Master of Arts (Religion) Degree

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Refbaptdude, Oct 23, 2012.

Loading...
  1. Refbaptdude

    Refbaptdude New Member

    What religious degrees can be pursued after a Master of Arts in Religion?

    Thanks
     
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    MABS, MATS, MDiv, STM, ThM, DMin, PhD, STD, ThD
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 23, 2012
  3. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    If you are interested in academia (becoming a professor nsuch): Whether the MA in Religion will lead to doctorate level degrees depends on the kind of work done in the MA and the kind of requirements a school has for their doctorate programs. Many Christian seminaries require their PhD/ThD students to have MDiv degrees, which IMHO is ridiculous, that a person with a much more focused academic MA degree would be denied while a person with a more general pastoral focused MDiv would be accepted. Check some schools where you'd like to do doctoral work, and see if they will accept a MA. It's quite possible that an academic MA can lead to doctoral work though; in theory the MA I am working on through University of Toronto (not online) leads into their PhD program. Dr Michael Licona did his MA in Religion at Liberty and subsequently did his PhD in New Testament through the University of Pretoria in South Africa. (He is probably a unique case though, given that he had already published / co-published books and had decent "name recognition" in evangelical circles by that time.)


    If you want to get into Christian pastoral work / ministry: It totally depends on the church / denomination. Some require their pastors have MDivs, others require some sort of grad degree, others have no higher ed requirements at all. If you are partial to a particular denomination, check their requirements.
     
  4. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    What is your ultimate objective? The MA in religion can certainly allow one entrance into a PhD or ThD in the same discipline, especially if the MA required a thesis. In non-US programs (UK, South Africa, Australia, etc), the typical route is often either an MA to PhD/ThD or MA to MTh to PhD/ThD. The non-US MA research degree is often comprised of a 100% thesis approach or a few courses and a strong thesis component.
     
  5. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

  6. scottae316

    scottae316 New Member

    From what I have seen many schools will allow you to transfer your MAR into their M.Div program. As others have asked what is your final goal. If it is to enter the ministry then you need to find out what the denomination requires. If you are looking at non denomination that varies by the individual church. If you are looking to teach at the graduate level you will need at least a ThM but more than likely a ThD/PhD.
     
  7. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    bumpity...
     
  8. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Talk about thread resurrection, this was six months old. :)
     
  9. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Okay......
     
  10. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Joking with you, Ted. :)
     
  11. NMTTD

    NMTTD Active Member

    Holy thread necromancy, Batman!! A 6 month old thread!! ;)
     
  12. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

  13. NMTTD

    NMTTD Active Member

    Here's a question. What do you need to teach Religious Studies, Mythology, and the like at the college level? Can you do it (if you only teach freshman and sophomore levels) with a masters degree? Can you do it with a BA in Religion, a MA in Humanities, and a grad certificate in Religious Studies or something along those lines? Or do you need a Master's degree in Religion, as well? Can you even teach at the college level without a PhD?
     
  14. nongard1

    nongard1 Member

    To answer the OP question-
    A MAR is versatile in that there can be applications in humanities, missions, non-profits, ministry, etc.
    The Doctor of Transformational Leadership at Bakke Graduate University (I am finishing this program this summer) is a great path for preparing you in all of these areas and is a very flexible degree. The other students come from a variety of both business and ministry backgrounds....
     
  15. LGFlood

    LGFlood New Member

    Bruce,

    Not anymore. It was recently changed. Only 45 of the 60 credits required for the MAR can be transferred into the MDiv. Previously, many people who wanted the MDiv would simply enroll in the MAR program so they could have two degrees (even though it technically wasn't). Either way, 45 credits is still substantial.

    Lance
     
  16. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    Yes, but expect the job market to be crazy competitive with PhDs (and candidates) applying for the same jobs.

    This will vary by institution. Some multi-institution systems may also have common standards. For California Community Colleges, for the discipline Religious Studies, minimum requirements are
    "Master's degree in religious studies, theology, or philosophy OR bachelor's degree in any of the above AND master's degree in humanities or the equivalent."

    Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in California Community Colleges, January 2012 [pdf]

    Yes! But see above.
     

Share This Page