View source for Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies

The '''Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies''' (IOCS) is the Orthodox house of theological studies located in the ancient university city of Cambridge, England. The Institute is a full member of the Cambridge Theological Federation, an Allied Institution of the University of Cambridge, and a Regional Partner of Anglia Ruskin University. The Institute serves the [[Orthodox Church]] as a whole.

The Institute was founded in 1999 with the blessing of all Orthodox hierarchs in Western Europe. Among the IOCS guest lecturers and supporters are such illustrious Orthodox teachers as [[Metropolitan]] [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia|Kallistos of Diokleia]], Metr. [[John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon|John Zizioulas]], Fr. [[Thomas Hopko]], Fr. Prof. [[Andrew Louth]], Fr. Ephrem Lash, Archimandrites [[Symeon (Bruschweiler)]] and [[Zacharias (Zacharou)]] of [[Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist (Maldon, Essex)|St. John the Baptist's Monastery in Essex]], and the late Metr. [[Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh|Antony of Sourozh]].

The IOCS is governed by a Board of Directors with representatives from the various Orthodox Churches in Great Britain. Because it is pan-Orthodox, linked to a major international university, and contains both lay and ordained people, the Institute serves the Orthodox Church in a unique way. Many people were involved in bringing the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies into existence and many others have assisted at various stages of the Institute's development. Notable among them are the Institute's first Principal Fr. [[John A. Jillions]], the current Principal, Professor David Frost, the Academic Director, Dr. Marcus Plested, the Director of Distance Learning, [[Constantinos Athanasopoulos|Dr. Constantinos Athanasopoulos]], a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of the United Kingdom, and all the past and current staff.

IOCS offers a wealth of on-line resources via its Public Access Video Streaming Website, including Interviews and lectures by such members of academia as Professor [[H. Tristram Engelhardt|Tristram Engelhardt]] and Fr. [[John Breck]], as well as Hierarchical Services, concerts and other events. These are all available via the  [http://distancelearning.iocs.cam.ac.uk/ Distance Learning Portal]

==Academic courses==
The currently offered [http://www.iocs.cam.ac.uk/courses.html programmes of academic study] in Orthodox Theology include:
*On Campus at the Wesley House in Cambridge: 
:'''Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology''' 
:'''Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Christian Theology'''.

*Through the Distance Learning program: 
:'''IOCS Certificate in Orthodox Theology''' via the [http://www.iocs.cam.ac.uk/resources/texts/distance_learning_brochure.pdf Distance Learning Portal]. These studies use on-line distance learning methodology and have attracted the interest of many students from all parts of the world from 2009 till now.
:A '''Diploma in Orthodox Theology''' via Distance Learning is planned to start in October 2011.

==Source==
*[http://www.iocs.cam.ac.uk/ IOCS main website]

[[Category:Educational Institutions]]
[[Category:Distance Education Programs]]