Are you called to the clergy? It’s beneficial for ministers to obtain a Bachelor’s in biblical studies. An online degree in biblical studies familiarizes you with the word of God. It also helps you build a foundation for evangelism and ministering in many ways and to many populations. With this type of education, you’ll experience your own spiritual growth while building the knowledge and skills you need to shepherd others in their spiritual formation.
What is a Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies Degree Online?
Having the desire to be a Christian minister is only the first step to becoming a church leader. Churches frequently seek ministers and preachers who have at least an undergraduate degree in ministry or Bible studies.
Bible colleges and universities offer online Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees in this field. There are programs specifically designed to prepare you to become a Christian counselor or educator, serve in various church ministries, or become lay ministers or pastors. Cheap Bible colleges online help you get your degree without braking the bank, either.
Frequently, schools offer undergraduate degrees in the ministry with a concentration in Bible studies. Regardless of the structure of the online biblical studies degree, you’ll take courses on topics such as:
- The Old Testament
- The New Testament
- Biblical Interpretation
- Teaching the Bible
- Christian Doctrine
It’s important to note that the specific doctrines you learn depend partly on the denomination of the school you attend.
Many online schools offering biblical studies degrees also require you to complete a capstone project. These projects occur at or near the end of your undergraduate studies and serve as a means of putting what you’ve learned into practice. Think of it as a culminating experience that brings together all of your studies of the Bible over the course of your degree program.
Usually, capstone projects include various facets, including:
- An investigation phase, in which you conduct research on a central problem or question.
- A development phase, during which you consider various ideas or solutions to the problem or question.
- An evaluation stage, during which you receive feedback and seek new data to analyze
- A presentation stage, in which you present the completed project to the capstone committee
Capstone projects are useful in many areas of inquiry, but they are especially helpful in biblical studies. There is a lot of information to digest and many methods of teaching the Bible to learn. A capstone project helps bring all of them together to show that you have the competence to move to the next step, be that a career or continuing education.
What is Required For a Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies?
There’s more to an online degree in biblical studies than studying the Bible. Instead, an undergraduate degree in this field gives you a foundational advantage in understanding and communicating Christian doctrines, teaching about the lives of Jesus, Paul, Moses, and others, and examining theological ideologies.
In addition to the biblically-focused topics you’ll study as outlined in the previous section, you’ll also explore various liberal arts and science subjects as part of your studies.
For example, you’ll take courses in the arts and humanities, like creative arts and philosophy. A degree in biblical studies online also requires that you study math, science, and social sciences. Communication courses are common in a biblical studies online degree as well, since many students that pursue this degree want to become ministers.
Most affordable bible colleges online require you to complete around 120 semester credit hours of study. This works out to approximately four years of full-time study.
Online students like you should consider one of the Best Online Master’s in Divinity or the Best Online Master’s in Biblical Studies if you want to continue your biblical education.
How Much Can You Earn With A Bachelor’s in Bible Studies?
Aside from television ministers, most members of the clergy don’t make a great deal of money ministering to the public and teaching Christianity. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that mean salaries range from $38,800 (25th percentile) to $63,560 (75th percentile) for clergy. The income numbers are roughly similar for church directors of music, youth ministry, and education.
You should also consider the value of benefits beyond your base salary. The compensation package might also include:
- Paid leave
- Housing
- Health insurance
- Retirement
Of course, not all churches nor church-affiliated organizations can offer much in terms of benefits. That being the case, the type and value of the benefits in the compensation package vary from one organization to the next.
It’s predicted that the occupations for clergy will grow by about 4% through 2031, which is about average for most occupations. Though growth in this field isn’t likely to be robust, clergy-related jobs are a very good bet. Religion has been part of human existence for thousands of years, and it stands to reason that it will continue to be for a large part of the population. With demand for religious services continuing, there’s a good chance you can find employment after you graduate.
What are the Most Affordable Bible Colleges Online?
Higher education isn’t cheap, but the list below includes some of the most affordable online Bible colleges. The programs are sorted by the Average Net Price for attending the school. Net price factors in tuition, fees, and financial aid.
OSR displays six data points for each school: three school-wide and three program-specific. For school-wide factors, OSR uses student satisfaction, admission rates, and the number of programs the school offers online. For program-specific factors, OSR checks the median debt of graduates from that program, how many degrees are offered within that program’s umbrella department, and what percentage of students at that school graduated from that department. However, because this is a ranking based on affordability, these data points are not factored into the score.
These six statistics are displayed by each school. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other US institutions. “Not reported” means a school did not release that information to the US Department of Education. A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on the methodology page.
If price is a determining factor in your college decision, cross-check this ranking with OSR’s Best Online Bible Studies Degrees.
Let’s explore cheap online Bible colleges you might consider for your undergraduate education.
