Cheapest Masters in Biblical studies (or related degree)

[dayneist]

Hello all,


I am currently exploring my MBA options but I am also wanting to explore my options for Biblical Studies, Theology, Religious Studies, etc. Does anyone know what the cheapest schools (online) are to pursue one of these masters? Thank you all in advance.

[Znow]

Hello all,


I am currently exploring my MBA options but I am also wanting to explore my options for Biblical Studies, Theology, Religious Studies, etc. Does anyone know what the cheapest schools (online) are to pursue one of these masters? Thank you all in advance.

Are you planning on working on both at the same time? Most universities will only allow you to be enrolled at one program at a time.

I would suggest looking into Belhaven University as their ministry education is $199 per credit hour.

Check out the cheapest MBA section of the forum for some ideas on the difference between programs. The most affordable RA MBAs for people are typically Hellenic American, UoPeople, WGU, and Eastern. 

[Messdiener]

Depending on where you live in the world, Nations University offers a 100% tuition discount to "students who reside outside of certain developed countries".

https://nationsu.edu/tuition-policy/

[swlearner71]

This may or may not work for you, but Luther Seminary, regionally and ATS-accredited, offers full tuition scholarships for the MA and MDiv programs. They are open to all denominations. Primarily online, but the programs may require some short in-person residencies, from what I have seen online.

[freeloader]

What are you wanting to achieve with your degree/do with your degree, OP?

There are degree programs that are not accredited as RA or NA, but are state licensed that might serve your purposes if you are pursuing this degree purely for personal reasons, to learn more about religion, to deepen your faith, etc.  Some of these are free or ultra low cost.  

There are many degree programs with institutions that are NA that are quite reasonably priced.

Of course, there are also RA degrees that range in price from very reasonable to remarkably expensive.  

If you are seeking ordination, interested in working as a chaplain (say, in prisons, hospitals, or the military), there are often specific requirements for the types of degrees (accreditation, course content, denomination of the granting institution) which may be required.

[armado]

Take a look with Queens College of Theology

https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ng-50-a-mo

https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...f-Theology

[TemporarilyTangy]

Hi daynesit,

These are additional resources as well. I hope they help.

https://lucent.university/master-theology.html
They have a Master's of Ministry and a Masters of Divinity for $290 a month. I have not done any research on them, so please see if that meets your needs.

https://kairos.edu/academics/programs/ma...-divinity/
$300/month

https://winebrenner.edu/master-of-divinity/
$300/month

https://www.bestcollegesonline.org/most-...-programs/

Blessings!

[bjcheung77]

Just to be on the safe side, you also want to review your shortlist or compile a shortlist by searching the sister board, DegreeInfo and this board as well for institutions that offer the degree or degrees you're looking for. Once you have that shortlist of yours, break it down to what you're looking for, cost, ease, speed to finish, etc. Everyone will have different variables they look at, find the one that matches most if not all of what you're looking for...

[FireMedic_Philosopher]

I would encourage you to look at "Carolina University" in Winston Salem.

They are a small Nationally Accredited school that started off as a Bible College and are slowly growing to offer other programs (like law enforcement and Healthcare Admin)... They offer an online asynchronous Master of Arts in Ministry for 3,600 USD. (the website lists a cost of 3,000 but they just went from a 30 hr MA to a 36 hr program). 

http://www.carolinau.edu

Specifically:

https://e4.carolinau.edu/

Program is also offered in Portuguese and can be done fairly fast as they teach in 7 week quarters with 6 sessions per year.

[FireMedic_Philosopher]

I just completed my second term with the MA in Ministry at Carolina University. I figured I would give an update. 
I picked the program because it is the cheapest accredited (NA) masters in religion I could find. Total tuition is 3,600 for the entire program. The school is a small private Christian college located in Winston Salem. While the non-denominational (but heavily leaning Baptist) seminary is their largest division, they do also have several secular undergrad and graduate offering in areas such as criminal justice, elementary education, and business. They also offer a BA and a minor in American Sign Language. The MA in Ministry is a generic program (no specialization or Biblical languages) that is completely online and asynchronous. Classes follow the same general format... read 20-100 pages a week. Post a discussion board comment of at least 150 words by Thursday night, respond to said board with a 250 word submission by Sunday night. View the weekly lecture and submit a one page summary. Lectures are all 10-30 minutes, pre-recorded and posted on YouTube. All the faculty have terminal degrees and tend to be older. Program seems set up as the first third of a 90 credit MDiv. All the classes transfer into it, but I won't be pursuing that. On it's own, this degree provides a basic introduction to theology, church history, et cetera, and would be appropriate for many different types of folks. Classes are offered in seven week sessions with six terms per year. 

 
I am pursuing this program part-time, while still looking at doctorate programs. My reasoning for the degree was twofold. First I hope to eventually serve on my regional First Responder PTSD taskforce. Second, I felt I had a knowledge gap this program helps to fill. I decided to go with an accredited program in case it would become a sticking point with the fire department... if I ever go after any further Biblical education, accreditation won't necessarily be an issue for me.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this program for anyone wanting a cheap degree in religion or a cheap non-MBA masters in general. With six terms a year, it is easy to finish in 18 months or less. From what I have seen and heard, a fall or summer start might work best.