The Master of Arts in Religion prepares students for professional leadership and social engagement that is informed by both a critical understanding of the role of religion in society and interdisciplinary skills for thinking theologically about social and cultural challenges facing our world today. 

Goals for the Master of Arts Degree

Students who graduate with the Master of Arts degree will be able to:

• Generate theologically informed analysis of social, cultural, political, and ecological systems
• Engage in interdisciplinary reflection on the meaning and practice of religious traditions in a pluralistic world
• Participate in collaborative design that responds to global challenges and the needs of local communities

The Master of Arts degree is a 36-hour program designed to be completed in ten months of full-time, residential study, starting in the summer and graduating in May. Students may also pursue the degree on a part-time basis with permission of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The maximum length of time allowed to complete the program is three years.

Master of Arts Curriculum

The Master of Arts curriculum is composed of three categories of courses: Required Courses, General Electives, and Design Lab Courses.

Required Courses 

Required courses provide students with foundational theological and ministerial knowledge and skills for the practices of ministry and religious leadership in diverse settings. 

Required courses: Required of all students. 12 credit hours.

General Electives

Students can choose from a variety of graduate-level courses offered in the School of Divinity and in other schools and departments of the University (subject to course availability and suitability to the overall requirements for the Master of Arts degree).

General elective courses: Chosen by students in consultation with their advisers and may include courses from other University departments and schools. 24 credit hours.

Theological Design Lab

In the Theological Design Lab, students engage in a sustained, collaborative, and critical process of experiential learning, responding to the needs of society with innovative religious and theological ideas and praxis. Employing the principles of design thinking, students enter into conversation with one another and members of the community in order to discover, ideate, implement, and assess the efficacy of a project that addresses a given challenge facing the community.

Master of Arts Program Requirements