Biblical Exegesis
Interpret biblical texts through historical and cultural context, close textual analysis, and targeted Hebrew and Greek.
Berean Institutes
Academics
Serious online study of Scripture, its languages, and its history. Choose one of four certificate programs, or take Continuing Education courses one at a time.
Berean Institutes is an independent, unaccredited institution. It awards Advanced Certificates of verified competency, not degrees.
Certificate programs
Four long-form programs. Each one focuses on a single field of biblical and historical study.
Biblical Research & Interpretation
Do original research on biblical texts, their historical worlds, and their textual traditions, ending in a dissertation.
Early Christianity: Apostolic–Post-Nicene
Trace Christianity from its Jewish origins to the councils and empire of the fifth century.
Black Hebrew Israelite Theology
Test the evidence behind Hebrew Israelite doctrines, identity claims, and historical claims.
Programs at a glance
How long each program takes, what languages it uses, and how it ends.
| Program | Courses | Length | Languages | Final work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biblical Exegesis | 18 courses | About 24 months, a 6-month accelerated track, or self-paced | Hebrew and Greek, taught in the program | Exegetical thesis/capstone and online oral defense |
| Biblical Research & Interpretation | 16 courses · 54 credits | About 4 years full-time | Hebrew or Greek at an advanced level | Dissertation and oral defense |
| Early Christianity: Apostolic–Post-Nicene | 11 courses · 33 credits | About 18 months | None required | 6,000-word historical essay |
| Black Hebrew Israelite Theology | 11 courses · 33 credits | About 18 months | None required | 6,000-word historiographical essay |
See reading loads, methods, and assessed writing in Compare Programs.
Continuing Education
Serious online study without entering a long-form program.
Continuing Education Certificates
Follow a set sequence of related courses in one subject, such as Christian Apologetics or Historical Theology & Patristics, and earn a Berean Continuing Education Certificate.
Individual courses
Take one course on its own. Every course has a free week in its current cohort, so you can sit in before you enroll. No credit card is needed.
How Berean teaches
Every required course helps you understand, interpret, or explain the biblical text, or builds a skill that scholarship needs.
- Evidence, not a set answer
- Berean has no statement of faith. Your work is graded on how well you handle evidence, use primary sources, and build an argument.
- Fully online
- Cohorts begin in fall, spring, and summer, or you can study on the self-paced track.
- Books included
- Program tuition includes required books and course materials. Payment plans are available.
- Writing matters
- Most work is essays and source analysis. Tutoring is available if you need writing help.
- Earn a C or better
- Each required course needs a C or better, as set out in the Advanced Certificate Rules.
Faculty
Berean’s Academic Board oversees every program. It approves program standards, learning outcomes, curriculum, and assessment. Each program has its own Program Chair.
Academic resources
Dates, course details, rules, and research tools for applicants and students.
- Academic CalendarCohort start dates, deadlines, and Preview Weeks.
- Program SyllabiEvery course in all four programs: what it covers, what you read, and the major work.
- Course CatalogEvery open online course, with its free week and next start date.
- PoliciesAcademic, enrollment, pacing, and student policies, each with a plain summary.
- Advanced Certificate RulesRequirements, grades of C or better, transfer credit, academic standing, and transcripts.
- Berean LibrarySearch approved open-access theological collections and save your research.
- Open Reference LibraryLexicons, translations, dictionaries, and primary-source collections.
- Journal of Biblical Antiquity and HeritageBerean’s journal. Read published articles and back issues.
Ready to begin?
Apply to a program, ask a question, or see what it costs.