The Master of Arts in Christian Leadership degree program is designed to prepare students for personal and organizational leadership roles in a wide variety of church, parachurch, missions, and marketplace contexts.
The MACL program at DTS is designed to help men and women learn who God has uniquely gifted them to lead in whatever ministry setting they are called to serve.
The Curriculum
The 2-year MA programs at DTS have a common core of Bible and theology coursework along with specific training in leadership skills that you can apply in your ministry context.
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
Leadership and Communication
EML5101 Designing and Leading Effective Ministries
EML5105 Teaching Process and Media Presentations
EML5331 Personal Leadership Development
EML5332 Organizational Leadership Development
INT5110 Ministry Formation Internship (Two Credit Hours)
Spiritual Formation and Electives
PM5101 Christian Life and Witness
SF5100 Spiritual Formation
MACL Electives – 9 credit hours
Program Details
Program Goals
Students in the MACL 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
- Develop a biblical philosophy of Christian leadership
- Address the leadership needs of an organization
- Design a leadership development plan for an organization
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 hours are in prescribed Systematic Theology courses, 14 hours are in Leadership courses (including 2 hours in INT5110 Ministry Formation Internship), 3 hours are in Christian Life and Witness, and 9 hours are in elective courses. The MACL requires 4 courses (i.e., 4 3-hour courses for a total of 12 hours) be completed in real-time. 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, MACL 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.