Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry Program

     The Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry is a 72 quarter hour program designed to meet student need for pastoral-theological formation for ministry in a variety of venues, many of which will benefit from leadership with an advanced theological and practical ministry education, but which do not require a Master of Divinity degree. The MA is designed to be completed in two years of full time study or 3-5 years of part-time study.The Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry (MA) was established as a new program at Ecumenical Theological Seminary (ETS) prior to the 2006-2007 academic year. It received approval from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in February of 2007.

     The program consists of a “foundational” course selection of nine required courses (36 credits), an identified area of “concentration,” one or two electives, an internship, and a final project. The internship and the final project must be related to the area of               concentration.

The general outline of a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry degree is as follows:

• The foundational course selection of required courses (36 credits).
• 12 to 16 credits in additional courses related to the student’s chosen “concentration area,” depending on whether there is a required course such as PM 5001 (Formation for Ministry) or TPM 5012 (Intro to Pastoral Care & Counseling ) that is already included in the foundational course selection.
• The Internship (8 credits)*
• The Final Project (8 credits)*
• Electives (4 – 8 credits)

1. General – The student will complete the required “foundational courses,” five electives, the Supervised Internship, and the Final Project. This concentration allows the student maximum opportunity to “customize” his or her educational experiences to address specific goals or needs.
2. Pastoral Care and Counseling - In addition to the Pastoral Care and Counseling course which is part of the foundational requirement, the student will take three additional courses in Pastoral Care and Counseling. Both the “Supervised Internship” and the “Final Project” will focus on Pastoral Care and Counseling. The student will have two courses open for electives. With the permission of the internship instructor, the student also may have the option of designing a “Clinical Pastoral Education” (CPE) internship and incorporating it into this concentration.
3. Spirituality – In addition to the Formation for Ministry course which is part of the foundational requirement, the student will take three additional courses in Spirituality. Both the “Supervised Internship” and the “Final Project” will focus on Spirituality. The student will have two courses open for electives. The student also may have the option of registering for a spiritual direction internship and incorporating it into this concentration.
4. Pre-doctoral – Students who are interested in entering the Doctor of Ministry program at ETS who have a masters degree other than a Master of Divinity may complete an MA concentration designed to address prerequisites for the D. Min. program. Students in this concentration must be admitted to the MA program and have received “provisional admission” to the D. Min. program. Each pre-doctoral MA student will complete a specific plan of study approved by the directors of the D. Min. and MA programs and by the Academic Dean. While “advanced standing” may be granted based on previous graduate study, this concentration will require that a minimum of 36 credits be taken at ETS.