Students about their studies
Charlotte Glasbergen-Molenaar, Master's student
The first time I came to TUA, it was love at first sight. A place where you learn to explain the Bible and interpret the message. That was the place I wanted to be, because that was what I wanted to learn. And now several years later, after graduating from the Bachelor, I am in the Master's programme. The Bachelor laid a foundation of skills that we learn to apply in the Master. Where in the Bachelor a foundation was mainly laid, in the Master something is built up. What appeals to me about the three-year Master is the thoroughness and personal formation. Because we have lectures in small groups, there is a lot of attention and space for personal input from all students. This ensures that we learn a lot from each other and you are challenged to think about your 'own' theology. At the same time, the expertise of the lecturers and the breadth of the courses ensure that we are formed on a broad front. All courses come together. In the Bachelor, the connection is not always entirely clear to you as a student, but in the Master it starts to dawn on you: the importance of exegesis to get corrected in your dogmatics. And the impact of your dogmatics on pastoral care and catechesis. This is best revealed in the thematic modules. For example, we discuss 'sanctification' or 'secular time'. From all disciplines of theology, such a theme is then illuminated, making you much more broadly equipped on a given topic. It is also refreshing to be in touch with the whole breadth of the Reformed tradition. Both in the theological works we read as well as in the different backgrounds of the students.
So, what about that first love? That one has definitely been reciprocated. And yet I also started looking beyond. Besides my three-year Master in Apeldoorn, I'm also taking the Master Church and Mission in the West at TUU. And that is a nice complement to what I am learning in Apeldoorn. At TUA I am being equipped to listen in the Word, at TUU I am learning to listen to the context and bring the message of the Word to life. At TUA I learn to dig deeper and understand more, at TUU I learn to bring this to the surface, give new words to it and make it accessible to those around me. So TUA gives you solid ground under your feet as a theologian!
Fianne de With, currently a PhD student at TUA
Since I came to study at the TUA, this place has started to feel like my home. The small scale of the program and the personal contact with lecturers and students from different year groups ensure that there are people talking about 'the TUA community'. We form a community mainly because we have a common goal, expressed in TUA's motto: serving knowledge. What we do at TUA has to do with our deepest desires and beliefs.
By studying at the TUA, a world has opened up for me. The world of the Bible is so rich! In order to understand it, you have to master Hebrew and Greek and learn the ins and outs of exegesis. Subjects such as dogmatics, ethics and missiology help you to express the Gospel in the present time. Of course we also think about the practice of liturgy, preaching, pastoral ministry, catechesis, diaconate, and so on.
What appeals to me about theology is the breadth of the study: language, history, philosophy, psychology, it all comes up. At the same time it is always about the core, about what really matters in this world.
The nice thing about studying at the TUA is that you meet students who differ in terms of age, previous education and church background. This creates exciting contacts. This is given concrete form, for example, in the annual integration lectures and theme days, where we as students and lecturers spend a number of days together around a certain theme. The student association also has added value in this aspect. At the TUA, you are formed by lecturers who teach with heart for their profession and with an understanding of business. The educational support staff is always ready to advise and assist you. For example, a lot is possible if you want to combine your studies with a job or with another study.
At the TUA I get a solid foundation that teaches me to think about God, faith and the world. With this foundation I realize more and more that there is still so much to discover!