Master of Arts in Theology, Ethics & Culture

“We are starting the MA-TEC because, as a college of the church, we are driven to provide a local option for those who want to deepen their understanding of the Christian tradition, deepen their faith, and grapple with how that faith might be expressed in their lives day by day.”
~ Daniel Malotky, Dean of the School of Humanities, Lucy H. Robertson Professor of Religion and Philosophy, and chair, Department of Religion, Ethics and Philosophy.

If you are:

• A recent graduate or second-career person who would like to begin or continue your theological education in Greensboro before moving on, or
• Already engaged in some form of ministry in the church who would like to strengthen yourself in that work, or
• Simply seeking to expand the horizons of your faith …

… then the Master of Arts in Theology, Ethics and Culture could be for you. This program, new for 2018-2019, will require completion of 18 credit hours of core courses in Biblical Studies, theology, ethics, and church history, plus 18 credit hours of elective courses, spread over the fields of ethics, Biblical studies and theology.

To Apply

You will need to have or supply:

• a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• official transcripts from each degree-awarding institution.
• transcript evaluation by a NACES-approved agency for any degree earned outside of the United States, and for evaluation of transfer credit.
• a 3.0 minimum cumulative grade point average at the undergraduate level.
• a two-page statement of purposes and goals for enrolling and successfully completing the degree.
• for students with a bachelor’s degree from an international institution of higher education and who are not native English speakers, demonstration of English proficiency by a satisfactory score on the TOEFL. Students who have earned a master’s degree from a regionally accredited American institution may be exempt based on the discretion of the Chair, Department of Religion, Ethics and Philosophy
• submission of three letters of recommendation, at least two of them from academicians.
• visa (for international students).

The coursework includes:

18.0 credit hours of core classes are required for all candidates, which are drawn from the list below:

Core Requirements (18 credit hours)

• BIB 5000 or BIB 5010 (3 credit hours)
• BIB 5020 or BIB 5030 (3 credit hours)
• THL 5100 (3 credit hours)
• ETH 5600 (3 credit hours)
• THL 5110 or ETH 5610 (3 credit hours)
• CHH 5200, CHH 5210, or CHH 5250 (3 credit hours)

(BIB = Bible; THL = Theology; ETH = Ethics; CHH = Church History)

Students should complete at least 12.0 credit hours of core work, or be in the final stage of completing 12.0 credit hours of core work, before taking elective classes.

The program also requires the successful completion of 18.0 credit hours of elective courses chosen from the list of courses below.  12.0 of the credit hours must be at the 6000 level, and 5000 level courses listed can only satisfy an elective requirement if the core requirement for that area has been completed already with a different class.  Students must take at least one course from each category: Ethics, Biblical Studies, and Theology.  Students pursuing the M.A. thesis degree option must take RES 6900 during their final semester in the program, which will replace one of the six elective courses required of the non-thesis students.

Ethics Electives

• ETH 6600 (3 credit hours)
• ETH 6610 (3 credit hours)
• ETH 6620 (3 credit hours)
• ETH 6630 (3 credit hours)
• ETH 6650 (3 credit hours)

Biblical Studies Electives

• BIB 5000 or BIB 5010 (3 credit hours)
• BIB 5020 or BIB 5030 (3 credit hours)
• BIB 6000 (3 credit hours)
• BIB 6010 (3 credit hours)
• BIB 6050 (3 credit hours)

Theology Electives

• THL  5110 (3 credit hours)
• THL  6100 (3 credit hours)
• THL 6110 (3 credit hours)
• THL  6150  (3 credit hours)

Comprehensive Exam
Non-thesis degree seeking students must pass a comprehensive exam to graduate.

Thesis Research Project

Students are allowed to pursue the thesis research project by demonstrating the necessary facility with the writing process in their first year of study.  Preparation for writing the thesis, such as attention to research methods, will be built into the elective courses.  Each student is required to write a thesis research paper that centers on a topic of the individual student’s interest, within the confines of subjects that at least broadly address theology, ethics and culture. The paper will be submitted during the final semester of study, fulfilling the thesis research portion requirement of the degree program. The bibliographical research and thesis project is counted as a four hour credit course that is required for graduation.

For more information, contact Dan Malotky, Dean of the School of the Humanities, at 336-272-7102, ext. 5280, or email [email protected]. To apply, contact Graduate Admissions at 336-272-7102, ext. 5210, or email [email protected].