Master of Arts (Academic Discipline)

Master of Arts (Academic Disciplines) Program Purpose

The purpose of the Master of Arts degree program is to provide a basic understanding of theological disciplines for further graduate study or for general educational purposes. The concentration nomenclature articulates the specific discipline under study. Achieving specified student learning outcomes in the concentration meet the MA (Academic Disciplines) degree program goals. This MA program is oriented toward general theological studies rather than ministerial leadership, and is academic rather than professional in focus.

Persons desiring an interdisciplinary basic understanding of Christianity should enroll in the Master of Arts (Theological Studies), which draws courses from across the curriculum. Master of Arts (Academic Disciplines) concentrations focus coursework within a particular departmental discipline as noted in the descriptions that follow.

MA (Academic Disciplines) Admission Requirements

Applicants to the MA (Academic Disciplines) program must meet the following requirements:

Possess an earned bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university (generally at least 120 hours), which normally includes a minimum of 60 hours of liberal arts coursework, with a minimum grade point average (GPA) or 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Submit official transcripts directly from the institution, from all schools attended since high school. Students should request that institutions send transcripts directly to Trinity.
Submit recommendation forms online from each of the following:
- Applicant’s pastor or church leader
- Applicant’s employer or a business acquaintance
- A faculty member or school administrator at an institution previously attended (contact the Admissions Office for alternative suggestions)
Submit a written three-part statement with your
- personal testimony
- present spiritual life and Christian service, and
- ministry goals as described in the application.
Submit test scores from either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) if the undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.0 or if the undergraduate degree is from an institution without regional accreditation.
All applicants for whom English was not their primary language of instruction must submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (see Admission section of Catalog for details.)
A personal interview may be required.
Additional specific program concentration requirements noted below must also be met.

MA (Academic Disciplines) Prerequisite Hours

The general prerequisites for the Master of Arts (Academic Disciplines) program at TEDS follow. Note the particulars under each program concentration

6 semester hours of Bible including Old and New Testament surveys; or TEDS OT 5001, OT 5002, NT 5001, andNT 5002.
an undergraduate major or its equivalent in an area appropriate to the concentration
languages appropriate to the concentration (TEDS testing for placement)

See below for specific concentration requirements for (2) and/or (3).

Note: Outstanding prerequisites must be completed early in the program and before candidacy.

MA (Academic Disciplines) Residency and Program Duration

24 hours must be completed through Trinity coursework, with the final 8 program hours completed through Trinity.
Residency is any course taken through TEDS, but certain programs require students to be on campus in order to complete the full requirements. As such, all MA concentrations are approved for the Bannockburn site, and the full curriculum is available only in Bannockburn; however, some coursework may be taken at TEDS extension sites or in TEDS online classes if offered. In all cases, the number of online distance courses that can be taken in a program is limited by course availability and the requirement that students must complete the prescribed Residency Requirement.
Duration: Generally three semesters of full-time coursework are followed by one to two semesters of Capstone work including comprehensive exams, field work, and thesis as required in the concentration.
All MA program requirements must be completed within five years of matriculation into the program (statute of limitations).\
Students should review the appropriate Concentration Overview portion of the Catalog for more information on concentration prerequisites and format.

MA (Academic Disciplines) Graduation Requirements

In addition to the General Graduation Requirements for all master’s programs, the following requirements must be met:

All outstanding prerequisites and entrance deficiencies and conditions are removed.
Completion of all program concentration requirements with a minimum cumulative grade point average for program coursework of 2.5, and with no coursework graded below a “C-” applicable to the degree.
Successfully complete all required Capstones in the concentration.