The M.A. in Biblical Counseling (MABC) is a 34-credit-hour graduate degree program, designed to allow students to pursue and receive in-depth training in biblical counseling.

Is this an online or on-campus program?

The Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MABC) offers both an on-campus and online version of the program. The on-campus version is called residential and the online version is called distance.

Here are a few important details regarding these two program formats:

• Both program formats have the same cost, curriculum, professors, and program length (2-6 years).
• Both program formats will include a mixture of in-person, synchronous, and online classes students can and will need to take. Nevertheless, all students, residential and distance, are required to attend at least half of their classes in-person to ensure the highest quality of instruction and interaction and to meet our accreditation standards.
• Classes occur over 16-week semesters with homework due each week. During fall and spring semesters, in-person lectures take place weekly in the evenings Monday – Thursday. During summer semesters, in-person lectures are condensed into a 2-week period throughout the second and third weeks of July with coursework being submitted week by week over the course of the whole summer (May to August). This is called our Summer Intensive Program (SIP).
• The program format students choose on their application is the program format they are responsible to abide by for the remainder of their time in the program. If a student needs to switch program formats for any reason, they must reach out to our program director for approval before doing so.

Starting Fall 2023, we will also be offering a fully online version of the program, where students will not have to come to campus at any point during their time in the program to obtain a degree.

Find out which program format best suits you…

Residential

The residential format is for students who live near our campus.

• Residential students will take the program in a hybrid format, meaning that some of their classes must and will be taken in-person, while others must and will be taken online.
• Residential students can take their in-person classes any semester of the year (fall, spring, or summer).
• Residential students are welcome to take classes in-person during summer semesters, but are not required to do so.
• Residential students can start the program during any semester (fall, spring, or summer), but for convenience sake, it is best to start in a fall semester.
• Residential students who do not take any classes (in-person, synchronous, or online) during a fall or spring semester will need to pay a $50 continuing education fee to maintain his or her active status in the program.

Distance

The distance format is for students who live far away from our campus.

• Distance students will take the program in a low-residency format, meaning that some of their classes must and will be taken online, while others must and will be taken in-person in a condensed format (1-2 weeks in July).
• Distance students will need to take their in-person classes during summer semesters in the 1-2 week condensed format.
• Distance students can take advantage of online and synchronous classes during fall and spring semesters.
• Distance students can start the program during any semester (fall, spring, or summer), but for convenience sake, it is best to start in a summer semester.
• Distance students who do not take any classes (in-person, synchronous, or online) during a summer semester will need to pay a $50 continuing education fee to maintain his or her active status in the program.

How long is the MABC program?

The program can be completed in as quickly as 2 years, if circumstances allow for it, and must be completed in no more than 6 years. The length of time a student takes to complete it may depend on a number of factors…

• Your own schedule and personal responsibilities outside of your schoolwork. We have found that students use on average 8 hours of work per class each week, including any time spent sitting in or watching class lectures. So if you decide to take a full-time load of 4 classes, you can expect to spend on average 32 hours of work for our program each week. Keep this in mind as you consider how our program will affect the other responsibilities you have in your life.
• Which classes are offered during a given semester. Not all classes are offered every semester. Check the Course Schedule each semester to see what is being offered and what is not.
• What format classes are offered in. Not all classes are offered in every format. Some are only offered in-person while others are offered only online. Check the Course Schedule each semester to see what format each classes is offered in.
• What days and times in-person classes are offered. There may be some classes that are only offered in-person on days or at times when you are otherwise preoccupied. Check the Course Schedule each semester to see what what days and times each in-person class is offered.
• What prerequisites are needed to take certain classes. Our program is designed in such a way that the material builds on itself over time. While some classes can be taken in a different order, some cannot. Check our courses to see what prerequisites are needed for each course.

Due to factors like these and others, students usually finish the program in 3-4 years. For more information about the factors involved in completing the MABC, see our Policies page.

What are the course requirements?

An MABC degree is awarded to students who successfully fulfill the requirements of 16 required courses and 1 elective course (17 classes in total, 34 units).

Required Courses

• BC501: Introduction to Biblical Counseling (2)
• BC502: Essential Qualities of a Biblical Counselor (2)
• BC503: Methods of Biblical Change (2)
• BC506: Theology & the Psychologies (2)
• BC511: Theological Basis of Counseling (2)
• BC521: Problems & Procedures (2)
• BC531: Hermeneutics (2)
• BC532: Advanced Hermeneutics (2)
• BC542: Marriage & Family Counseling (2)
• BC556: ACBC Membership Seminar (2)
• BC557: Counseling & Physiology (2)
• BC560: Biblical Conflict Reconciliation (2)
• BC580: Counseling Observation and Practicum (2)
• BC592: Applied Soul Care I (2)
• BC593: Applied Soul Care II (2)
• BC598: Thesis Research (2)

One Elective Course

The student will take one additional elective course (2 credit hours), related to his or her specific research or counseling methodology interests. Elective class offerings vary from semester to semester. For a list of some of the elective classes we have offered, please consult our Class Listings page.

*Every student graduating from the MABC program will have completed all requirements for certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), by nature of those requirements seamlessly woven into the curriculum of required courses.

What kind of course formats do you offer?

Both program modalities, residential and distance, have the same cost, curriculum, professors, and program length (2-6 years). But each modality offers a few different formats that classes can be taken in at different times. Classes are offered in three formats: On-campus, online, and synchronous.

On-Campus

These are classes that are offered only in-person at TMU. The in-person lectures either take place one night a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) during the fall and spring semesters, or every day of one week (Monday – Friday) in the morning or evening the 2nd and 3rd week of July during the summer semester.

Online

These are classes that are offered only online with pre-recorded lectures. There is no in-person requirement for these courses.

Synchronous

These are classes that are offered with the option of either on-campus attendance (see above) or live Zoom attendance. Choosing to attend the class over Zoom does not make the course count as on-campus attendance to fulfill the 8-course in-person requirement for accreditation purposes.

What is SIP?

The Summer Intensive Program (SIP) is a special way students can take classes on-campus in a condensed format, and is only offered this way over the summer. Unlike a traditional fall or spring semester where on-campus lectures for each class take place one night each week, the SIP format condenses on-campus class lectures into one week for each class, which take place either the 2nd or 3rd week of July, depending on which week the class is offered. Classes during that two-week time frame are offered in the morning or afternoon, Monday through Friday, each week. A student, therefore, can take up to four on-campus classes over the course of those two weeks. Due to the intensive nature of the lecture component, students must attend every lecture, and missing one lecture will result in students not passing the class and being be required to retake it. Assignments for each class will be due throughout the duration of the summer from May to August for a period of 16 weeks, like a traditional semester.

There is housing available for students coming in from out of town to stay and take class for one or both of those weeks in July. The cost is $495 a week, and includes both housing and most of the meals you will need for the week provided by our cafeteria. For more information about housing, click here.

When Should I Start?

The semester you choose to start is best determined by the kind of student you plan to be…

I plan to be a residential student

It is preferred that residential students begin studies in a Fall term, but there are opportunities to begin in a Spring or Summer semester, should you choose to do so.

I plan to be a distance student

Because the in-person SIP courses form both the foundation and anchor for the entire distance student’s experience, we highly recommend distance students to start the program in a summer term. If you plan to be distance student, you may begin in the fall or spring semesters, but you must realize that you will be forced to take classes out of the prescribed order, and so be limited as to which courses you may be able to take throughout the program. Moreover, you should be aware that some classes you take early on will assume you have a familiarity with content you learned from other courses you normally would have taken in the prescribed order. That said, all students will be held to the same academic standards whether the student is taking the classes in the prescribed order or not. The Graduate Studies Office will help students minimize any potential problems that may result from taking classes out of the preferred order, but it is important that you are aware of these potential challenges.

Is there a thesis I need to write?

It is not required to write a full thesis for the program. Instead, each student will be required to develop a 20-to-30-page thesis research outline as a capstone project and give a defense of their research in-person on the university campus at the time of annual graduation proceedings at the beginning of May. The symposium highlights the project and allows others to benefit from the students’ efforts in research. The defense will be given to a panel of faculty and staff of the MABC program and will be open for others to observe. Nevertheless, there may be opportunity for students to write a 120-page thesis composition based on the thesis research project. This additional course can either serve as your one required elective or be an additional course added to your 34-unit program. Students must receive advisor approval prior to enrolling in the thesis composition course. Students may be advised to complete the thesis research course first and upon successful completion may then be approved to continue developing their work into a thesis composition. Most students in our program choose not to write a thesis.