Welcome to Graduate Studies!
Graduate studies at Missional University are extremely unique. Highly specialized and interdisciplinary, graduate students combine studies from at least 4 of the 7 colleges and schools in every program. This enables graduates to integrate their area of study with theological reflection and cultural, missional, experiential courses as well as vocational studies in the two-year degree programs. The purpose of this intensive integration is to provide holistic insights into issues, questions, or problems in the field in which the student is interested. The culmination of this study is an internship coupled with a thesis or research project. In addition, all of our graduate programs allow the student to tailor components of their degree program in order to meet their own career objectives.
The uniqueness of graduate studies at Missional Unversity may be seen in several different areas including unique types of graduate programs, unique topics of interest, unique interdisciplinary integration, and unique focus on practical, experiential learning. There are five types of graduate programs; tagged master's degree programs, internationally focused master's degrees, master's degrees in global cultures, dual degree MDiv options, and advanced master's programs. All of the degree program emphases focus on professional areas commonly found in 21st century faith-based organizations including mission entities, nonprofits and NGOs, schools, churches, and church groups.
Tagged Master's Degree Programs
Many American universities offer programs of study which tag degree programs with a particular specialty, as is common in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world. A tagged degree incorporates the name of the major into the degree title and generally requires more specialized coursework than a degree with an untagged major. These specialized degrees are generally associated with a professional education curriculum. A common example is an MBA (Master of Business Administration).
Missional University offers several tagged master's degree programs including:
Master of Intercultural Studies (M.I.S.)
Master of Religion (M.Rel.)
Master of Missional Ministry (M.M.Min.)
Master of Community Ministry (M.C.M.)
Master of Communication (M.Com.)
Master of Ecological Mission (M.E.M.)
Master of Global Health (M.G.H.)
Master of Theological Studies
Internationally Focused Master's Degree Programs
Many faith-based organizations are transnational and focus on work in various international contexts. At Missional we prepare students to serve in an international setting where they must integrate their missional calling with vocational tasks. Four specific degree programs push the envelope by addressing the international vocational nuances that are needed:
Master of International Business Mission (M.I.B.M)
Master of International Development (M.I.D.)
Master of International Marketplace Leadership (M.I.M.L.)
Master of International Sports Management (M.I.S.M.)
Master's Degree in Global Cultures
Often faith-based organizations serve interculturally across the globe. Staff members must learn to integrate their specific roles with the socio-religious and socio-cultural context. At Missional we have developed several programs that are "in Global Cultures" as part of our tagged degree programs. This enables students to combine a vocational focus with a culturally or geographically contextual one. By incorporating cultural studies, religious studies, cultural anthropology, anthropology of art and music, cultural geography, ethnomusicology, folk studies, and international visual communications, students learn not only the “what, why and how” of their academic discipline, but they also learn about the “with whom” and “where” in which their missional practice is implemented.
Dual Degree MDiv Options
All of the tagged and international degree programs have been designed to seamlessly transfer into our Master of Divinity degree program. By taking one additional year of coursework, students with a master's degree from Missional University will be awarded a Master of Divinity. The courses in this additional year extend the previous master's coursework into traditional MDiv curriculum areas.
Advanced Master's Degree
The School of Theological Studies offers an advanced theology degree, the Master of Theology (Th.M.). The Master of Theology degree offers doctoral level courses specifically in the areas of missional theology, applied missional hermeneutics, contextual theology, and moral and social theology.
