The Theology Department identifies its purpose in terms of Concordia’s statement of purpose, especially the following statements with spiritual focus:

“The total program is centered in the Christian philosophy with a confessional Lutheran emphasis…. Concordia University seeks to develop mature Christians in whom knowledge and understanding of the Holy Scriptures, the inspired, inerrant Word of God and the source and norm of Christian truth, are united with personal faith in Jesus as God and Savior. Concordia’s spiritual resources are directed to the development of Christian faith and practice of Christian virtues so that the student can form value judgments and arrive at ethical principles required for purposeful living. Concordia’s programs … nurture religious commitment, provide insights for Christian action in the world, and … provide an opportunity for intelligent selection of vocations for service to God, church and society…. Concordia … is interested in exerting a Christian influence on the community, nation, and world.” (Departmental Statement of Purpose, August 30, 2002)

Students learn Hebrew, Greek, and either Latin or German in order to read the Bible and major theological works. The curriculum enables students to attain a high level of competency for reading the Bible in its original languages and is an excellent preparation for graduate work in theology. All pre-seminary students take at least the minor. 

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students will develop an understanding of the origin of the Bible, recognize the unique qualities of God’s Word, and appreciate the varied yet unified content of the Old and New Testaments, and use sound principles in interpreting Scripture.
• Students will recognize Greek vocabulary, distinguish between the various parts of speech, analyze Greek morphology, and apply rules of syntax in order to create translations of Greek texts that represent a synthesis of Greek vocabulary, morphology, and syntax.
• Students will recognize Hebrew vocabulary, distinguish between the various parts of speech, analyze Hebrew morphology, and apply rules of syntax in order to create translations of Hebrew texts that represent a synthesis of Hebrew vocabulary, morphology, and syntax.

Curriculum

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Requirements 1		45
Major Requirements		39
Electives (credits will vary depending on Major(s) and Minor selected)		42
Major: Applied Theology (recommended)
Minor: Required (minimum 18 credits) 2
Total Hours		126

¹

 For transfer students, please see the Advanced Transfer Core.

²

If Theological Languages major is taken with another major (Applied Theology recommended), then no minor is required.

Major Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Core Courses
REL 201	Old Testament
REL 204	Biblical Theology
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology
ENG 245	Advanced Writing
or ENG 246	Creative Writing
GRK 201	Greek I
REL XXX Theology Elective (It is strongly recommended that the theological elective be fulfilled by taking an upper-level course in biblical content.)
Recommended Core Courses
For 3 credits of the Human Beings and Being Human requirement, it is recommended to select:
SCI 275	Cosmogony
OR Any PHIL course except PHIL 101
Required Courses 1
One of the language courses (normally GRK 201 - Greek I) is counted in the core, not in the major)
GER (4 credits)/LAT Language Elective I		3
GER (4 credits)/LAT Language Elective II (Second semester of Language Elective I)		3
GRK 202	Greek II	3
GRK 303	Greek III	3
GRK 304	Greek IV	3
HEB 301	Hebrew I	3
HEB 302	Hebrew II	3
HEB 401	Hebrew III	3
HEB 402	Hebrew IV	3
GRK 403	Greek V	3
or HEB 413	Hebrew V
GRK 404	Greek VI	3
or HEB 414	Hebrew VI
REL 203	New Testament	3
Biblical Skills elective (any theological languages course or Bible elective)		3
Total Hours		39

¹

Students who are planning to go to seminary should verify seminary requirements and take COMM 105 Public Speaking as necessary.