Why pay more

for ministry

training?

Our integrated approach emphasizes rigorous theological education, heart-level mentoring, and hands-on ministry opportunities designed to shape not only how we think, but also what we love and how we live.


MDiv Program

98 credit hours

Our MDiv program is a three-year, 98-credit-hour course of study intended to equip Christlike leaders for God’s global mission. Students participate in consistent, small cohorts of 6-12 students who commit to learning together for all 3 years, helping each other complete the program.


The MDiv is designed specifically for those called primarily to the ministry of the Word in evangelism, discipleship, preaching, teaching, and equipping the saints for ministry. Special emphasis is given to the missio Dei revealed in the Biblical story, missional theology, biblical languages, biblical and cultural exegesis, contextualization, and missional ecclesiology. Graduates will have a solid foundation for vocational ministry as pastors, church planters, or missionaries to the unreached.


Our curriculum is designed around an integrated approach that emphasizes head, heart, and hands through our three key components of Core Courses, Mentoring, and Missional Practice.


Program Learning Outcomes

By the time of graduation, MDiv Graduates will be able to: 


  1. Walk with God - Cultivate spiritual practices to nourish their life in Christ, resist cultural idolatries, and grow in Christlikeness as manifested in love for God, love for others, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. 
  2. Study the Bible - Interpret Scripture in light of its unfolding story of God's mission that finds its center in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Exegete biblical books and passages in original languages using sound hermeneutical principles and tools to discern the Spirit’s message for the Church today.
  3. Serve the Church - Serve the Church, especially through the ministry of the Word (preaching and teaching), worship, prayer, evangelism, discipleship, pastoral care, leadership development, and missions to equip congregations for God’s mission locally and globally. 
  4. Apply Contextualized Theology - Apply the theological riches of the historic Church and the Reformed evangelical tradition to meet the needs of the Church in one’s missional context.
  5. Partner for Mission - Learn from and partner with the broader body of Christ for the sake of his name among all nations. 

Core Courses

66 credits

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Covering the areas of Bible, theology, languages, history, and missional practice, our core courses are carefully designed from the perspective of the missio Dei as revealed in the biblical story. Each course is selected and sequenced based on its contribution to the overall program goals and integration with the other core courses.


Three courses among this group (6 credits) are electives that allow students to tailor their coursework to meet their vocational calling and learning objectives.

Elective Courses

6 credits

Group of people standing in front of a building with Greek text. People smiling, wearing various clothing.

Electives will allow students to tailor their elective courses to meet their vocational calling and learning objectives. For example, electives can be grouped according to concentrations such as "pastoral ministry concentration," "cross-cultural missions concentration," etc. We also offer various study abroad and cross-cultural missions opportunities for students.

Missional Practice Courses

14 credits

Child and person playing patty-cake on a sandy beach.

Our seven missional practice courses focus on core, hands-on competencies that are applicable for any ministry context. Christian leaders need to be fully capable in these areas and be able to train others in them as well (cf. 2 Tim 2:2; Heb 5:11-14). These courses give students opportunities to practice these competencies under the mentorship and supervision of their pastors as well as our seminary faculty. 


Mentoring Program

12 credits

Men bowing their heads in prayer, hands clasped, indoors.

We believe that an integral part of a theological education is attending to your heart through a mentoring relationship. Our desire is that you would walk in a relationship with another Christian who models and extends the presence, love, and care of Christ so that you will grow not only in self-awareness and Christlike character but also be more fully equipped to shepherd the hearts of others. Our Dean of Mentoring will guide students in selecting and journeying with a mentor.

Program Details
With the exception of the biblical languages courses, our core courses are taught using an 8-week quarter system. Each quarter consists of 3 courses taught weekly on Tuesdays from 8:00 am - 5 pm.

TUESDAY COHORT SCHEDULE

  • 8:00 - 8:30 am - Prayer
  • 8:30 - 11:00 am - Course 1
  • 11:00 am - 12:15 pm - Lunch
  • 12:30 - 2:15 pm - Course 2
  • 2:30 - 5:00 pm - Course 3

The biblical languages have one Zoom meeting a week on Thursdays.


The MDiv program is a full-time graduate school program that requires approximately 30 hours/week (this includes class time, mentoring meetings, assignments, and missional practice). Two required missional practice courses are taught each summer as two-day intensives.

We offer two study abroad trips to Israel and Greece to consider both historical and contemporary issues related to the church's role in God's redemptive mission.

  • Year 1 Coursework

    Summer 1

    • Evangelism
    • Discipleship
    • Preparing for Graduate Studies

    Quarter 1

    • Introduction to Missional Theology
    • Hebrew 1
    • Biblical Theology
    • Mentoring 1: Spiritual Formation

    Quarter 2

    • Torah
    • Hebrew 2
    • Role of the Family in God's Mission
    • Mentoring 2: Spiritual Formation

    Quarter 3

    • Nevi'im
    • Hebrew 3
    • Hermeneutics
    • Mentoring 3: Spiritual Formation

    Quarter 4

    • Ketuvim
    • Hebrew 4
    • Biblical Interpretation Lab: OT
    • Mentoring 4: Spiritual Formation

  • Year 2 Coursework

    Summer 2

    • Teaching & Learning
    • Biblical Counseling
    • Elective(s)

    Quarter 1

    • OT Exegesis
    • Greek 1
    • Church History 1
    • Mentoring 5: Life Story

    Quarter 2

    • Gospels
    • Greek 2
    • Church History 2
    • Mentoring 6: Life Story

    Quarter 3

    • Acts & Pauline Epistles
    • Greek 3
    • Church History 2
    • Mentoring 7: Relational Dynamics

    Quarter 4

    • Hebrews - Revelation
    • Greek 4
    • Biblical Interpretation Lab: NT
    • Mentoring 8: Relational Dynamics
  • Year 3 Coursework

    Summer 3

    • Preaching 
    • Cross-Cultural Ministry
    • Elective(s)

    Quarter 1

    • NT Exegesis
    • Leadership
    • Systematic Theology 1
    • Mentoring 9: Counseling

    Quarter 2

    • Cultural Exegesis
    • Exegeting Our Missional Context
    • Systematic Theology 2
    • Mentoring 10: Counseling

    Quarter 3

    • Contextualization
    • Missional Ecclesiology
    • Systematic Theology 3
    • Mentoring 11: Vocational Clarity

    Quarter 4

    • Missionary Encounter with the West
    • Ethics
    • Missions in the 21st Century
    • Mentoring 12: Vocational Clarity
  • Courses by Subject Matter

    BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION • 6 courses, 24 total credit hrs

    • Hermeneutics (2)
    • Biblical Interpretation Lab (2)
    • Foundations of Biblical Hebrew (8)
    • OT Exegesis (2)
    • Foundations of Biblical Greek (8)
    • NT Exegesis (2)

    BIBLE • 6 courses, 12 total credit hrs

    • Torah
    • Nevi'im
    • Ketuvim
    • Gospels
    • Acts & Pauline Epistles
    • Hebrews - Revelation

    THEOLOGY • 6 courses, 12 total credit hrs

    • Introduction to Missional Theology (2)
    • Biblical Theology (2)
    • Role in the Family in God's Mission (2)
    • Systematic Theology 1 (2)
    • Systematic Theology 2 (2)
    • Systematic Theology 3 (2)

    HISTORY • 3 courses, 6 total credit hrs

    • Church History 1 (2)
    • Church History 2 (2)
    • Church History 3 (2)

    MISSIOLOGY • 6 courses, 10 total credit hrs

    • Cultural Exegesis (2)
    • Exegeting Our Missional Context (1)
    • Contextualization (2)
    • Missionary Encounter with the West (2)
    • Missional Ecclesiology (1)
    • Ethics (1)
    • Missions in the 21st Century (2)

    MISSIONAL PRACTICE • 7 courses, 14 total credit hrs

    • Evangelism (2)
    • Discipleship (2)
    • Teaching & Learning (2)
    • Leadership (2)
    • Preaching (2)
    • Cross-Cultural Ministry (2)
    • Counseling (2) 

    ELECTIVES • 6 total credit hrs


    MENTORING • 12 total credit hrs 


    TOTAL  98 credit hours

Tuition & Financial Aid


We believe that theological education is a lifelong investment and that no graduate of CORS should be shackled with heavy student loan debt. We therefore strive to keep our degrees highly affordable, with our MDiv costing only 36% of what typical equivalent programs cost. 


Additionally, students who are members or residents at one of our partner churches receive a discount on tuition. Click here for more details.

Briefcase icon.

100%

ministry placement rate for

CORS MDiv graduates

is one hundred percent

Graduation cap icon.

3YRS

by design, our MDiv program

takes three years to graduate

Group of six stylized people.

9:1

a low student-to-teacher ratio enhances our classroom relationships

Signpost indicating two directions.

8+

CORS prepares students for

multiple avenues of

ministry job placements

2025 - 2026 CORS Academic & Event Calendar

DATE TIME PROGRAM EVENT VENUE
T, July 29 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Student Orientation & Graduate Studies Workshops  CORS Office
TH, July 31 6 pm - 8 pm MDiv & MA CORS Back to School BBQ Pate Home
T, Aug 5 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 1 Classes  Good Shepherd Anglican
M, Aug 18 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part One First Class CORS Office
TH, Aug 21 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part One First Class CORS Office
F, Sept 5 12 pm - 1:30 pm Staff & Faculty Faculty Meeting CORS Office
T, Sept 23 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Class of Quarter 1 Classes 
W Oct 1 - 12 MDiv, MA & Certificate Fall Break (No Classes)
M, Oct 13 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part Two First Class CORS Office
T, Oct 14 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 2 Classes Good Shepherd Anglican
TH, Oct 16 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part Two First Class CORS Office
M, Nov 17 6:30pm - 8:30pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Last Class CORS Office
TH, Nov 20 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Last Class CORS Office
T, Nov 25 Students, Staff & Faculty Thanksgiving Break (No Classes)
Nov 26 - 28 Staff CORS Office Closed - Thanksgiving Break
T, Dec 9 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Class of Quarter 2 Classes 
Dec 17 - Jan 12 MDiv, MA & Certificate Winter Break (No Classes)
Dec 24 - Jan 2 Staff CORS Office Closed- Christmas Break
T, Jan 13 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 3 Classes TBD
M, Jan 19  Staff CORS Office Closed- MLK Jr Day 
M, Jan 26 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part One First Class CORS Office
TH, Jan 29 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part One First Class CORS Office
F, Feb 6 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Students, Staff, Faculty & Public Annual Celebration Banquet Cornerstone Church
T, Mar 3 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Class of Quarter 3 Classes TBD
Mar 4 - 22 Students, Staff & Faculty Spring Break (No Classes)
M, Mar 23 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part Two First Class CORS Office
T, Mar 24 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 4  TBD
TH, Mar 26 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part Two First Class CORS Office
F, April 3 Staff CORS Office Closed - Good Friday
M, April 27 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Last Class CORS Office
TH, April 30 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Last Class CORS Office
T, May 12 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Day of Quarter 4  TBD
TH, May 14 5 pm - 6 pm Graduating Class & Staff Graduation Practice First Presbyterian Church Opelika
TH, May 14 6 pm - 8 pm Graduating Class & Staff Graduates Dinner Kurtaneck Home
S, May 16 10:00 am Students, Faculty, Staff & Public Graduation First Presbyterian Church Opelika
F, July 31 11:59 pm Graduating Class Practicum Core Competencies Due