The Master of Arts in Ministry and Culture (M.A.M.C.) and the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree programs are both designed to equip persons to fulfill their vocations in providing faithful and effective forms of ministry in congregations and in the world.
While the more extensive 87 semester-hour M.Div. remains the degree required for ordination in most denominations, the 48 semester-hour M.A.M.C. degree is designed to affirm and respond to the educational needs of persons interested, for example, in:
- Congregational leadership in denominations that do not require the Master of Divinity degree for ordination;
- Licensed lay ministry and forms of diaconal ministry (e.g., in Christian education, youth work, pastoral counseling, and hospice care);
- Biblical and theological reflection on the professions (e.g., in law, social work, counseling and mediation, and education).
Four Curricular Tracks
- Congregational Leadership
- Theology, Ethics, and Culture
- Christian Education
- History and Practice of Christian Sprituality
The M.A.M.C. degree program requires the completion of 48 semester-hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher. Each student is required to complete a core curriculum of 24 semester-hours plus a specialized curriculum of 24 semester-hours based on their track.
Required Courses (all tracks)
- OT 500: Introduction to Old Testament
- NT 500: Introduction to New Testament
- One OT or NT advanced exegetical course
- TE 500: Introduction to Christian Theology
- TE 512: Ethics, Culture, and the Mission of the Church
- HS 502: History of Christianity I: Early and Medieval
- HS 504: History of Christianity II: Reformation and Modern
- CD 502: Introduction to Theological Education for Ministry
Specialized Courses (required for a concentration in Congregational Leadership)
- PT 500: Introduction to Preaching
- PT 520: Care in the Christian Community
- PT 540: Theology and the Practice of Public Worship
- PT 550: Educational Dimensions of Ministry
- PT 570: Church Administration
Plus SM 503 and SM 504 Supervised Ministry and 7 additional semester-hours, selected in consultation with an adviser, that contribute to a focus on Congregational Leadership.
Specialized Courses (required for a concentration in Theology, Ethics, and Culture)
Select one 3 semester-hour course from each of the following groups, for a total of 9 semester-hours:
- PT 520 Care in the Christian Community, PT 624 Group Dynamics, or another approved course with similar focus;
- HS 520 Contemporary World Religions, TE 688 Christian Social Ethics in the African American Experience, or another approved course with similar focus; or
- CC 504 Biblical Issues and Modern Literature, CC 520 Theological Issues in Films, CC 641 Storytelling and the Bible, or another approved course with similar focus.
Plus SM 503 and SM 504 Supervised Ministry and 13 additional semester-hours selected in consultation with an adviser that contributed to a focus on Theology, Ethics, and Culture.
Specialized Courses (required for a concentration Christian Education)
- PT 550 Educational Dimensions of Ministry
- PT 663 Faith Development
- PT 665 Christian Nurture and the New Cosmology
Plus SM 503 and SM 504 Supervised Ministry and 13 additional semester-hours selected in consultation with an adviser that contributed to a focus on Christian Education.
Specialized Courses (required for a concentration in History and Practice of Christian Spirituality)
Select one 3 semester-hour course from each of the following groups, for a total of 9 semester-hours:
- CD 600 History of Christian Spirituality
- CD 620 Spirituality and Social Action
Select three 1 semester-hour courses from the following list, for a total of 3 semester-hours:
- CD 610.01 Spirituality: The Personal Disciplines
- CD 610.02 Spirituality: Corporate Disciplines of Hospitality
- CD 610.03 Spirituality: Spiritual Life and the Arts
- CD 610.04 Spirituality: Celtic Spirituality
- CD 610.05 Spirituality: Simple Living
Plus SM 503 and SM 504 Supervised Ministry and 13 additional semester-hours selected in consultation with an adviser that contributed to a focus on the History and Practice of Christian Spirituality.