Master of Arts in Family Ministry
The Master of Arts in Family Ministry is a 36-hour degree program designed to equip ministers to be servant leaders in order to understand the needs of families, explore the principles of best strategies in biblical family formation, and implement ministries that impact families in different phases of life. While the focus of this degree is to design ways to impact families proactively in the formation process, there will also be components that attempt to address the therapeutic issues of life as they arise developmentally and from crisis. The program will provide foundations in theological, educational, and practical programming for effective family ministry. It will combine academic training and practical ministry application that will focus intentionally on the world families live in and the faith they need to follow Christ.
In addition to admission requirements, the following program-specific requirements must be met:
Evidence that the student is a Christian and is compatible with DBU's mission by proven conduct in accordance with Christian standards set forth in the Bible, announced intent, and by church involvement.
Church Membership Requirement (for admission into the Master’s Ministry Degrees, Advanced Ministry Certificate Programs, EDD in Educational Leadership—all concentrations, and PHD in Leadership Studies’ Ministry Concentration): Within the last 12 months, the applicant must have been an active member of a Christian church that holds Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who holds solely the Old Testament and the New Testament as sacred Scripture.
Graduate School of Ministry Portfolio
Dallas Baptist University’s Ministry Degree Programs seek to provide an academic experience that enables all candidates to engage and impact Christian Ministries of the 21st century. The Portfolio is designed to be an individualized collection of documents that represent the candidate’s preparation for future ministry positions, demonstrating the candidate’s ongoing knowledge, skills, and ministry experiences.
The Graduate School of Ministry provides candidates the opportunity for self-reflection through the compilation of documents in an electronic Portfolio. Documents in the Portfolio may include Signature Assignments, Resume, and Philosophy of Ministry among others.
Throughout the program, the candidate will collect designated documents and upload them to the Portfolio within Blackboard. The Portfolio will be used to assess development as the candidate proceeds through their designated ministry program. It is the candidate’s responsibility to meet with their GSOM Program Director to discuss the Portfolio required documents prior to graduation.
REQUISITES
Old Testament Survey
New Testament Survey
Requisites may be met with equivalent courses from another institution or from a passing grade on the GSOM Old Testament and New Testament equivalency exams and do not count toward degree completion.
course | Credit hours |
|---|---|
Core Courses | 18 |
MINS 5302 - Ministry Research and Writing Across Media MINS 5303 - Foundations of Spiritual Life MINS 6305 - Ministry Mentorship (S-L) THEO 5313 - Applied Hermeneutics THEO 5305 - Christian History and Heritage THEO 6306 - Systematic Theology | |
Program Specific Courses | 9 |
Select three of the following: MACH 5312 - Ministry with Children MACH 6311 - Early Childhood Ministry MAEML 5310 - Small Group Ministry Design and Practice MAEML 5313 - Ministry with Students MAEML 6351 - Student Cultural Issues MAFM 6316 - Faith Formation in the Life Stages MAFM 6353 - Ministry to Families | |
Concentration Options | 9 |
Christian Counseling Concentration Select three of the following: COUN 6314 - Marriage and Family Counseling MACC 6301 - Introduction to Christian Counseling MACC 6302 - Abnormal Psychology MACC 6303 - Christian Counseling Skills MACM 6303 - Conflict Resolution in Ministry MACM 6304 - Victim Assistance Ministry Training Select three courses from the Graduate School of Ministry with approval of Academic Advisor. Select three of the following: MAL 5302 - Vision-Casting and Leading Change MAL 6303 - Leadership in Conflict and Adversity MAL 6304 - Leadership Communication MAL 6305 - Relational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence MACH 6315 - Ministry to Children with Special Needs MACH 6316 - Advanced Ministry to Children with Special Needs (S-L) Select one of the following: EDUC 6304 - Improvement of Instruction EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society MACH 5313 - Disability and Suffering SPED 5310 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners SPED 5350 - Educating Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities | |
Total Credit Hours Required | 36 |
(S-L)=Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.
Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Find course descriptions by category under the Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.