Master of Arts in Media Arts and Worship

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.