Studies

Studies

The School of Pastoral and Social Theology with its providing education aims to instruct executives of the science of Theology, of the social organizations and of the National Education System, and to train members of the Church.

The school offers:

  1. Degree in Theology
    Diploma Supplement
  2. Master in Theology
    “MA Theology & Christian Culture” under the following specializations:
    a) Biblical Studies (i. Old Testament and ii. New Testament Studies)
    b) Patristics and Hagiology (i. Patristics, ii. Hagiology)
    c) Religious Studies
    d) Church History Studies
    e) Dogmatic and Symbolic Theology
    e) Hellenism and Orthodoxy
    f) Liturgics
    g) Byzantine and Christian Archaeology and Art Studies
    h) Byzantine Musicology – Hymnology
    i) Canon Law Studies
    j) Pastoral Care and Pastoral Psychology
    k) Paedagogics – Christian paedagogics
    l) Christian Ethics and Sociology of Christianity
  3. PhD in Theology
  4. Master’s Programme “Greece: Church History and Civilazation”
  5. Master’s Programme “Mount Athos”
  6. Postgraduate Program “Orthodox Theology”
  7. Master’s Programme “Religious and Pilgrimage Tourism”

The curriculum is coherent, due to the fact that all the courses included cover a full range of Orthodox Theology’s domains along with all the other domains which are interconnected to Christian culture. It is rationally and symmetrically structured, offering forty-seven (47) obligatory courses, eight (8) open selection courses, seven (7) courses per semester, apart from one semester which includes six (6) courses. The total amount of hours per semester is twenty (20), one hundred and sixty (160) in total and two hundred and forty (240) ECTS.

The aim of the curriculum is clear, since it encompasses the academic discipline of Orthodox Theology along with all the subdomains of Christian Culture, a fact that gives a very specific character to the course of studies. It also gains its place within the international academic community, where Orthodox Theology’s corresponding institutions meet, whether they come from Europe, America and Australia.

The curriculum is also functional and aims towards clearly set educational results. It is divided into four semesters, during which students have to take obligatory courses that are evenly distributed. During the four subsequent semesters the courses are obligatory elective and the students can design their own personal schedule by stating their personal choices.

The students also have the ability to choose eight elective courses from those offered by the School or other Schools at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, or, if it is provisioned by AUTH’s Internal Regulation, by the University of Macedonia. This will lead the students into gaining specific perspective when they are pursuing their goals.

Thus, upon graduation, students can ensure:

a) a complete course of oriented studies according to their free elective courses (Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, Liturgical, Canon Law and, Patristics),

b) pedagogical competence required by law, if they enroll for one or two free elective courses from the School itself or other Pedagogical Departments, which will be additionally counted along with their four obligatory pedagogical courses,

c) certified practical skill, upon successfully completing a practical seminary of either church chanting, icon painting, Pastoral and Social work, or Religious Tourism.

All the above mentioned constituents are what characterize the dynamic character of the reformed curriculum. Besides being complete and multidimensional, it also provides students with every possible flexibility and freedom in their effort to establish a personalized course of studies.