Graduate Studies

Master of Arts in Theological Studies

This concentration is intended to equip students for various leadership and service options inside and outside the church. Students also enroll in preparation for various ministries, or for personal reasons and the love of learning. Students may choose this concentration if they are interested in further graduate (e.g. PhD) studies.

Admission Requirements

A baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 ('B')

Advanced Standing

Students may be eligible for advanced standing if they have completed a four-year Bachelor of Arts with a major in Biblical and Theological Studies (or its equivalent) or courses at the graduate level. The amount of advanced standing is limited by the residency requirement.

Residency Requirement

30 credit hours at CMU

Curriculum Requirements

A minimum of 60 credit hours

Distribution Requirements—30 credit hours

  • Bible—9 credit hours
  • History of Christianity—6 credit hours
  • Theology—6 credit hours
  • Christianity and Culture/Practical Theology—6 credit hours
  • Methodology—3 credit hours
  • Electives—as required to reach a total of 60 credit hours

Thesis Option

Students may propose to write a thesis equivalent to 6 credit hours. Credits earned by way of the thesis will reduce the elective requirement.  

Notes

  1. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 ('B') to remain in the program and to graduate.
  2. Courses offered by CMU faculty or by instructors visiting at CMU, whether on campus or online, will count toward the residency requirement. Courses taken by CMU/MBBS students from MBBS to meet the MB requirements of their programs will also count toward the residency requirement, to a maximum of nine credit hours.
  3. Normally, students wishing to write a thesis in the area of biblical studies must demonstrate an appropriate level of competence in the pertinent biblical language, whether Hebrew or Greek.
  4. A student who wishes to write a thesis must submit a proposal by April 30, one year before the student expects to graduate. Acceptance of the proposal will depend on the following criteria: (i) the strength of the proposal, (ii) the student's overall academic performance, and (iii) the availability of a faculty member to serve as thesis advisor.   Information regarding procedures for thesis writing can be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies.
  5. Areas in which courses will be offered and theses may be written include Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies, Biblical Theology, Christian Worship, Christianity and Culture, Christianity and the Arts, Ethics, History of Christianity, New Testament, Old Testament, Peace Theology, Philosophical Theology, Practical Theology, Spirituality, and Systematic Theology.
  6. Students may include up to 6 credit hours of introductory biblical languages within the electives of their program from the following list:
    • LANG-5200 Elementary Biblical Hebrew I
    • LANG-5210 Elementary Biblical Hebrew II
    • LANG-5230 Elementary Biblical Greek I
    • LANG-5240 Elementary Biblical Greek II
  7. Students may take up to 6 credit hours of field education. This may be taken at CMU, or through another organization with a Letter of Permission.Programs outside of CMU will be evaluated on the basis of the nature of instruction, ministry experience, and supervision.

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