Degree Programs
Master of Christian Education (M.C.Ed.)
Purpose and Goals
The Institute for Creation Research School of Biblical Apologetics is a formal education arm of the Institute for Creation Research. SOBA provides graduate-level training in biblical education and apologetics, especially emphasizing the theological issues tied to Genesis 1-11, through its current Master of Christian Education (M.C.Ed.) degree that features a joint major in Biblical Education and Apologetics. Also, the M.C.Ed. program currently provides a choice of several academic minors to allow concentrated study of different areas of biblical education and apologetics.
SOBA’s foundation is Scripture, which the school and its faculty hold as inerrant, accurate, and authoritative. Additionally, biblical creation, with a special emphasis on Genesis 1-11, is a significant focus of all SOBA degrees, majors, and minors, which sets ICR’s M.C.Ed. program apart from other graduate level apologetic programs.
Fulfilling the purpose of training future leaders in biblical education and apologetics, while maintaining a strict adherence to Scripture, is what makes ICR’s School of Biblical Apologetics the choice for those desiring to round out their biblical education with studies that prepare them to “be ready always to give an answer” for the hope within (1 Peter 3:15).
Completion of the M.C.Ed. program is possible in less than 24 months. For a complete description of minors and courses, see our course catalog.
Joint Major
Biblical Education and Apologetics: Biblical education—the heart of the Great Commission—requires five important teaching elements, as described in Ezra 7:10. This educational emphasis is blended with biblically sound creation apologetics, detailed primarily in Genesis 1-11, ultimately providing accurate and analytical answers to honest questions along with logical refutations of "science falsely so called" (1 Timothy 6:20).
Minors
- Genesis Studies: This minor covers the biblical content and apologetic importance of Genesis, blending study of the text of Genesis with supporting multidisciplinary studies, giving apologetic attention to and analysis of issues of origins.
- Creation Research: This multidisciplinary minor focuses on researching God's creation, its past and its present, with special attention to the heavens and the earth, the diversity of living creatures, and the created uniqueness of mankind.
- Christian School Teaching: This minor, which permits the greatest flexibility for choosing electives—especially important to Christian teachers—will provide content and methodology specifically geared to enhance effectiveness in teaching apologetic content within school contexts.
- Sacred Humanities: This minor matches biblical creation apologetics to the humanities, with special attention to providential history and geography (e.g., biblical history, church history, Holy Land geography, biblical archaeology), language arts (e.g., biblical languages studies, literature), logic for apologetics, and comparative worldview studies.
Minors in Development
- Creation Theology
- Sacred History
- Sacred Geography
- Christian Leadership and Ethics
- Specialized Ministries
Bachelor of Christian Education (B.C.Ed.)
ICR’s Master of Christian Education (M.C.Ed.) program, being a graduate program, requires an earned bachelor’s degree as one of its several admission prerequisites. However, there are some applicants who have “almost” earned a bachelor’s degree (and who otherwise qualify for admission into ICR’s M.C.Ed. program), but lack only a few courses from doing so. On a case by case basis, therefore, ICR offers a customized degree-completion Bachelor of Christian Education (B.C.Ed.) degree program online that provides undergraduate-level elective courses, so that an almost-finished bachelor’s degree can be efficiently completed, and thus satisfy that academic milestone for someone who appears otherwise prepared to enter ICR’s M.C.Ed. online program.
Accordingly, at this time, ICR only offers a B.C.Ed. degree program for those who have completed about three years of undergraduate coursework, as well as a minor (or minor equivalent) in Bible/theology/ministry coursework, from a college (or colleges) with a biblical viewpoint deemed acceptable to ICR’s School of Biblical Apologetics.
