The Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies degree program is designed to prepare students who anticipate serving interculturally. Relevance and flexibility are embedded within this program to personally equip students, whether they intend to serve internationally or within their home context.
Whether you are called to the mission field in another country or to a cross-cultural context across the street, the MAIS program can prepare you to love your neighbors well with the truth of the gospel.
The Curriculum
The 2-year MA programs at DTS have a common core of Bible and theology coursework along with specific training in cross-cultural communication that you can apply wherever God has called you to serve.
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
Missiology and Intercultural Ministry
INT5140 MAIS Ministry Formation Internship
MIM5101 Missiological and Intercultural Foundations
MIM5205 Cultural Dynamics in Ministry
MIM5210 Intercultural Communication
MIM5215 Dynamics of Missionary Development
Electives and Spiritual Formation
MAIS Electives – 9 credits
PM5101 Christian Life and Witness
SF5100 Spiritual Formation (4 terms)
Immersive Learning
See the many ways students are prepared for a lifetime of fruitful ministry.
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Financial Aid
Through our donors and Foundation, we are able to offer hundreds of scholarships to students every year.
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Internship
Students in the MAIS program have the opportunity to complete their internship by serving with a missions organization, whether that be local or international missions.
Stories from our community
God has our graduates serving in a variety of cross-cultural settings from corporate America to the Amazon jungle and multiethnic churches in between.
Keith Twigg Ministers in Wyoming while Studying Online
Children's Clothing Company making a Difference
Chinzo Jargalsaikhan's Passion to bring Jesus to Mongolia
Program Details
Common Goals for Professional MA Programs
Students in all of the professional MA programs at DTS will be able to:
- demonstrate a general knowledge of the Bible, including a synthetic understanding of the major books;
- evidence an understanding of the historical development of theology, a knowledge of premillennial theology, and an ability to support their theological views and apply them to contemporary issues; and
- evidence an increasing likeness to Christ as manifested in love for God, love for others, and the fruit of the Spirit.
Goals for MA in Intercultural Studies
In addition to the goals common to all professional degree programs at the seminary, students in this program will be able to:
- communicate the good news of Jesus Christ effectively and selflessly to make disciples in diverse cultural settings;
- evidence a biblical and theological basis for serving in missions;
- understand and apply foundational principles of anthropology, ethnology, and sociology in relation to intercultural service; and
- create a practical vision for loving and serving the global church.
Course Requirements
Sixty-six semester hours of course work are required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 22 are in prescribed Bible Exposition courses, 18 in prescribed Systematic Theology courses, and 3 are in the Christian Life and Witness course. There are 12 hours of prescribed Missiology and Intercultural Ministry courses and a 2-hour MAIS Ministry Formation Internship. The remaining 9 hours are missiology electives. Department professors will assist students in designing the most appropriate program of missions electives for the student’s personal career goals.
Students are required to complete an intercultural internship as a part of their program. This internship will be crafted on the basis of the student's intended ministry objectives. Some portion of the internship might require an overseas component, depending on the student's ministry goals. The acceptability of this experience is determined by the Department of Missiology and Intercultural Ministries and the Ministry Formation office. Those interested in the TESOL certificate must take TESOL courses in addition to missions electives. This will require an additional 10 or 11 hours of coursework.
No thesis is required for the MAIS degree.
Students in the MA in Intercultural Studies (MAIS) program are required to take MinistrySafe’s Sexual Abuse Awareness Training.
Spiritual Formation
Because DTS values Christlike character and spiritual maturity, MAIS students are required to register for and participate in Spiritual Formation groups for four consecutive fall and spring semesters at either the Dallas, Houston, or Washington DC campus. (MAIS students who are not planning to move to Dallas or Houston for four consecutive fall and spring semesters must contact the Spiritual Formation office and apply for an alternative program for completing their Spiritual Formation requirement.)
In the Spiritual Formation curriculum, small groups of five to seven students focus on identity, community, integrity, and fidelity. The groups also provide an atmosphere for prayer, fellowship, and the integration of learning with life and ministry. Because students participate in the same group during four 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 SF5100-1, MIM5205, and completion of half of their DTS course work.