Guide de l’étudiant

The new postgraduate curriculum of "Orthodox Theology and Culture" offered by the School of Social Theology and Christian Culture has set the following criteria perspective students should meet. They should have a degree in Theology obtained at a Greek University or an equivalent degree from foreign universities which has been recognized by Hellenic NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Center). Graduates from other Greek University Schools or Faculties, or from equivalent recognized by Hellenic NARIC foreign Universities, are able to register for the Postgraduate Programme after they have successfully participated in written exams on certain specialization subjects.

In order for the postgraduate students to obtain their qualification from the Postgraduate Study Programme, they have to attend and complete successfully the assignments and exams in 3 semesters that correspond to 90 ECTS. During the 4th semester the students have to write a Master Thesis that corresponds to 30 ECTS, which will be evaluated by a three-member committee and be defended in public by the candidate.

The Postgraduate Programme of Orthodox Theology and Christian Culture involves research, study and academic training in the following three specialization fields: a) Biblical, Patriarchal, Hagiological and Religious studies b) History, Doctrine, Philosophy and Archeology c) Applied Theology

Aim

The aim of the Postgraduate Programme of Orthodox Theology and Christian Culture is to provide high quality education in the academic field of Orthodox Theology and Christian Culture research, in the form that it has taken all over the Christian world. More specifically, the aim of the Programme is to nurture academic theological research and promote its specialization fields, so that it corresponds to the educational, social and church needs.

Analytically the Postgraduate Programme aims at:

a) training new scholars so as to be fully competent in dealing with theological, church and social issues, in producing academic work regarding all of the above mentioned issues as well as in providing church and educational services and institutions with scholarly support within the context of orthodox life and tradition,

b) producing specialized theologians with skills and competences, knowledge and experience so that they are fully capable of offering high quality work in social institutions, in public secondary education and in positions of education instructors and other church executives, and finally in covering spiritual and pastoral needs in the Orthodox Church of Greece or in other Autocephalus Churches,

c) enhancing and spreading orthodox theological studies not only in Greece but also abroad, and especially promoting orthodox theology and Greek civilization in the States through a cooperation with the Holly Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, within an established cooperation framework,

d) developing special research and critical skills which are required for the PhD level of studies and for research activities in the academic domains of corresponding disciplines that focus on the Theology of the Orthodox Church, in the form of texts, practice as well as institutional and cultural production.

Successful first and second level graduates of the Postgraduate Programme of Orthodox Theology and Christian Culture are expected to have obtained, according to their elected specialization field:

1) specialized proficiency in the field of Orthodox Theology or Christian Culture,

2) research experience so that the graduates are capable of an in depth study of the aspects of Orthodox and Christian in general theological tradition,

3) advanced knowledge and awareness of the new research and study tools involved in theology, humanities, sources of orthodox theological tradition as well as in secondary bibliography both in Greek and foreign languages,

4) critical academic thinking in order to approach and comprehend theological sources as well as forms of contemporary orthodox or not theological thought, in addition to gaining insight into contemporary issues that Orthodox theology - as an exponent of church tradition and action - is called to address on an international level.

Successful graduates of the Postgraduate Programme of Orthodox Theology and Christian Culture are expected to have obtained, according to their elected specialization field, the following skills in:

1) teaching and researching literary, hermeneutical and theological matters related to the domain of the specialization fields offered in the programme, namely a) to Holy Scripture, Patristics and Hagiography; to historical, philosophical and other aspects of these texts; to the history and teaching of foreign religions and religious movements; and to textual criticism and editing of early Christian literature, b) to Church history and Byzantine civilization; to the origins and development of the institutions of the Orthodox Church and its doctrinal teaching; to promoting the testimony of church faith in inter orthodox, inter Christian and ecumenical dialogue, c) to worship and cultural aspects of orthodox tradition, i.e. worship and homiletics, Christian archaeology, hymnology and byzantine musicology and chanting, the way they are practiced in the Orthodox Icon Painting Workshop and the Byzantine Chanting Choir, and d) to issues relating to the organization, the pastoral and social work of the Orthodox Church, namely issues relating to Canon Law, Church State Relations, ministry and pastoral psychology, Christian ethics and bioethics, Sociology of Christianity, and Christian paedagogics as these are studies in the corresponding Laboratory and are applied in the practical training in religious education courses of the secondary school system,

2) understanding the dialectic relationship between the Orthodox Church and theological tradition, on the one hand, and other Christian doctrines and religious traditions, on the other, along with all contemporary philosophical views,

3) using IT systems and applying computing science in theological research and education, along with general additional training in the use of research tools from the field of humanities.

The postgraduates of the Orthodox Theology and Christian Civilization Programme, depending on their elected specialization fields they are capable of:

1) Applying theological knowledge both in research and educational process,

2) investigating, analyzing and composing data and information drawn from the sources of Orthodox Theology and secondary theological bibliography, by using at the same time appropriate methodology and technology,

3) working in scholarly way, independently or in groups and in an international interdisciplinary environment,

4) producing innovative ideas and research knowledge in the field of their specialization,

5) applying critical study methodologies within the historical and social context the texts of Orthodox Theology were produced, as well as following inductive and deductive processes of thinking,

6) promoting and optimizing their acquired knowledge within the Church or social environment they are called to work.

Both the Postgraduate Programme and the PhD Programme provide successful graduates with an important bonus in the selection process point system, not only in the Public but also in the Private Sector, along with extra wage privileges.

The successful completion of a Postgraduate Programme consists a prerequisite for the students to gain access in second level postgraduate studies of PhD programmes, not only in Greece but also in international universities.

A scale of 1 to 10 applies to the assessment and grading system of first level postgraduate students

Excellent: 8.50-10.00

Very Good : 6.50- 8.49

Good : 6.00-6.49

Fail: 0-5.99

Minimum passing grade : 6

4 semesters, 120 ECTS in order to successfully complete the Programme and get a MasterDegree.

A full academic year is equivalent to 60 ECTS units and a full complete semester to 30 ECTS (1 ECTS = 25-30 hours) (Greek Legislation according to European Legislation (Ministerial Decision no Φ5/89656/β3, art. 1-3, Hellenic Government Gazette no 1466/2007/B). Each course is credited with a number of ECTS according to the workload the students are required to fulfill for a successful completion of each course.

The fourth semester is the period when the students write their dissertation / thesis. If the students wish, they have the right to apply for an extension; the decision then is taken by the General Assembly of Special Composition.

Obligatory attendance at the lectures organized in each course, as well as attendance at the special postgraduate seminaries and academic meetings