Master of Arts in Discipleship
The Master of Arts in Discipleship provides a multifaceted approach for guiding individuals, groups, and congregations towards spiritual maturity and obedience to Jesus Christ. All students complete 18 hours of core courses, 9 hours of program-specific courses, plus 9 hours of a concentration track (Local Church Discipleship, Discipleship through Communications, Discipleship for the Family, or Ministry Focus) to prepare them to serve in such roles as ministers of discipleship, small group pastors, Christian educators, and Christian writers and speakers. The requirements are designed to provide a strong biblical, theological, philosophical, and practical foundation in Christian discipleship for students currently leading or preparing to lead the church towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). The Master of Arts in Discipleship program supports the University's aim of offering Christ-centered, quality higher education in order to produce servant leaders in the various callings related to ministry in the body of Christ.
In addition to previously stated admission requirements, the following program-specific requirements must be met:
Evidence that the student is a Christian and is compatible with DBU’s mission by proven conduct in accordance with Christian standards set forth in the Bible, announced intent, and by church involvement.
Church Membership Requirement (for admission into the EDD in Educational Leadership—all concentrations, PHD in Leadership Studies’ Ministry Concentration, Master’s Ministry Degrees, and Advanced Ministry Certificate Programs): Within the last 12 months, the applicant must have been an active member of a Christian church that holds Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who holds solely the Old Testament and the New Testament as sacred Scripture.
PREREQUISITES
Old Testament Survey
New Testament Survey
Prerequisites may be met with equivalent courses from another institution or from a passing grade on the GSOM Old Testament and New Testament equivalency exams and do not count toward degree completion.
course | Credit hours |
|---|---|
Core Courses | 18 |
DISC 5302 - Biblical Servant Leadership GSOM 6310 - Ministry Mentorship (S-L) THEO 5313 - Applied Hermeneutics THEO 6305 - Christian History and Heritage THEO 6306 - Systematic Theology WORS 6303 - Spiritual Formation and Worship | |
Program Specific Courses | 9 |
DISC 6301 - Christian Education in the Local Church DISC 6302 - Biblical Strategies for Discipleship DISC 6304 - Principles for Bible Teaching | |
Track Options | 9 |
Select one of the following tracks: Discipleship for the Family Track COUN 6314 - Marriage and Family Counseling MAFM 6316 - Faith Formation in the Life Stages MAFM 6353 - Ministry to Families
DISC 6360 - Communication Strategies for Ministry THEO 6360 - Proclamation Select one of the following DISC 6361 - Writing and Editing for Christian Publishing MAGL 5321 - Sharing Gospel Faith DISC 6308 - Disciple-Making through Evangelism and Missions DISC 6309 - Equipping Disciples for Ministry (S-L) Select one of the following DISC 5310 - Small Group Ministry Leadership DISC 6307 - Church and Business Administration Select three courses, in consultation with Academic Advisor, to prepare for a particular ministry calling. | |
Total Credit Hours Required | 36 |
(S-L)=Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.
Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Find course descriptions by category under the Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.