Spurgeon’s College is the largest Baptist College in Britain and is very experienced at producing open learning materials of the highest quality. At the recent assessment of the course undertaken by the University of Wales, Dr Trevor Cooling wrote, “Spurgeon's College has an asset in its Online Learning work that could make it a field leader amongst theological colleges.”

Dr Cooling is currently working for the Diocese of Gloucester as the Secondary Education Adviser and for The Stapleford Centre as the Director of the Transforming Lives Programme and Course Leader for its suite of distance learning courses in Religious Education and Faith and Education. He is also an Honorary Fellow in the School of Education at the University of Gloucestershire.

Now you can study at Spurgeon’s College through Online Learning from the comfort of your own home, or anywhere you choose! (Click here to go to the Spurgeon's Online Learning site)

Studying through Online Learning means that you are in charge. You take responsibility for what you learn, when you learn and at what speed you learn. You are not tied to academic years and you can start your course whenever it suits you best. Our newly designed modules are available on line through the Internet bringing with them the added advantages of less paperwork and modern, interactive electronic learning.

The Online Learning studies are designed to give you a greater understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith and to develop the skills necessary so that you can become even more effective in your personal witness and ministry. If you are considering mission or ministry but are not certain if you have the skills necessary to undertake a period of extended study, Open Learning is a very useful way to gauge your personal capabilities because you can purchase one module at a time.

“Preparing Christians for mission and ministry” is the slogan Spurgeon’s College. Our philosophy for training is, therefore, vocationally and practically orientated. Decide you want to study with us and we will do everything in our power to help you succeed.

You will not be left to struggle on your own. A module tutor, appointed by Spurgeon’s College, will help you through each module. Your progress will be monitored and your assignments will be marked. Your module tutor and the Open Learning staff at College will always be on hand to give you advice and to deal with any queries you may have. 

When you enrol for a module you will be guided to all the materials you need to complete your study successfully including how to buy or borrow the text books you may find useful. You will be given assistance on how to approach the study and the material you will encounter. The assessment requirements will be explained to you and you will be provided with a reading list of recommended books so that you can take further any areas of interest.

You will be awarded credits for each module you complete successfully. When you have earned 120 credits you will gain a certificate. A further 120 credits will lead to the award of a diploma and a further 120 credits will lead to the award of a Bachelor of Divinity degree validated by the University of Wales. 

Our experience has shown that some potential students are concerned that they may not have the academic ability or the time needed to complete a degree course through open learning. They do not wish to commit themselves to the expense of starting out only to find that they have wasted their money.

To assist those who are concerned about their ability either to do the academic work or find the time, we have produced an access course designed to lead students into the world of study. It is designed not just for those wishing to start an Open Learning course, but for anyone who is considering setting out on adegree level theology course. 

An extract from the Introduction to the access module:

Welcome to the academic world! Don’t let the word “academic” put you off. It does not, in itself, mean dry and certainly not irrelevant to everyday life. In fact millions of people find it a world of adventure opening up new ideas and possibilities that you might not have thought of before. And since in our case it is related to the Christian faith, nothing could be more relevant to day to day living.

In this unit I intend to show you what the whole module looks like and to lay down some basic ideas about what is involved in studying anything. The overall aim is to develop your study skills. We will also be introduced to Dr. Alastair Campbell’s book, The story we live by: A reader’s Guide to the New Testament, Oxford: Bible Reading Fellowship, 2004. 

This is the textbook around which this module is structured. You will need to obtain your own copy of this book (available postage-free to Open Learners from Spurgeon’s Bookroom, 020 8653 3640). 

If you are interested in obtaining this module, we are offering it at an introductory price of just £20.00. To start your course just log onto the Online Learning site www.spurgeonsonline.org.uk.

These are held on a Saturday in March and November each year and will give you the opportunity to meet members of staff and find out more about the course. You can then discuss your situation without commitment and obtain a good understanding of what student life will be like and the financial implications of coming to Spurgeon's College.

All Students need to earn 120 credits that can be accumulated through compulsory and optional modules as follows:

All students need to earn 120 credits. You can choose to select EITHER modules to the value of 120 credits OR modules to the value of 80 credits plus a dissertation (40 credits).

Director of Spurgeon's Online:
Dr Debra Reid (email: d.reid@spurgeons.ac.uk)