Keen to be better equipped to serve God in your church, workplace, home?
Are you a theological graduate serving in a ministry role, who would like to train further by taking a few more electives?
Thinking that you should be training for ministry, but aren’t yet sure whether a longer theological degree is right for you?
If any of these describe you, then the QTC Graduate Certificate of Divinity (GradCertDiv) is an option seriously worth considering.
Along the way, you will get to hear more from the range of visiting pastors and scholars that pass through QTC many of whom spend time in the classroom with our students. Recent speakers have included Matt Chandler, Daniel Block, Michael Horton, Kathleen Nielson, John Piper, Don Carson, Mark Dever, Douglas Moo, Carl Trueman, Richard Bauckham, Kent Hughes, Christopher Wright, & David W. Baker.
Mode of Study: On Campus (Day and Evening) and Online
Full details of the ACT Course can be found here. See the ACT Coursework Course Enrolment Policy for admission rules and processes.
What’s the commitment?
You can study the GradCertDiv in one of two ways:
- Full-time over four months at QTC (one Semester). Attendance at QTC is no more than 3.5 days per week.
- Part-time over up to two years. You can complete the GradCertDiv by attending classes for as little as one part-day per week, depending on your subject choices and how quickly you wish to finish the course. All of the required units for the GradCertDiv (see below) are offered with classes on a single day only. Most of our practical electives as well as some in other fields are offered on a single day or as intensives for your convenience. All of the required units for the GradDipDiv are offered in the evening on a regular cycle as well as in the daytime, and it is also possible to complete a GradDipDiv with QTC online for those living outside of Brisbane or whose work commitments make study in-person impossible. It’s also an option to do a GradDipDiv by a combination of daytime, evening, and online units through QTC.
What do I study?
GradCertDiv students take a total of four units as follows:
1. If you haven’t previously completed a theological degree, you study at least two units drawn from the areas of Bible, Ethics and Church History, at least one of which must be a biblical studies unit. Normally the Bible units will be drawn from our four introductory-level biblical options (two of these are offered each Semester. If you take some Church History, this would be either Reformation (offered every year) or Early Church History (offered even years).
Where possible, you would also take a short unit on how to study the Bible, giving you skills for reading and interpreting Scripture – Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (offered in Semester 1 each year. As this unit is worth half of the credit of a normal unit (6 credit points rather than 12), if possible you should also take our other 6 cp unit – Principles of Systematic Theology – designed to introduce you to the foundations of what we believe. Taking these two units together, you will have completed one of the four regular-sized units that you need to complete the GradCertDiv.
For the rest of your course QTC offers a wide range of options from which you can choose, depending on your ministry intentions. You can take further units in the Bible, theology or church history, as well as one or more of our large range of practical electives in areas such as preaching, pastoral care, youth & children’s ministries, and missions. Please note that not all units are offered every year, and some may be offered in the same timetable slots as others units that you might like to do – consult the latest timetable.
Any student who is likely to want to continue straight on to the MDiv or GradDipDiv will need to think carefully about their unit choices – please contact the Registrar.
2. If you have previously completed a theological degree, you can take any four units from QTC’s large range of choices. Two of these must be drawn from the units offered in OT, NT, Theology, Church History, Philosophy, Apologetics & Ethics.
Admission Requirements:
Academic Qualifications: Completed 3 year bachelor degree or equivalent
Language Qualifications for NESB: IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in reading and writing, and 6.5 in listening and speaking OR 10 years in Australia with English being the language primarily spoken both at home and work
Financial Support:
The course is accredited within Australia as an award of the Australian College of Theology, of which QTC is a member institution along with around 20 colleges nationally. As such, it is a recognized course for the purposes of Fee-Help, Austudy, Youth Allowance (provided you meet the government’s eligibility requirements), and for Overseas Students (ACT CRICOS provider number is 02650E). Current fees for units in the GradCertDiv are here.
Your Next Step?
Contact the QTC Registrar for more details or to apply.
QTC is an affiliated college of the Australian College of Theology. The CRICOS code for the ACT’s Graduate Certificate of Divinity is 076017G.