Academics

Branches offered

• • Old Testament
  • New Testament
  • Christian Theology, Patristics, Liturgical Theology
  • History of Christianity
  • Religion: Hinduism
  • Christian Ministry: Pastoral Counselling
  • Missiology

Academic Requirements

1. The M.Th Degree requires two years of full time internal and residential study
2. To qualify for the M.Th Degree a candidate is expected to pass a minimum of 50 credit hours; 38 credits Course work and 12 credits Thesis work.
3. Courses not less than 12 credits and Thesis shall be examined by the Senate; the remaining courses, 26 credits will be examined as college papers

The lay-out of the curriculum

1. Courses from the Branch          24 credits
2. Courses from other Branches     4 credits.
3. Integrated Course                         2 credits.
4. Study Methods                              2 credits.
5. Research Methodology                2 credits
6. Teaching Pedagogy                       4 credits
7. Thesis                                             12 credits

      Total                                              50 credits

Thesis:

1. A candidate is expected to submit a Thesis not exceeding 20,000 words on a subject within the Branch of specialization.
2. The Thesis subject may also be related to another Branch, but the major focus should be on the candidate’s own branch of specialization.
3. All M.Th candidates are expected to pass a common research methodology course on Thesis writing.

The following rules have to be observed regarding the preparation for submission of Thesis for the M.Th Degree:

1. The candidate has to present Thesis proposal before the faculty by September 30 of the first year of M.Th Studies for approval by the Faculty
2. A candidate writing an M.Th Thesis is expected to work under the supervision of a Faculty Memebr appointed by the Faculty of FFRRC
3. The length of the Thesis shall not be exceeding 20,000 words from Introduction to Conclusion. Marks shall be deducted if the Thesis exceeds the prescribed limit by more than 10%.
4. The Thesis should be written in English.
5. The Thesis must be printed on one side only on paper which is approximately 8½” × 11″ and bound in stiff covers.
6. Six copies of the Thesis must be submitted to the FFRRC office not later than February 28 of the Second year of M.Th. studies.
7. The Thesis shall be the original work of the candidate and should be thoroughly proof read to avoid errors in typing and in grammatical construction prior to submission. If examiners find that the Thesis is a polished work with expert treatment casting doubts on the original capabilities of the candidate and/or gives evidence of plagiarized, such a Thesis will be rejected/ or called for revision or writing a new Thesis with a new Title.
8. A list of books consulted shall be appended to the Thesis and exact reference to quotations be given.
9. In awarding grades for the Thesis, examiners will take into consideration the following matters:
   1. Accuracy and range of knowledge of the subject as shown by acquaintance with books and published and unpublished documents or based on personal investigation.
   2. Coherence of the argument.
   3. Independence of thought.
   4. Presentation (format, printing errors, word limits etc.)

Abstracts:

1. Along with the Thesis the candidate has to submit three copies of an abstract of approximately 300 words. The abstract shall be a brief summary of the problem, the methodology followed in the research and the main findings.
2. When a Thesis is resubmitted following revision, three copies of a revised abstract shall also be submitted.
3. Along with the Thesis the candidate has to submit a declaration form that the Thesis is not plagiarized (three copies) and a soft copy (CD) in PDF format.
4. The candidate should also declare the total words used in the Thesis, excluding footnotes, bibliography and appendices.
5. Before a Thesis is published the writer should obtain the prior permission from the Academic Council of the Senate of Serampore College