Summer 2025

May 12 - August 29

  • This seminar introduces seminary students to graduate-level research and writing skills with specific attention to academic writing, theological research, citations, and elements of writing style. The seminar introduces the nature of theological reflection and “thinking theologically” concerning various topics and issues they encounter in academic study and ministry. This course is a prerequisite for all certificates and degrees.

  • This is an in depth survey of Christian history from the Apostolic Age through the Arab conquests of the seventh century. While the emphasis is on the Coptic Orthodox Church (the See of Alexandria) and the development of Christianity in Egypt, the course discusses all major political and theological developments and personalities of the early Christian era.

    This course fulfills a core requirement for the MTS program and the Orthodox Scripture Certificate.

  • Tuesdays, 6-9pm (Online)

    This course introduces students to the basics of reading Coptic (Bohairic dialect). No prior knowledge of the ancient Egyptian language or Greek is required. The course will include grammar, morphology, syntax, and hundreds of vocabulary words. Following this course, students should be able to read passages in the New Testament. This course is required for those who are seeking enrollment in the Coptic Studies or Masters' Degree Programs. This course fulfills a core requirement for the MTS program and an elective requirement.

  • This seminar course provides a study of the principle movements and individuals in the history of religious education. The course begins with a survey of education in faith from the times of the early church to the end of the nineteenth century. It then explores the major movements and expressions of religious education in the Coptic Orthodox Church. This course fulfills This course fulfills a church history elective and general elective for all programs.

  • Thursdays, 6-9pm (Online)

    This Course is designed to help students understand different approaches to Church ministry and administration, and to use and develop planning and management tools. It will also identify, analyze, and present solutions and alternatives for several human resource related issues in a congregational and nonprofit setting. Students will discover and research appropriate stewardship models from a management perspective and give practical tools that will help congregations evaluate its current health and strategies for growth. Overall administrative and management principles and practices for churches and ministries will be examined from leadership, human resources, stewardship, and growth and management perspectives. This course fulfills a general elective for all programs.

  • Christ’s birth, life, crucifixion, and glorious Resurrection were all prophesied centuries earlier in Old Testament times. This course aims to reconstruct the prehistory of Christ or Old Testament messianism. Selected messianic texts are interpreted in the light of the patristic tradition with reference to modern scholarship. This course fulfills a Biblical elective or a general elective for all programs.

Distributive Learning and Course Modalities   All of our courses are formatted in a distributive learning, which is an educational and formational model that allows a member of a learning community (students, faculty, and staff) to access content and community life while being located in different, non-centralized locations. Elements may occur synchronously (at the same time from either the same or different places/spaces), asynchronously (at different times from the same place or different places/spaces), or in a blended format. See the course syllabus for more information.

ACTS uses the following terms to better express how the course will occur:

Synchronously (SYN)– a course where instruction takes place with student and instructor physically present or online at the same time. Attendance and participation are typically taken for these courses from the live sessions.

Asynchronously (ASL)- Asynchronous Learning model is a pre-constructed model where students watch pre-recorded material during the week and on their own time schedule such that they meet the weekly requirements in the syllabus. Instructors provide materials, lectures, tests, and assignments throughout the course.

Intensive Courses – a course where classes gather face-to-face over a short period of time, either live online or in person usually for 1 or 2 weeks, but other formats have been done.  Almost all instruction is classroom-based, engaged in these intensive periods, this is a synchronous course.  

Hybrid Courses – a course that meet 3 to 7 times live-online or live-on-campus , on different days, plus online asynchronous learning.  

Seminars (SEM)--Seminars do NOT fulfill any requirements for the MTS or ThM degrees. These supplemental seminars are open to all who are interested, regardless of typical registration requirements (undergraduate degree GRE test scores, language requirements, etc.