Master of Arts in Religious Studies
The Master of Arts degree is an academic degree designed to provide a more advanced understanding of a particular discipline either for general educational purposes, or in preparation for further graduate study. Taylor University's Master of Arts in Religious Studies program provides an opportunity to acquire competence in the study of religions, broadly defined. While designed on a two-year model for program completion, we also welcome part-time students. This degree will help students qualify for doctoral programs, teach religious studies subjects in colleges and high schools, bring thoughtful cultural and cross-cultural analytical tools to a variety of professions including business, various social services, journalism, and government, or enhance one's personal and spiritual development. While providing a core of solid evangelical theology and biblical studies, the program also offers several areas of concentration including Biblical Studies, Christian Apologetics, and World Religions.
The Biblical Studies concentration aims to produce graduates who are well grounded in key biblical and theological issues facing Christians in today's society. This concentration is not designed to replace a seminary degree for professional ministry, but will prepare graduates to work in a variety of areas requiring greater Bible and theological understanding. Graduates of this program may be qualified to teach Bible at a high school or college level, serve in local churches in a variety of roles, such as associate pastors and lay leaders, and integrate faith into a variety of fields in the professional world.
The Christian Apologetics concentration seeks to provide graduates with a high level of understanding regarding the reasonableness of the Christian worldview and how to integrate their faith with contemporary culture. This is extremely important given our contemporary culture climate, where the Christian worldview and values are increasingly rejected and attacked. Graduates of this program may be qualified to teach in colleges or high schools. They could also work in local churches as associate pastors, youth pastors, education administrators, and lay leaders. This program also provides good preparation for work in missions or other cross-cultural ministries. It is anticipated that the Christian Apologetics concentration will begin in Fall 2010. Please contact us directly for further information.
The intent of the World Religions concentration is twofold. The first goal aims to provide graduates with a solid foundation in the philosophical and theological issues involved in various world religions. This concentration prepares graduates to work in various fields where they would be interacting with adherents of those religions, such as inner city or campus ministries in the U.S., missions to various overseas locations, or overseas corporate work. The second goal of the concentration seeks to provide graduates with a solid academic foundation for further study in doctoral programs. Due to faculty illness, we are currently not accepting applications for the World Religions concentration.
At present, all classes will be offered on the Taylor University Upland campus (see the course schedule). Students may enroll on a full time or part time basis, and we do allow students to enter the program in mid-year. Guest students are also welcome. If interested, contact the MARS Program Chair, Dr. Michael Harbin at mars@taylor.edu, or the MARS Program Director, Dr. Sheri Klouda (shklouda@taylor.edu).