Mar 29, 2024  
Graduate & Pharmacy Catalog 2019-2020 
    
Graduate & Pharmacy Catalog 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Arts, Christian Studies and Master of Science, Global Development Dual Degrees (MACS+MSGD)


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs of Study

Purpose and Outcomes

The Master of Arts in Christian Studies/Master of Science in Global Development is awarded jointly by the School of Ministry and the School of Arts and Sciences. The goal of the MACS/MSGD Dual Degree is to educate students to think like an economist, policy expert, entrepreneur, philosopher and theologian in order that they might create sustainable development that lifts us all and causes real-world change. The program is directed toward providing didactic and experiential education to students that will allow them to:

  1. Develop economic, theological and philosophical knowledge to assist leading and administering a church or para-church organization; and,
  2. Design and implement strategies and policies that produce effective developmental practices.

Course Schedule/Structure

There are a variety of scheduling options for successfully completing the MACS/MSGD Dual Degree coursework. The time required will depend upon the student’s initiative in scheduling Global Development courses while still completing MACS courses, either during summer sessions or during a fall or spring semester.

To increase the likelihood of success and preventing students from overextending themselves academically, each student will be required to design a complete course sequence for both the MACS and Global Development requirements by the end of his/her first semester. This plan must be formulated in consultation with and authorized by the student’s MACS advisors and the Chair of the Global Development program.

Degree Requirements

A total of 72 credit hours are required. As part of the Dual Degree, students must successfully complete 30 credit hours of MACS coursework and 42 credit hours of MSGD coursework. When completed separately, the traditional MACS program at PBA requires 36 credit hours and the MSGD 43 credit hours. 

Students must be admitted into both programs separately in order to enroll in the dual degree program. Upon admission to both degree programs, the dual degree program students are able to enroll in both MACS and MSGD courses during the same semester as time and schedules permit. No degrees will be awarded until the student completes the entire program and meets all degree requirements for both degree programs.

Students with a bachelor’s degree in a non-ministry major are required to complete up to 24 hours of specific pre-requisite coursework at the undergraduate or graduate level. These courses must be successfully completed prior to attempting the graduate courses. Students’ pre-requisite courses in which grades below “C-” have been earned are unacceptable.

A grade of at least “C-” and a GPA of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale is required for “successful” completion of all MACS coursework. A grade of at least “C” and a GPA of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale is required for “successful” completion of all MSGD coursework. Students must complete all degree requirements within 10 years from matriculation into the degree program.

Curriculum Requirements

72 Credit Hours

 

Required M.A. in Christian Studies - 30 Credit Hours


Old Testament


Select 4 Credit Hours

New Testament


Select 4 Credit Hours

Electives - 10 Credit Hours


Thesis/Exam


MSGD Research Project I and II (DEV 5003 and 5013) also fulfill the MACS thesis/comprehensive exam requirement.

Required M.S. in Global Development - 42 Credit Hours


Program Learning Outcomes


“Expected student learning outcomes specify the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes students are expected to attain in courses or in a program.” Page 69. Resource Manual for the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), 2018.

  1. Evaluate and synthesize interpretive methods and traditions, and apply exegetical method to the interpretation of a biblical text.
  2. Analyze and evaluate the broader heritage of the Christian tradition, the more specific character of particular Christian traditions and communities, the ways these traditions transcend particular social and cultural settings, and the ways they come to unique expressions within such settings.
  3. Appraise the cultural realities and structures in which the church lives and carries out its mission and design a creative response to these realities.
  4. Demonstrate the capacities for personal faith, emotional health and moral integrity that are requisite to maturity in Christ.

Note:


  • MSGD prerequisite = BUS 2343   (Principles of Macroeconomics) OR BUS 2353   (Principles of Microeconomics).
  • MSGD Fieldwork Seminar I and II (DEV 5002   and DEV 5004  ) also count toward the MACS 16 hours of elective-credit requirements.
  • MSGD Research Project I and II (DEV 5003   and DEV 5013   also fulfill the MACS thesis/comprehensive exam requirement.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs of Study