"Union is a community that makes you feel cared for and valued. It is a place to grow personally, in faith and academically while interacting with many students from different walks of life."
Union is a welcoming place to study Theology. I come from a Christian background, with an interest in Theology. Over four years I have completed my BTh, MTh in New Testament and am currently working on a PhD.
The faculty and staff are genuinely interested in helping their students. They are respected in their fields of study but will happily take time to discuss queries in a more relaxed atmosphere over coffee.
The Gamble Library has been willing to obtain specific resources for me. Union has allowed me to gain confidence and knowledge of my subject through a variety of diverse modules. I have had many opportunities within the college on task groups and the college facilitated my speaking on the episode of Songs of Praise covering Northern Ireland’s Centenary.
"Union is a community that makes you feel cared for and valued. It is a place to grow personally, in faith and academically while interacting with many students from different walks of life."
I am a student at Union Theological College as part of a pathway that prepares and equips those training for ordained ministry within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. I am currently studying an MDiv as part of that pathway and am thoroughly enjoying my time at the college.
One of the college's strengths is the sense of community that is identifiable the moment that you step up those steps. In all areas of college life, each student is surrounded by people who care not only about academic prowess, but also about personal well-being and growth.
Further, Members of faculty are passionate about what they do. This is clear both in and out of the classroom. Whether it be practical, systematic or biblical theology, each student is subject to the teachings of professors and lecturers of the highest calibre. Not only that, each module, subject and lecture is centred around the gospel and each member of teaching staff are united by their love for Jesus and desire to help their students discover Him in all aspects of theological study.
Taken from Proverbs 23:23, the colleges motto, "Veritatem eme et noli vendere" encourages each student to invest in the personal study and understanding of Biblical truth and to keep hold of it, applying it to life both now and in the future. Being part of a community that is committed to these truths as the college motto persuades us has been thouroughly encouraging to me and my personal faith. I would encourage anyone who has a passion for the Bible and a desire to understand its truths to study here and become part of this community of gospel people as they pursue Christ each day.
I’ve just completed my MDiv through Union Theological College and it has been an absolute privilege to have had the education I have received here. For me, there have been three main highlights.
Firstly, the College community. One noticeable difference I found with Union compared to where I had studied as an undergraduate, was the sense of community that the staff and students enjoyed together. The daily half-hour coffee break was looked forward to where the staff mixed with the students and took the time to get to know you on a personal basis. In fact, often these were the places that some of the big theological questions that had ruminated after class found themselves being tabled in an informal manner and the faculty were more than happy to help you as you continued to wrestle with them. However, predominantly this is where you got to witness the pastoral heart and genuine care that the staff had for the students (and their humour) as well as a wonderful opportunity for the intermingling of students from all the different courses on offer and for strong friendships to be forged.
Secondly, I found that the level of teaching was of a high standard, with some of the faculty having a notable reputation worldwide. The fact that a number of the staff are ordained ministers and have served in congregations prior to their teaching roles was especially helpful for me as I was seeking to complete my MDiv alongside taking classes in preparation for pastoral ministry.
I found that given their experience, they were able to give application to real life ministry situations. I found that the modules were intellectually stimulating and required me to push myself to new levels academically. However, alongside this I found that I was given the support that I needed in order to be able to make the jump from undergraduate to post-graduate level. The feedback on submissions was thorough and helpful so that you could build on and improve your writing ability as you progressed through the modules.
Thirdly, as I look back, I realise that I have grown a lot through my time in college. I’ve grown in my knowledge of theology and how to handle the Bible for myself, but I’ve also grown in my ability to critically review what I read, and have left with confidence in being able to stand firm in my theological convictions. I think these skills are especially important given the nature of what I am seeking to do going forward and so I’m incredibly thankful for the College staff in equipping me for that.
When I started studying at Union I not only changed college, but also moved to distance learning online (MThOT). I was concerned that I would not be able to get to know my new tutors, navigate the online environment, or feel part of the college.
While the online experience is certainly different from physical presence at college, the staff and tutors have done everything possible to make online students feel a valued part of college life. The librarians, office staff and tutors could not be more helpful or friendly, and email enquiries are always promptly replied to. The real-time lectures with discussion opportunities have also helped to make me feel more connected to the tutors and fellow students.
So far I have found the course to be challenging, thought-provoking, and extremely interesting. I look forward to the remaining modules and dissertation to come.
Before coming to Union, I’d spent the previous 10 years working and teaching within the music industry, and even though it has been a challenge coming back to the rigour of academic study, it has been thoroughly worthwhile.
One thing I didn’t fully appreciate during my music degree was the calibre of the teaching staff, so I wanted to make the most of these opportunities when I started training for ministry. The faculty at Union are very approachable and are more than willing to help, guide and advise in their field of expertise.
The heart of Union College is to equip ministry students to handle the weighty aspects of theology and doctrine so that as we study and preach through the scriptures, it would permeate into our future pulpit ministries and pastoral responsibilities.
My understanding of the Christian faith has been enriched, and my understanding of what it means to be ‘in Christ’ has been challenged and deepened since starting Union.
I have been privileged to be able to study for my undergraduate, live in for three years and now currently training to become an ordained minister within the walls of Union College. This time has been incredibly informative and insightful for me, often making me rethink what I thought I knew and leaving me with more questions to ponder and work through.
The faculty have been a real blessing in my life, they’ve been patient and willing to explain things multiple times in order for me to get the most out of my theological teaching. This partnered with the community around college and in the halls has enabled me to not just grow in my knowledge but also grow in my Christian life.
Union college provides a great environment for people of all abilities and backgrounds to come and be stretched, exploring all the different aspects of Christian theology and meet people who will both simultaneously encourage and challenge you as you study alongside one another.
I retired from teaching dentistry a few years ago, and wanted to explore opportunities to learn the biblical languages, specifically Greek, without having to relocate my family to another city to attend seminary. I researched online programs of study and found that Union Theological College in Belfast, Northern Ireland offered just the program I was looking for: the Post-Graduate Certificate in Biblical Greek.
Over the years, I had attempted to learn Greek on my own, but needed more structure for my efforts to become successful. I am currently enrolled in my third course (module) at Union and have thoroughly enjoyed learning Biblical Greek. The program is an excellent, academically rigorous, fully online graduate level program in biblical Greek and is built on a foundation of grammar and reading.
I have also been challenged to write exegetical essays on various topics and have been provided positive and constructive feedback from our excellent tutor and academic coordinator who is himself a New Testament scholar.
The support staff are courteous and responsive at all times, Union truly focuses on pursuing excellence in everything it does, and I consider it a privilege to be studying there.
Over the last couple of years, I have been taking the MTh in New Testament part-time, and I cannot recommend the course highly enough! I have to admit when I signed up, I was a little apprehensive about the nature of an online course, but the staff at Union have clearly worked hard in crafting this programme.
Through regular online classes and forum discussions with my peers, as well as the helpfulness of faculty, there is a real collegial atmosphere even on the online pathway. The course itself is rigorous and stretching, with a range of modules to suit all interests across the New Testament spectrum. I have found the content really beneficial in giving me the opportunity to learn about the breadth of New Testament study, as well as allowing space to drill down deeper into specific areas of personal interest.
Studying through Union has definitely shaped me into a more confident and able interpreter of Scripture, a more independent thinker, and has set me up well to communicate the wonders of the New Testament in my work in ministry.
I came to Union to begin training for the ordained ministry, alongside completing an MDiv. I had some previous training and experience in ministry and had actually considered deferring my entry for a year, in order to make use of a new flexible pathway model for ministry training. I am glad I didn’t. Within weeks of being at Union, I realised just how little I really knew and just how much I needed to spend good time, amongst other students and under the teaching of a wide range of accomplished tutors, being refined and equipped by God, for the path he has placed ahead of me. The MDiv was an important part of that. It is definitely a challenging and robust programme, that significantly stretched me.
The modules were carefully considered and gave a broad range of systematic and biblical topics to explore. As well as stretching us academically, each module was also highly practical and encouraged us to think about the ministerial and pastoral implications of what we were studying.
It helped that many of the lecturers were ordained ministers themselves and able to draw together the academic and practical really effectively. Lecturers are always available for meetings, or informal chats over coffee, if and when needed and they also engage with students at coffee time and through college worship. There is an excellent library, looked after by very helpful staff, which offers a great place to study and allows access to a fantastic range of paper and electronic resources.
My time at Union has helped me grow in my knowledge and love for God and helped me to realise there is so much more to learn.