Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa (RF) NPC (The)

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About Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa (RF) NPC (The)

The Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa (ESSA, formerly the Evangelical Bible Seminary of Southern Africa, EBSemSA) is a private evangelical theological institution at 189 Pine Street in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. It provides accessible theological education for ministry leadership in an urban African context, for lay people and clergy, working in partnership with local churches and parachurch organisations.

ESSA offers one programme, the Bachelor of Theology (BTh) at NQF level 7 with 384 credits. It is designed for part-time students already in full-time ministry or employment, who can finish in as few as four years. Delivery is by block release: five nine-week academic blocks a year, with up to two modules taken at a time. Students attend campus for contact learning with the lecturer in the third and seventh weeks of each block and study at home on Moodle for the remaining weeks, so internet access and a computer are required. Teaching is in English.

The curriculum is arranged in Understanding the Bible, Understanding Tradition, Understanding Ministry and Core Academic modules. It includes the Old and New Testament surveys, Pentateuch, prophets, systematic theology, the early church, the church in Africa, hermeneutics and exegesis, homiletics, counselling, pastoral care, leadership and management, urban ministry, world religions and cross-cultural ministry, peace and justice, and three Ministry Experience Journal modules.

The campus is a restored urban-renewal complex on Pine Street that includes a Grade 1 listed Victorian house group from the 1860s, a former Lutheran church and a purpose-built library opened in March 2007 holding 30,000 volumes and journals. ESSA belongs to the Pietermaritzburg Cluster of Theological Institutions, which gives students access to the library holdings of the other member institutions. Students have come from many denominations and from African countries, particularly the SADC region.

ESSA was registered as a Private Higher Education Institution with the Department of Higher Education and Training in June 2019, and its BTh programme was accredited by the Council on Higher Education in November 2017.

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Fees and costs (BTh)

Application fee (non-refundable): R300
Utilities fee, payable at the start of each year: R300
Tuition: R220 per credit; R2,200 for each 10-credit academic module (36 in the programme) and R1,760 for each 8-credit Ministry Experience Report module (3 in the programme)
Total programme cost: R85,980 (application fee R300, first year R15,700, second year R24,060, third year R24,060, fourth year R21,860)

Tuition is billed after each registration period (February and June for new students; December and June for returning students) and paid according to a payment plan agreed with ESSA. Students with an outstanding balance cannot register for new modules. Fees are subject to annual adjustment.

Study requirements

Students need a computer and internet access for the Moodle-based guided learning between contact weeks, and must attend campus in the third and seventh weeks of each nine-week block.

Applying

Applications are made through the Apply Now link on the Bachelor of Theology page. Enquiries: [email protected], +27 33 394 1679.

Pietermaritzburg campus: 189 Pine Street, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Lecture and administration buildings on Pine Street, including restored heritage properties, and the ESSA library (opened 2007, 30,000 volumes and journals) with a catalogue accessible on and off campus. Library access is shared with other Pietermaritzburg Cluster institutions.

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Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa (RF) NPC (The)