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Master of Arts in Practical Theology
Aims of the Program
THE PURPOSE OF THE MASTER OF ARTS IN PRACTICAL THEOLOGY DEGREE IS TO EQUIP PERSONS FOR A BROAD ARRAY OF MINISTRIES WITH RIGOROUS, CREATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSEWORK.
The degree program integrates a core curriculum of theological studies with particular focus in practical theology through three areas of concentration: Educational Ministries, Pastoral Care/Pastoral Theology, or Worship, Preaching, and the Arts.
• Educational Ministries focuses on the teaching, learning, and spiritual formation of people and communities through liberative forms of education. • Pastoral Care/Pastoral Theology integrates therapeutic practices of care with attention to intercultural and global structures that affect and inform suffering and healing. • Worship, Preaching, and the Arts focuses on how arts and aesthetics support transformational practices of worship and preaching.
The degree may be appropriate for ordination in traditions that do not require a three-year Master of Divinity program, or for lay people who desire theological education in order to carry out their professional or volunteer ministries in congregational settings and beyond.
ONCE A STUDENT HAS CONCLUDED THE MAPT DEGREE PROGRAM, THE STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO:
• Understand the nature and task of practical theology by using different frameworks, methods, metaphors and issues of concern within
the field of practical theology to understand congregations, faith communities, and the wider world. • Engage in theological action and reflection by experiencing and reflecting on actual ministry settings, practicing public theology, and completing integrative theory and practice assignments within their concentration. • Develop the habitus of Christian identity for service in the church and world. “Habitus” involves the habits, movements, and dispositions of daily life that often go unnoticed but that inform and ascribe meaning to persons and communities. Students demonstrate this learning goal in a professional portfolio that includes a statement of faith, grounding spiritual practices, vocational discernment, working metaphor for practical theology, and self-understanding as a practical theologian.
These are the student learning outcomes for the Master of Arts in Practical Theology degree program.
Components of Program
The Master of Arts in Practical Theology requires 48 credit hours and can be completed in two years and one summer if pursued on a full-time basis. Typically, the summer will be used to complete the supervised ministry requirement. Over the course of the 48 credit hours in this program, all students will complete the Introduction to Practical Theology and Capstone Course in Practical Theology (6 credit hours total) and a supervised ministry course (6 credit hours). In addition, students will complete a core set of general courses in biblical studies, history, and doctrine totaling 15 credit hours. Courses in
the area of concentration (Educational Ministries, Pastoral Care/Pastoral Theology, or Worship, Preaching and the Arts) and general electives will constitute the remaining 21 credit hours.
MAPT/MDIV Dual Degree Opportunity
The Master of Arts in Practical Theology degree may also be used to add an area of specialization to a Master of Divinity degree. Students may thus pursue the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Practical Theology in a dual degree format. Both degrees are awarded at the same commencement, after the student has earned 114 credits and met the requirements of both degrees.
Requirements for the Degree
• Have on file with the seminary a complete and official transcript of credits showing graduation with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college of liberal arts and sciences, a completed health form, and standardized test results; • Be tested for and achieve competency in English writing skills; • Satisfactorily complete all the requirements of the degree with a total of 48 credit hours within five years of the date of matriculation, 24 of which must be completed at Columbia (excluding cross-registration courses); • Maintain a minimum overall grade point average of 2.30; • Be in residence for at least three long terms (residency is defined as enrollment as a degree-seeking student and registered for classes), unless having already attained a Master of Divinity or Master of Arts degree; • Demonstrate to the faculty that they have sustained a sound moral and religious character in seminary life and give promise of useful service in the ministry or other church vocations; and • Pay all bills to the seminary and give assurance that all open accounts in the community and elsewhere have been satisfied. Students with education loans must agree to make prompt and regular payments.
Admission to the Master of Arts in Practical Theology (MAPT) program requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. All prospective students are strongly encouraged to apply regardless of their GPA or prior area of academic focus; all applications will be thoroughly reviewed and considered for admission.
Offers of admission to the MAPT program are made are made on a rolling basis between November 15 and June 30. Applications that are completed by November 15 will receive an admissions decision by December 15. Students who also submit their FAFSA by November 15 will also receive a preliminary scholarship decision. Additional scholarship review for the Seminary’s largest scholarships and fellowships will begin on January 15. Applications received after January 15 will be considered for scholarships as funds are available. In order to enroll at the Seminary in the fall semester, applications must be completed by June 15.
Students who are unable to matriculate during the semester for which they were admitted may defer their admissions decision for up to one academic year. Deferral requests must be submitted in writing to admissions@ctsnet.edu. Incomplete applications and/or admitted students that do not matriculate and do not submit a deferral request will be administratively withdrawn from the admissions process with Columbia retaining application materials for at least one academic year. After one academic year, applicants may be required to submit new application materials to be considered for admission.
Requirements for the MAPT Degree • Have on file with the seminary a complete and official transcript of credits showing graduation with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college of liberal arts and sciences, a completed health form, and standardized test results; • Be tested for and achieve competency in English writing skills; • Satisfactorily complete all the requirements of the degree with a total of 48 credit hours within five years of the date of matriculation, 24 of which must be completed at Columbia (excluding cross-registration courses); • Maintain a minimum overall grade point average of 2.30; • Be in residence for at least three long terms (residency is defined as enrollment as a degree- seeking student and registered for classes), unless having already attained a Master of
Divinity or Master of Arts degree; • Demonstrate to the faculty that they have sustained a sound moral and religious character in seminary life and give promise of useful service in the ministry or other church vocations; and • Pay all bills to the seminary and give assurance that all open accounts in the community and elsewhere have been satisfied. Students with education loans must agree to make prompt and regular payments.
Admission to the Master of Arts in Practical Theology (MAPT) program requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. All prospective students, regardless of their GPA and/or prior area of academic focus, are strongly encouraged to apply; all applications will be thoroughly reviewed and considered for admission. Offers of admission to the MAPT program are made are made on a rolling basis between November 15 and July 31. Applications that are completed by November 15 will receive an admissions decision by December 15. Students who also submit their FAFSA by November 15 will also receive a preliminary scholarship decision. Additional scholarship review for the Seminary’s largest scholarships and fellowships will begin on January 15. Applications received after January 15 will be considered for scholarships should funds be available. The final deadline for entering the Seminary in the fall semester is June 15.
Students who are unable to matriculate during the semester for which they were admitted are permitted to request, in writing, a deferral of admission for up to one academic year. Incomplete applications and/or admitted students that do not matriculate and do not submit a written request to defer their admissions decision will have their application materials kept on file for one academic year. After one academic year, a new application for admission will be required to be considered for admission.
Application Requirements
Applicants should apply online at ctsnet.edu. For additional information, contact the Columbia Admissions Office at admissions@ctsnet.edu. To be considered for admission to the program, an applicant must submit to the admissions office the following materials: • Online application for admission • $50 nonrefundable application fee • Resume / CV • Autobiographical Statement: a three-four page, typed, double-spaced autobiographical statement serves as an applicant’s introduction to the admissions team. Applicants should carefully write their statement considering • content, style, grammar, and organization.
Ordinarily, applicants write about their personal life, sense of vocation/call, academic interests, and their reason for applying to Seminary / Co-
lumbia. A guiding document for the autobiographical statement can be obtained by emailing admissions@ctsnet.edu. • Concentration Declaration Statement: a onetwo page, typed, double-spaced concentration declaration statement that helps the admissions committee and degree program director gain a better sense of the applicant’s choice of concentration (i.e., Worship, Preaching and the
Arts; Educational Ministries; or Pastoral Care/
Pastoral Theology), how the concentration fits into the applicant’s sense of vocation, and how the selected concentration will help prepare the applicant for their work and ministry. • Academic Writing Sample: this should be a recent sample of writing that clearly demonstrates the applicant’s ability to write and critically engage an argument. Recent is defined as having been written in the last 5-10 years. If a recent sample is not available, the applicant may choose to submit an alternative writing assignment that can be provided by the
Columbia Admissions Office upon request. • Official transcripts from all colleges, universities, seminaries, and graduate schools attended by the applicant for at least one course whether or not a degree was granted. Official transcripts should be sent directly from the institution to Columbia
Theological Seminary. If an applicant is currently enrolled in a degree program, the applicant should send an official transcript that includes all work to-date. Such applicants will be admitted provisionally contingent upon receipt of the final transcript post-graduation. • Three letters of recommendation: recommendations may be academic, pastoral, or professional. Students are strongly encouraged to submit at least one academic and one pastoral reference.
Additional Requirements
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS | TOEFL REQUIREMENT
Persons whose first language is not English and/or English Language Learner (ELL) students are required to submit recent test scores, ordinarily taken within the last two years, from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In most cases, students accepted to Columbia’s first-level master’s degree programs submit a TOEFL score of 84 or higher on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT, iBT Home Edition, or Paper-delivered) with a minimum score of 21 in each of the skill sections. TOEFL scores should be submitted by TOEFL directly to Columbia (Institutional Code: 5118). All test fees are the responsibility of the applicant.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS | I-20S AND FINANCIAL CERTIFICATION
All international students are required to complete Columbia’s financial certification process upon admission and prior to applying for a visa. The process will ensure the student has adequate financial resources to cover tuition, fees, travel, and living expenses for the first year of study in the United States. The I-20 will not be completed until the financial certification process has been completed, which must occur no later than June 30 of each academic year for fall enrollment.
International students will automatically be billed for health insurance unless they can meet the insurance requirements outlined by the Seminary with an alternative provider.
Transfer Students | Letter of Good Standing Students transferring from another seminary or graduate school are required to submit a letter of good standing that certifies the student will leave their current school in good academic, financial, etc. standing with the institution.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK
After admission and prior to enrollment, all admitted students must complete a background check that will be conducted via a Columbia-sanctioned third-party. All admissions decisions are contingent upon the successful completion of the criminal background check.
TITLE IX TRAINING BY EVERFI
All admitted students are required to complete an online Title IX training provided by Columbia prior to matriculation. The training will familiarize students with matters related to Title IX, sexual misconduct, and reporting.
ADMISSIONS DEPOSIT
A nonrefundable admissions deposit of $250 is required of all students enrolling at Columbia Theological Seminary. The deposit is due within thirty (30) days of a student’s admission decision and no later than June 1, in order to confirm the student’s place in the program.
GRE TEST SCORES
The Columbia Admissions Office welcomes the submission of Graduate Record Exam (GRE) test scores. However, this is not required to be considered for admission.
DEGREE RECLASSIFICATION FOR CURRENT STUDENTS
Students currently enrolled in the MDiv and MATS programs, or as special students at Columbia, may also apply for admission to the Master of Arts in Practical Theology program. A new application with supporting materials must be submitted. If the applicant is admitted to the program, satisfactory coursework from the student’s prior degree program will be considered toward the Master of Arts in Practical Theology program. The faculty advisor, program director(s), and academic affairs staff will work with the student to determine which credits may be applied to the MAPT program.
DUAL DEGREE OPTION
A student may apply to the MAPT/MDIV dual degree option. In addition, some students who apply to the MAPT or MDIV degrees later decide to move into the dual degree program. Students submit a new application to move into the dual degree program. Some students who enroll in the dual degree program discern a call to reclassify into only one program. This does not require a new application, but is administered thorough the Office of Academic Affairs, and the degree program directors.
Transfer Credit
A student may receive no more than 18 credit hours for work completed within the past five years towards an unearned degree at another Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredited institution.
Transfer credit will only be given for courses passed with a grade of B or higher. The determination of whether or not courses taken at other institutions may receive credit is made by the Office of Academic Affairs, which also determines whether the credits will fulfill either required or elective credit hours. All petitions for transfer credit and advanced standing should be made by the end of the student’s first academic year.
A student who has completed a Master of Arts (MA) degree from an ATS accredited institution may transfer in up to 18 credit hours or one half of the total credit hours of the degree program (if less than 48 CH) toward Columbia’s MAPT degree. A student who has completed an MDiv at Columbia or at another ATS accredited institution, may also apply up to 18 hours toward the MAPT degree. Applied credit will only be given for courses passed with a grade of B or higher. The determination of whether or not courses taken at other institutions may receive credit is made by the Office of Academic Affairs, which also determines whether the credits will fulfill either required or elective credit hours.
Master of Arts in Practical Theology
The Master of Arts in Practical Theology (MAPT) degree equips persons for a broad array of ministries through the practice of theological and contextual reflection.
COMPONENTS OF THE CURRICULUM
Areas of Concentration
· Educational Ministries · Pastoral Care/Pastoral Theology · Worship, Preaching, and the Arts
Required Courses
7 COURSES · 21 CREDITS Each of these courses must be successfully completed to earn the MAPT degree: · Intro to Practical Theology (3 credits) · Old Testament Interpretation (3 credits) · New Testament Interpretation (3 credits) · Christian Ethics (3 credits) · 1 course in History of Christianities, American Religious History, or World Christianities (3 credits) · Christian Theology I (3 credits) · Capstone Course in Practical Theology (3 credits)
Contextual Education Course Credits
1 COURSE · 6 CREDITS
Area of Concentration Course Credits
4 COURSES · 12 CREDITS · Intro course in Area of Concentration (3 credits) · Three additional courses (9 credits)
Elective Course Credits
3 COURSES · 9 CREDITS
TOTAL: 48 CREDITS
As an accredited theological school of the Presbyterian Church (USA), we engage students with some of the best faculty anywhere! We host a large table for people from all denominations and backgrounds. For full descriptions of our graduate degree programs and academics, please visit our website, CTSnet.edu.
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