The Baptist Theological Academy (BTA) is a Christian institution of higher education dedicated to theological education, research and social responsibility. Our mission is centered on disciple-making, upholding Christian morality while meeting high academic standards. We welcome incoming Erasmus+ exchange students to join our community in Budapest and experience a unique blend of spiritual growth and academic excellence.
Degree programs
Bachelor of Arts in Theology (BA)
A 6-semester (180 ECTS credits) or 8-semester (240 ECTS credits for pastoral ministry specialization) undergraduate program. It provides a comprehensive foundation in biblical studies, systematic theology, and practical ministry skills. The program aims to prepare students for various church ministries or further academic study.
Master of Arts in Theology (MA)
A 4-semester (120 ECTS credits) graduate program designed for applicants who hold a BA in Theology. It offers advanced study in theological research, leadership, and advanced ministry preparation, adhering to European standards for accredited theological degrees.
Bachelor of Arts in Chorister (BA)
A 6-semester (180 ECTS credits) program focused on training church musicians and choirmasters, equipping them to communicate the Gospel through song and music.
Erasmus+ Course Offerings
The following courses are available for Erasmus+ students. Instruction is provided in English (and in some cases, Romanian) to facilitate international participation.
1. Bachelor of Arts in Theology (BA)
| Code | Course title | ECTS credits | Hours | Instructor | Language |
| NTB-T1110 | Messiah and the Gospel in the Old Testament | 3 | 16 | Dr. Richard Blake / Jonatán Papp | English |
| NTB-T1121 | Old Testament Hermeneutics | 3 | 24 | Dr. Tamás Pafkó | English |
| NTB-T1131 | Old Testament Exegesis | 3 | 18 | Dr. Ernő Veres | English, Romanian |
| NTB-T2121 | Biblical Hermeneutics | 3 | 18 | Dr. Endre Várady | English |
| NTB-T2131 | New Testament Exegesis | 3 | 18 | Dr. Endre Várady | English |
| NTB-T2231 | Greek Language Exegesis | 3 | 24 | Péter Balla | English |
| NTB-T3111 | Confessional Studies | 2 | 18 | Dr. Zsolt Sebjan-Farkas | English |
| NTB-T3150 | Apologetics | 2 | 18 | Dr. Zsolt Sebjan-Farkas | English |
| NTB-T3134 | Systematic Theology Seminar | 2 | 18 | Dr. Zsolt Sebjan-Farkas / Dr. József Kovács | English, Romanian |
| NTB-T3123 | Ethics Seminar | 2 | 18 | Dr. Zsolt Sebjan-Farkas / Dr. Imre Hubert-Szabó | English, Romanian |
| NTB-T4121 | Universal Church History | 3 | 18 | Benjámin Bacsó | English |
| NTB-T4142 | Baptist Mission History | 3 | 18 | Gábor László Jr. | English |
| NTB-T9111 | Hymnology | 2 | 18 | Dr. Zsolt Garai | Romanian |
2. Master of Arts in Theology (MA)
| Code | Course title | ECTS | Hours | Instructor | Language |
| NTM-T1120 | Old Testament Hermeneutics | 3 | 24 | Dr. Tamás Pafkó | English |
| NTM-T1131 | Old Testament Exegesis | 2 | 18 | Dr. Tamás Pafkó / Dr. Ernő Veres | English, Romanian |
| NTM-T1133 | Septuagint Exegesis | 2 | 18 | Péter Balla | English |
| NTM-T2120 | Biblical Hermeneutics | 3 | 18 | Péter Balla | English |
| NTM-T2231 | New Testament Exegesis | 3 | 18 | Dr. Endre Várady / Péter Balla | English |
| NTM-D2241 | Greek Language Exegesis – Application | 2 | 24 | Péter Balla | English |
| NTM-T3160 | Faith and Zeitgeist in the Bible and Today | 3 | 18 | Dr. Ernő Veres | English, Romanian |
| NTM-T3133 | Applied Dogmatics | 3 | 18 | Dr. József Kovács | English, Romanian |
| NTM-D3240 | Biblical and Secular Anthropology | 2 | 16 | Dr. József Kovács | English, Romanian |
| NTM-D3230 | Contemporary Social-Ethical Issues | 2 | 16 | Dr. Zsolt Sebjan-Farkas / Dr. Imre Hubert-Szabó | English, Romanian |
| NTM-T4140 | Baptist Mission History | 3 | 18 | Gábor László Jr. | English |
| NTM-T6112 | Church and Society | 2 | 18 | Gábor László Jr. | English |
| NTM-T9110 | History of Church and Religious Music | 2 | 18 | Dr. Vilmos Kis-Juhász | English, Romanian |
3. Bachelor of Arts in Chorister (BA)
| Code | Course title | ECTS | Hours | Instructor | Language |
| NKB-T9051 | Music History | 2 | 20 | Dr. Vilmos Kis-Juhász | English, Romanian |
| NKB-T9061 | Hymnology – Congregational Song | 2 | 20 | Dr. Vilmos Kis-Juhász | English, Romanian |
| NKB-D9311 | Style and Repertoire Studies | 3 | 20 | Dr. Zsolt Garai | Romanian |
Institutional information
BTA is committed to the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) 2021–2027, ensuring non-discrimination, transparency, and full automatic recognition of credits earned abroad. We provide equal opportunities for all participants and support the integration of mobile students into our academic and community life.
Faculty
Drs. Benjámin Bacsó
Drs. Benjámin Bacsó serves as an assistant lecturer at the Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest. He holds a BA in History from the University of Debrecen, BA and MA qualifications in Theology from the Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest, an MA qualification as a Teacher of Religious Education from Lutheran Theological University, and an MA qualification as a mental-health specialist in relationships and community development from Apor Vilmos Catholic College. He has taught general church history, research methodology, church-history research, youth ministry, and contemporary history. He has also served as a guest lecturer at Eszterházy Károly University and taught at Szünergosz Bible School. His research and publications address Hungarian Baptist history, Anabaptist history, youth research, and mental-health perspectives in church and community contexts.
Dr. Endre Várady
Dr. Endre Várady serves as associate professor and head of the Department of New Testament Studies. He qualified as a pastor-theologian at Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest, and earned a Master of Divinity from Edmonton Baptist Seminary recognized by Debrecen Reformed Theological University. He earned a PhD from Lutheran Theological University in 2019, with research on the circumstances surrounding the formation of Jewish-Christian identity in the first century AD. His teaching has included New Testament introduction, New Testament Greek, biblical hermeneutics, New Testament exegesis, biblical historical background, research methodology, and the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. His publications and conference presentations focus on early Christianity and the dynamics of Jewish Christianity and Gentile Christianity in the first century.
Dr. Ernő Veres
Dr. Ernő Veres serves as a college associate professor at the Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest. He holds an MA in Theology from the same institution and a PhD in Theology from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca. He also holds a university degree as a teacher of English and German language and literature and an MA in Business English from Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu. He has taught English language, Christian ethics, introduction to the New Testament, New Testament theology, introduction to the Old Testament, the intertestamental period, Comparative Theology, and New Testament Greek. His published work addresses New Testament exegesis, Bible translation, and Hungarian Baptist church history. He has served as director of the Szilágyság Baptist Bible School, and as vice president for education of the Convention of Hungarian Baptist Churches in Romania.
Drs. Gábor László Jr.
Drs. Gábor László Jr. serves as a lecturer. He holds a master’s degree in history from Pázmány Péter Catholic University. His research and publications have focused chiefly on the history of Baptists in Hungary, including early Baptist leadership models, internal Baptist tensions, Baptist–Pentecostal conflict, and church–state relations. His professional activities have included archival, oral history, educational, and exhibition projects relating to Baptist and modern Hungarian history.
Dr. Imre Hubert Szabó
Dr. Imre Hubert Szabó serves as a college associate professor in the Old and New Testament Department. He holds a master’s degree in Baptist pastoral theology from the Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest, Romania, and earned his PhD in 2015. He has taught New Testament introduction, New Testament theology, Bible study methods, the intertestamental period, hermeneutics, Old Testament introduction, and ethics. His professional work includes a Greek–Romanian dictionary for the study of New Testament words, teaching and governance roles at the Baptist secondary school in Arad, and involvement in Bible study methodology through Precept.
Jonatán Papp
Jonatán Papp serves as a lecturer. He holds a Master of Arts in Theology from the Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design Engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. His research focuses on the New Covenant.
Dr. József Kovács
Dr. József Kovács is a college professor and head of department. He holds a BTh from the Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest, an MSt in Theology from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in theology from the Open University via the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (2006). His teaching has included systematic theology, historical theology, philosophy of religion, history of philosophy, apologetics, biblical theology, New Testament exegesis, and New Testament Greek. He has taught at the Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest and with TCM International Institute in Indianapolis and Austria. His publications include introductory and reference works on New Testament Greek and biblical studies.
Drs. Péter Balla
Drs. Péter Balla serves as an assistant lecturer. His teaching includes New Testament Greek, Greek-language exegesis, Septuagint exegesis, New Testament exegesis, and biblical hermeneutics. His published work addresses New Testament interpretation, the use of the Old Testament in the teaching of Jesus, the resurrection appearances of Jesus, the Christ hymn, and ethical questions in social work and church ministry. Alongside his teaching, he has responsibility for the seminary’s foreign relations.
Richard L. Blake, DMin
Richard L. Blake, DMin, serves as an external lecturer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aviation from Louisiana Tech University and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, with study in New Testament interpretation and preaching. He has held denominational responsibilities in the United States and served two terms as president of the International Baptist Convention in Frankfurt, Germany. His preaching and teaching ministry has included churches and conferences in Africa, Australia, Cuba, China, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Dr. Tamás Pafkó
Dr. Tamás Pafkó serves as a college associate professor and as coordinator of the pastoral ministry specialization. He holds ELTE degrees as a teacher and philologist in Hungarian language and literature, a theological degree from the Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest, and a PhD in literary and cultural studies with a specialization in Hungarian literary history (2016). He has taught at the Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest, and Szünergosz Baptist Bible School. He has also authored introductory materials on faith and discipleship in the Első Lépések series.
Dr. Vilmos Kis-Juhász
Dr. Vilmos Kis-Juhász serves as a college associate professor. At institutions in Oradea and Cluj-Napoca, he earned higher-education qualifications as a Baptist pastor and church musician, as a cantor, in Reformed theology, as a teacher of Hungarian and German, and as a music educator; he also earned an MA in Literature and Society. He received his PhD in Theology from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, in 2009. His teaching areas include hymnology, music history, biblical pedagogy, and world literature. His publications and professional work address Baptist worship, hymnody, sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Transylvanian Protestant hymn poetry, evangelical worship, choir work, religious television program editing, and organizing music workshops and music weeks.
Zsolt Garai, DLA
Zsolt Garai, DLA, serves as head of the Church Music Department and as college associate professor at Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest, and as associate professor at Emanuel University of Oradea. He studied organ performance and composition at the National Academy of Music „Gheorghe Dima” in Cluj-Napoca, completing undergraduate qualifications as an organ performer and composer, a master’s degree in organ performance, and a Doctor of Liberal Arts (DLA) degree in music in 2013. His teaching has included harmony, style and repertoire studies, organ, piano, instrumentation and orchestration, counterpoint, score reading, organ and piano improvisation, and the musical language of chorales and instrumental arrangements. His professional work includes contributions to Baptist hymnals and Christian youth song collections through arrangements, harmonization, accompaniment writing, chord notation, text editing, and editorial review.
Dr. Zsolt Sebjan-Farkas
Dr. Zsolt Sebjan-Farkas is an associate professor in the Department of Systematic Theology at Baptist Theological Seminary, Budapest. He holds an MDiv in Biblical Languages from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a PhD in Theological Studies, awarded by the same institution in 2016. He has taught confessional studies, dogmatics, apologetics, seminars in systematic theology, social ethics and bioethics, seminars in ethics, and introduction to Christian theology. His publications address divine sovereignty and human freedom, as well as Scripture and evangelical theology. In addition to his academic appointment, he serves as director of Szünergosz Baptist Bible School.