The Master of Arts in Christian Education degree is designed to prepare students for teaching, leading, and discipleship roles in local church and parachurch ministries.
If you love teaching people to grasp the life changing power of God’s word and seeing how the gospel can transform lives, Christian education might be right for you.
The Curriculum
The 2-year MA programs at DTS have a common core of Bible and theology coursework along with specific training in your preferred area of ministry.
Biblical Exposition
BE5101 Bible Study Methods and Hermeneutics
BE5102 Old Testament History I
BE5103 Old Testament History II & Poetry
BE5104 Old Testament Prophets
BE5105 The Gospels
BE5106 Acts & Pauline Epistles
BE5107 Hebrews, General Epistles, and Revelation
BE5109 Ruth, Psalms, Jonah, and Selected Epistles
Systematic Theology
ST5101 Theological Method and Bibliology
ST5102 Trinitarianism
ST5103 Angelology, Anthropology, and Hamartiology
ST5104 Soteriology
ST5105 Sanctification and Ecclesiology
ST5106 Eschatology
Educational Ministry and Leadership
EML5101 Designing and Leading Effective Ministries
EML5105 Teaching Process and Media Presentations
EML5110 History & Philosophy of Christian Education
INT5110 Ministry Formation Internship (Two Semester)
Electives and Spiritual Formation
PM5101 Christian Life and Witness
SF5100 Spiritual Formation
MACE Concentration Electives – 12 credits
Program Details
MACE Concentrations
Children's Ministry
Students completing this ministry concentration should be able to create, implement, lead, and evaluate a local church or parachurch ministry to children, including partnering with volunteers, staff, and parents to effectively disciple children.
EML5405 Early Faith Foundations
EML5410 Effective Ministry with Children
EML5412 Ministry to Children at Risk
EML5xxx EML Elective
Marriage and Family Ministry
Students completing this ministry concentration should be able to lead, develop, and direct a church or parachurch program of family life education, including marriage and family classes, counseling, and discipling relationships.
EML5410 Effective Ministry with Children
EML5505 Christian Marriage and Family
EML5515 Family Life Education
EML5xxx EML Elective
Ministry with Women
Students completing this ministry concentration learn to understand women as an audience and learners and will be equipped to teach, lead, mentor, shepherd, and care for women in various ministry contexts.
EML5435 Effective Ministry with Women
EML5450 Women Teaching Women
PM5351 Theological and Biblical Views of Women in Ministry Leadership
EML5xxx EML elective
Spiritual Formation and Disciplemaking
Students completing this ministry concentration should be able to design, implement, and oversee a biblical ministry incorporating elements of spiritual formation and discipleship in a church or parachurch setting.
EML5705 Principles and Practice of Disciplemaking
EML5730 Spiritual Formation in Historical Perspective
EML5740 Spiritual Formation in Contemporary Culture
OR
EML5750 Spiritual Disciplines
EML5xxx EML elective
Youth and Young Adult Ministry
Students completing this ministry concentration should be able to lead, create, implement, and evaluate an effective church or parachurch ministry program at the junior-high, high-school, or college levels.
EML5415 Effective Ministry with Youth
OR
EML5445 Effective Ministry with Young Adults
EML5430 Ministry Strategies for Youth and Young Adults
EML5615 Applied Skills for Ministry Staff
EML5xxx EML elective
Guided Studies
Students interested in other areas of EML ministry will have the opportunity to work with an Educational Ministries and Leadership faculty advisor early in their seminary studies to build their own ministry concentration. The student and advisor will meet to select the 12 hours of elective coursework, and the student will complete a Ministry Formation Internship related to his or her studies.
Program Goals
Students in the MACE program will:
- Evidence a general knowledge of Christian theology, including an ability to support their theological views
- Demonstrate a general knowledge of the Bible, including an understanding of the message and arguments of specific books of the Bible
- Display Christlikeness in their pursuit of knowledge and relationships within the seminary community
- Apply biblical leadership and educational methods and practices to a ministry population
- Teach the Bible effectively utilizing appropriate educational objectives and methods
- Formulate a biblical philosophy for practical educational ministry
Course Requirements
Sixty-six credit hours of coursework are required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 22 are in prescribed Bible Exposition courses, 18 are in prescribed Systematic Theology courses, 3 are in the Christian Life and Witness course, 9 are in prescribed Educational
Ministries and Leadership courses, 12 are elective Educational Ministries and Leadership hours, and 2 hours are in Ministry Formation (INT5110 Ministry Formation Internship). The MACE requires 4 courses (i.e., 4 3-hour courses for a total of 12 hours) be completed in real-time. No thesis is required. For information about the maximum amount of transfer credit available for the degree, see the Graduate Transfer Information page.
Spiritual Formation
The mission of Spiritual Formation at DTS is helping servant-leaders pursue Christlikeness. Because DTS values Christlike character and spiritual maturity, MACE students are required to register for and participate in Spiritual Formation groups for two consecutive fall and spring semesters at the Dallas, Houston, Washington, DC, or Atlanta campuses. (Students who are not planning to be in residence in Dallas, Houston, or Washington, DC, for two consecutive fall and spring semesters must contact the Spiritual Formation Office for other options to meet their Spiritual Formation requirement.)
In the Spiritual Formation curriculum, small groups of four to five students focus on issues of identity, community, integrity, and fidelity. The groups provide an atmosphere for prayer, fellowship, and the integration of learning with life and ministry.
Because students participate with the same group during two consecutive semesters, they should plan their schedules so they may meet on the same day and at the same time each semester. Spiritual Formation is a noncredit, transcripted experience. Internship prerequisites include successful completion of SF5100.
Financial Aid
Through our donors and Foundation, we are able to offer hundreds of scholarships to students every year.
Ministry Residency
Qualifying MACL students may complete a ministry residency at a local church, which includes two week-long intensives on the Dallas campus. This replaces the internship requirement.
Logos Bible Software
Every student at DTS receives a copy of Logos Bible Software customized with additional commentaries and resources, and DTS courses integrate Logos into assignments and learning.