assistance while studying from their denomination.  As part of QTC's commitment to couples and families, spouses of full-time students are eligible to receive up to one year of full-time study, or part-time equivalent, free (apart from the ACT fee component).  These are the only scholarships or subsidies available.

 4. Study Options and Academic Matters

Can I study for a degree with QTC by distance?

Unfortunately not.  Why not?  It's our belief that theological training for ministry in the real world best takes place in the context of community and relationships that are lived out in person.  Distance training can help some Christians to some degree, and for a small number of people might be the only realistic option, however, it is our experience that most people learn and grow more when they come to study with us in-person.

Can I study part-time at QTC?

Yes.  All of our subjects and degree courses are available to part-time as well as full-time students. The core units that you need to include within our one year courses (Graduate Diploma of Divinity, Diploma of Theology & Diploma of Ministry) have all their classes in a block on one day of the week, to make them easier for part-timers to access. The same is true of the majority of the electives which students typically include in these courses. We offer three subjects per year in intensive format (with all of the teaching taking place over one or two concentrated weeks) - which can be particularly attractive to many part-time students.

That said, if you believe that you ought to be doing theological training for your present and/or future ministry, we would strongly encourage you to consider studying with us full-time if at all possible. For this reason, we have designed our longer courses such as the MDiv and BTh to provide the best possible training for those who take them full-time.  That said, if it is difficult for you to take your whole degree with us full-time, you might like to consider spending at least a year of your course in full-time mode.  Those who study full-time benefit more from our integrated curriculum because they do subjects at the same time that are designed to be taken together.  If you are full-time, it is also easier to be fully involved in and benefit from the life of our Christian community.  Plus full-time study enables you to be more single-mindedly focussed on your training in God's Word and for His work, with fewer distractions and other priorities to juggle.

Can I get credit for subjects / units I have completed at another Bible / Theological College?

Possibly.  This depends on the college you have previously studied with and the level of the subjects / units you took.  If your prior studies were with another member college of the Australian College of Theology (ACT), your credits are fully portable if you wish to enrol for the same degree or diploma through QTC, as we are offering the same awards of the ACT.  E.g. subjects / units passed in another ACT college towards a BTh are fully credited towards a BTh at QTC.  However, you cannot gain credit towards the MDiv or GradDipDiv from subjects completed at Bachelors or Diploma level.  Diploma level subjects may not qualify for full credit transfer towards the BTh or BMin.  Please visit the ACT website for a list of ACT-affiliated colleges: www.actheology.edu.au.  It may be possible for you to receive credit from units / subjects studied at a non-ACT college, up to a maximum of one-third of your QTC course.  Conditions apply.  Please see the relevant ACT Handbook for details, available on the ACT website.  Applications for credit transfer need to be made at the commencement of your course.  Please submit applications and any queries to the QTC Registrar - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it