Purpose

The MTS degree program has two distinct tracks:

Track I:  General Theological Studies

Track II:  Pre-doctoral Theological Studies

For most denominations, the M.T.S., standing alone, does not include either a sufficient number of hours or an adequate emphasis on ministerial formation and practice to meet the requirements for denominational certification or ordination. Moreover, The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) has determined that this degree is not designed to prepare students for ministry.

Program Goals

Upon completing the M.T.S. program, students will be able to:

• Act as responsible biblical interpreters critically informed by current historical, literary and theological scholarship in the field of biblical studies.

• Articulate substantive issues in Christian theology in a manner that takes into account a liberative hermeneutic responsive to key themes in biblical exegesis and Christian history.

• Articulate understandings of individuals, groups, and cultures that are informed by conversation between the theological disciplines and critical studies in arts, culture, and the sciences.

• Demonstrate an ability to conduct advanced research by:

  a.      In Track I, producing an integrative paper in which the student engages in critical  reflection on an interpretive issue or set of issues that has emerged in her or his course work with relevant biblical, theological, ethical, historical or cultural materials as articulated in the previous goals; or

  b.     In Track II,  producing a master’s thesis in which the student presents a sustained argument on a particular interpretive issue or set of issues with relevant biblical, theological, ethical, historical or cultural materials as articulated in the previous goals.

 For more information on the M.T.S. program, please go to the PTS Catalog.