Master of Arts in

Master of Arts Core

Intro to Seminary

• SEM 5000 – Introduction to Seminary Education

Biblical Studies

• NTS 5110 – New Testament Introduction and Interpretation I: Jesus and the Gospels
• NTS 5120 – New Testament Introduction and Interpretation II: Acts, Epistles, and Revelation
• OTS 5110 – Old Testament Introduction and Interpretation I: Pentateuch and Former Prophets
• OTS 5120 – Old Testament Introduction and Interpretation II: Latter Prophets and Writings

Theological Studies

• THE 6110 – Christian Theology I
• THE 6120 – Christian Theology II

Theological Studies Selective

Choose one of the following courses:

• ETH 5100 – Introduction to Christian Ethics
• PHI 5100 – Christian Philosophy: Worldview, Western Thought, and Apologetics

Christian History

• HIS 5130 – Baptist History: Identity, Heritage, and Polity

Bible Exposition

Choose one of the following courses:

• CED 6300 – Bible Exposition for Ministry to Women I
• PRS 6100 – Bible Exposition I: Hermeneutics and Preparation

Hermeneutics

• BTI 5100 – Hermeneutics

Ministry Studies

• EVA 5150 – Disciplemaking: Personal Evangelism and Discipleship
• MIS 5100 – Christian Missions: Principles and Practice

Biblical Counseling

Biblical Counseling

• BCO 6000 – Foundations for Counseling
• BCO 6551 – Counseling Individuals with Problematic Emotions
• BCO 6552 – Trauma & Abuse Counseling
• BCO 6560 – Marital and Pre-marital Counseling
• BCO 6570 – Counseling Parents and Children

Counseling Practicum

• BCO 7500 – Practicum Preparation Lab

Choose three of the following courses:

• BCO 7501 – Counseling Practicum I
• BCO 7502 – Counseling Practicum II
• BCO 7503 – Counseling Practicum III
• BCO 7900 – Counseling Practicum Mentored Internship

Biblical Counseling Selectives

Choose two of the following courses:

• BCO 6500 – Counseling Theory & Methods
• BCO 6610 – Clinical Research for Marriage and Family Counseling
• BCO 6620 – Family Systems: History and Theory
• BCO 6630 – Family Systems: Contemporary Approaches to Family Therapy
• BCO 6640 – Counseling Issues of Gender and Sexuality
• BCO 6860 – Cross-Cultural Counseling
• BCO 6890 – Developmental Issues Across the Life Span
• BCO 6891 – Child and Adolescent Development
• BCO 6950 – Psychopathology: Assessment and Diagnosis
• BCO 7120 – Ethical and Professional Issues in Family and Individual Counseling
• BCO 7130 – Evidence-Based Practices for Counseling

The MDiv B.C. is better preparation for those with long-term local church ministry goals. The MA in B.C. is for those who will be specializing primarily in vocational counseling ministries. Pastoral candidates seeking a specialization in counseling ministries are advised to complete both the MDiv following the Pastoral Ministry track and the MA in B.C. The Registrar can help a student design a program of study leading to the completion of both degrees.

Students seeking professional licensure will need to complete additional hours of academic and practical training beyond those offered in either the MDiv B.C. or the MA in B.C. degrees. Southeastern also offers several courses that are intended to be a part of the preparation for state-approved professional board licensure or certification. Course requirements vary from state to state, so the student is responsible to be aware of their state’s criterion and to take the courses that are necessary for that particular licensing or certifying board. These courses are not necessary for the degree (although they may be used to fulfill an elective requirement). We do not believe it is necessary or prudent for church-based counselors to be licensed by state-approved professional boards. The purpose of these courses is to prepare students for missional engagement with the mental health culture. We recommend that those who desire to pursue these optional courses have completed a bachelors degree with a major or minor in psychology and then discuss this with a SEBTS counseling professor to evaluate the student’s vocational objectives and make sure they are consistent with our program philosophy and goals.

Admission to this program is limited to persons holding a Bachelors degree or its equivalent who also meet all other admission requirements for the seminary.

Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MA B.C.) students complete 36 semester hours of core studies and 31 semester hours of counseling courses for a total of 67 credit hours with an overall GPA of 2.0 or better.

*NOTE: In the MA Core, Biblical Counseling students take BCO 7900 – Counseling Practicum Mentorered Internship as an approved substitution for PMN7900.

Under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and for the glory of His name, the counseling programs at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary are committed to equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission through the ministry of Biblical Counseling. We will provide Christians who are called to the ministry of counseling the training and experience that is needed to explain and apply the authoritative and sufficient written Word of God in a clinically informed manner.

The guiding foundation for SEBTS’s Biblical Counseling program is that the Holy Scriptures are the written Word of the Living God and are necessary for understanding people as spiritual, moral, relational, and psychological beings (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Psalm 1). SEBTS’s counseling program prepares students to counsel from within the framework of a biblical anthropology, developing a biblical, God-related understanding of human problems, and implementing truthful, graceful, timely, relevant, and practical Christ-centered methods of problem-solving and change (Psalm 1:1-2; Hebrews 4:12-13).

Read the full central affirmations of Southeastern’s Biblical Counseling Program.