Christian Distance Learning

Coolamon students study at home, in small groups or on their own. Established in 1993 to provide for students not able to attend set classes in capital cities, Coolamon has become a leader in theological education. Our faculty of almost 100 scholars supports over 500 students each year. The College is a national agency of the Uniting Church in Australia, the nation's third largest Christian denomination.

Our vision

We believe that the Christian church is called by God to be a community in which people can find wholeness and healing and then be equipped to serve God in the world.

Distance Theological Education has an important part to play in this. Through Distance Theological Education people can be helped, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to develop their own understanding of God, the world, the church and themselves in a way that draws on the rich tradition of thought and experience through which God has been revealed through the centuries. By means of Distance Theological Education we aim to increase people's understandings of the Christian faith, deepen their spiritual lives and enhance their competence in ministry.

In this way Distance Theological Education can be an agent for change towards wholeness for people and for communities.

As a specialist deliverer of distance education, Coolamon College provides study topics in Three Streams, from entry-level group work through to Postgraduate degrees, for Awards offered by the Adelaide College of Divinity and Flinders University.

• The Discover Stream the Discover Stream offers topics that consist of 8 group sessions of 1 1/2 hours plus some personal study and reflection time. Students can choose whether or not to offer work for (non-accredited) assessment.
• The Explore Stream involves education within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector. Topics involve about 70 hours work, and form part of the nationally recognised Certificate IV in Ministry award of the Adelaide College of Divinity (ACD). A Diploma in Ministry Studies is a further option. Accredited Lay Preachers can fulfil all of their study requirements through this Stream.
• The Deepen Stream involves studies within the Higher Education Sector. The Bachelor of Ministry (BMin) and Master of Ministry (MMin) focus on ministry training. These are Awards of the Adelaide College of Divinity, a registered Higher Education Provider (HEP). Students in these awards enrol through the ACD and receive full student status.

Coolamon provides distance education for several Flinders University Awards: Bachelor of Theology (BTh), Graduate Certificate (GradCertTheolStud), Graduate Diploma in Theological Studies (GradDipTheolStud), and Master of Theological Studies (MTheolStud). Each of these coursework degrees involves study topics requiring a minimum of 140 hours of work. Coolamon students are also eligible for research degrees at Masters and Doctoral levels, accredited through Flinders University. For both coursework and research degrees from BTh through PhD, students enrol directly through Flinders University to study theology by distance mode.