Since our school was founded, we have been zealously reaching out from our own locale: promoting the knowledge of both Chinese and Western academia, encouraging our students, pastors and others to embrace pluralistic traditions, developing a globalistic horizon, devoting ourselves to interact with both the academic institutions of Mainland China and other countries, and establishing platforms for overseas exchange.
In the earlier days, our school has built close ties (or has partnership programmes) with some theological institutions in South East Asia such as Trinity Theological College, Singapore and also Tainan Theological College and Seminary. Moreover, as a member of ATESEA, we pro-actively cooperate with 104 theological institutions from 16 countries/regions all over Asia. Since 1998, our school has begun to share our teaching resources with Myanmar’s seminaries, through cooperation with Association for Theological Education in Myanmar (ATEM) and Methodist Theological College (in cooperation with The Methodist Church, Great Britain) to develop and train the teachers there.
In the last decade, our school has also taken a further step to strengthen our cooperation with other theological institutions in the west. For example, from 1999 to 2006, we began to cooperate with the Westminster College, Oxford to offer distance learning programme that lead to the award of BTh (Oxon). After the Westminster College joined the Oxford Brookes University, in addition to the Oxon programme, the collaboration offered also a similar programme that lead to BA (Hon) in Theology. We successfully conducted immersion courses for Andover Newton Theological School in 2004, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley in 2007 and Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in January 2009. From 2010, our school has launched an exchange programme with Yale Divinity School. From 2011, our school has become the local partner of Cambridge Theological Federation for the Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology which is offered by Anglia Ruskin University. Our school has joined "GTUPartnerships in Transforming Theological Education in Asia, Oceania, and North America". This partnership exceeded more than 10 institutions from the aforementioned regions. Through regular academic meetings, theological educational workshops, publication plans, sharing of teaching resources, etc., the institutions from these three regions renewed and exchanged insights on theological education, so that theological education would not only meet the needs of its locality and region but globally as well.
Below are the exchange programmes between our school and other institutions in Mainland China and abroad which we are currently committed to:
Henan University
- 1. Henan University can send a doctorate exchange student in Christian Studies to our school every other year for one or two semesters;
- Our school has publication collaboration on “Journal for the Study of Biblical Literature” and has been supporting it financially and sending faculty to join the editorial board.
Wuhan University
- The Department of Religion in Wuhan University sends one exchange student per academic year for one or two semesters. Our school provides full sponsorship for the students’ tuition fees, accommodation fees and living expenses in Hong Kong.
- Our school may provide up to 3 spaces each year in our MACS programme for graduates from Wuhan University’s bachelor or master’s degree. They shall all major in biblical studies, with at least 2 in New Testament studies. Our school sponsors the tuition fees, accommodation fees and living expenses in Hong Kong for the three students. If they attain outstanding results in their studies, they can apply for higher degrees either to continue studies in our school or at Wuhan University.
- In the areas of biblical studies and Christian theology, there are teacher exchanges: teachers from both institutions may be invited to teach, lecture, research and publish as well as other collaborative works.
The Graduate School of Theology, Hanshin University
- Exchange of faculty members
- Joint research activities and publications
- Accommodation privilege for visiting scholars
- Exchange programmes for students registered in each school
University of Zurich
- To encourage visits and exchange by faculty and doctoral students for the purpose of engaging in research and educational activities;
- To arrange possible joint conferences, seminars, or symposia for academic exchange; and
- To develop possible collaborative research projects on topics of mutual interests and to promote other academic activities which will enhance the above mentioned goals.
Chang Jung Christian University Divinity School
Every year, each party may send students for exchange for one year.
Cambridge Theological Federation
Our school is their local partner for the Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology offered by Anglia Ruskin University in United Kingdom.
Duke University Divinity School
Every year, each party may send students for exchange for one semester or one year.
United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia
Every year our school provides accommodation and research resources for scholars from Asian academic institutions who are enrolled in the Institute for Advanced Study in Asian Cultures and Theology (IASACT) programme, promoting exchange between these scholars and our school as well as other scholars in Hong Kong. From 2014-15, our school takes up the operation of IASACT with the funding support of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.
Yale Divinity School
- Every year, each party may send students for exchange for one semester or one year;
- Faculty exchange is also possible;
- Every year, our school may recommend 2 to 3 doctorate students joining the "Yale Divinity School PhD Research Scholar Programme".