The Master of Arts in Media Arts and Worship degree program is designed to equip worship leaders, writers, and artists who desire to integrate a sound biblical and theological education with training and experience in the arts and/or leading worship.
Join a community of men and women dedicated to the beauty of the Gospel expressed through the beauty of human creativity.
The Curriculum
The 2-year MA programs at DTS have a common core of Bible and theology coursework along with specific training in culture formation, arts, and worship tailored to deepen your existing skills and augment them with new ones.
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
Arts and Worship Theology
MW5101 The Art of Media and Worship
MW5102 Media Arts Apprenticeship
MW5103 A Christian View of Art
Electives and Spiritual Formation
Electives – 15 credits
PM5101 Christian Life and Witness
SF5100 Spiritual Formation
Immersive Learning
Learn alongside a community of artists and thinkers in unique immersion courses that expose you to film, literature, architecture, and new people and experiences.
![building displaying fancy architecture](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="2560" height="1700"><rect width="100%" height="100%"><animate attributeName="fill" values="rgba(153,153,153,0.5);rgba(153,153,153,0.1);rgba(153,153,153,0.5)" dur="2s" repeatCount="indefinite" /></rect></svg>)
Medieval Art and Spirituality (MW5201)
Students, accompanied by a DTS professor, interact with art, practices, key people, and theological ideas as they visit medieval cities such as Venice, Milan, Florence, Orvieto, Assisi, Siena, and Rome.
![calvin writing festival](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1200" height="900"><rect width="100%" height="100%"><animate attributeName="fill" values="rgba(153,153,153,0.5);rgba(153,153,153,0.1);rgba(153,153,153,0.5)" dur="2s" repeatCount="indefinite" /></rect></svg>)
Calvin Festival: Writing and Writers (MW5202)
Students interact with critically acclaimed writers and their writing. The course takes place in conjunction with the biennial Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
![calvin film festival](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1024" height="683"><rect width="100%" height="100%"><animate attributeName="fill" values="rgba(153,153,153,0.5);rgba(153,153,153,0.1);rgba(153,153,153,0.5)" dur="2s" repeatCount="indefinite" /></rect></svg>)
Calvin Symposium: Worship in the church (MW5203)
In MW5203, students participate in worship experiences and interact with worship arts professionals in conjunction with the annual Calvin Symposium on Worship held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
![sundance film festival](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="699" height="400"><rect width="100%" height="100%"><animate attributeName="fill" values="rgba(153,153,153,0.5);rgba(153,153,153,0.1);rgba(153,153,153,0.5)" dur="2s" repeatCount="indefinite" /></rect></svg>)
Theology at Sundance Film Festival (MW5204)
Students have the opportunity to dialog with the film industry (movies and people) from a theological perspective. Students will attend Sundance Film Festival, one of the most significant film festivals in the world.
![Media Arts class as the South by Southwest conference](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1939" height="1454"><rect width="100%" height="100%"><animate attributeName="fill" values="rgba(153,153,153,0.5);rgba(153,153,153,0.1);rgba(153,153,153,0.5)" dur="2s" repeatCount="indefinite" /></rect></svg>)
South by Southwest SXSW Conference (MW5205)
This course is a cultural immersive experience at the annual SXSW Conference and Festivals held in March in Austin, Texas. The course focuses on increasing the student’s understanding and appreciation of divine revelation in culture.
![Sandi Glahn and Reg Grant and a group of students in Europe](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1920" height="1200"><rect width="100%" height="100%"><animate attributeName="fill" values="rgba(153,153,153,0.5);rgba(153,153,153,0.1);rgba(153,153,153,0.5)" dur="2s" repeatCount="indefinite" /></rect></svg>)
British Authors Biblical Themes (MW5206)
This course engages students in a ten-day immersive experience on location in the United Kingdom interacting with biblical themes in the writings of classic British authors with a view to using narrative in their communication of truth.
Stories from our community
God has given our graduates incredible gifts that they express through music, writing, dance, speaking, app building, and other expressions of God’s love for creativity.
Professional Actor Reaches Out to Hollywood and Church
Serving in the Arts
Christian Radio Host Rebecca Carrell as the Prodigal Daughter
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 Media Arts and Worship
In addition to the goals common to all professional degree programs at the seminary, students in this program will be able to:
- Communicate biblical content through creative, culturally relevant media;
- articulate the role of art and worship in shaping and expressing Christian life;
- express the interdependence of theology and art;
- develop and demonstrate a model of collaboration designed to serve and shape culture through the arts and worship;
- demonstrate Spirit-empowered leadership that recognizes others’ gifts and encourages their creative development; and
- develop a model of creativity integrated with Spirit-directed work habits that leads to sustainable professional practices.
Admissions Requirements
Students applying to the MAMW degree program or the ThM emphasis in the Department of Media Arts and Worship, in addition to the regular requirements for admission to the school, will be required to include the Department of Media Arts and Worship Admissions Inventory. Admission to the degree program is contingent upon departmental approval. Students interested in a ThM Ministry Emphasis in Media Arts and Worship also need to take the Media Arts and Worship Admissions Inventory.
Course Requirements
Sixty-six credit hours of coursework are required as a minimum for graduation. No thesis is required for the MAMW degree. The MAMW requires 4 courses (i.e., 4 3-hour courses for a total of 12 hours) be completed in real-time. Twenty-two of the 66 hours are in prescribed Bible Exposition courses, 18 are in prescribed Systematic Theology courses, 3 are in the Christian Life and Witness course, 6 are in prescribed Media Arts courses, and 2 are in the Media Arts and Worship apprenticeship, in which the student develops a professional portfolio in a field-experience context. The remaining 15 hours are to be selected from Media Arts and Worship electives.
Students in the MA in Media Arts and Worship (MAMW) program are required to take MinistrySafe’s Sexual Abuse Awareness Training.
Spiritual Formation
Because DTS values Christlike character and spiritual maturity, MAMW students are required to register for and participate in Spiritual Formation groups each of their first four consecutive fall and spring semesters at either the Dallas campus or Houston Campus. (MAMW students who are not planning to move to Dallas, Houston, or Washington DC 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. Since students participate with the same small 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, PM5101, and completion of half of their DTS course work.
Financial Aid
Through our donors and Foundation, we are able to offer hundreds of scholarships to students every year.