Those with a calling to local church ministry often select the Pastoral Ministry Track. Beyond the core courses required, this track’s curriculum emphasizes competencies related to congregation-based ministry, such as: Worship, Preaching, Religious Education, Mission and Evangelism, Pastoral Care, and Spiritual Formation. Pastoral Ministry Track, Part-time “In-Service” option: Regional students already embedded in a ministry setting (for example, those in a licensed local pastor, associate minister, chaplain, or religious education role) may choose to pursue our MDiv part-time through the “in-service” option. This spreads the MDiv curriculum over five years of part-time study, instead of the traditional 3 years of full-time study. Students in the in-service cohort meet together online in a seminar each semester, which helps those for whom commuting to BU is a challenge more than one or two days per week. Beyond the online seminar, the rest of the in-service track curriculum is the same as the traditional Pastoral Ministry track, and will fulfill all the same requirements for ordination.

Plan of Study
Master of Divinity Core (32 credits)

• Intro to Christian Traditions (3 credits) and Christianity Engaging Modernity (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• Intro to Hebrew Bible (3 credits) and Intro to New Testament (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• First year formation (1 credit), Spiritual Companioning Group (1 credit), and Practicing Faith option (3 credits) in the first fall semester
• Any Social Ethics class (3 credits) – student’s choice, any semester
• A Church History II option (3 credits) and a Theology II Option (3 credits) – second or third year
• Year-long Contextual Education internship in a congregational site (6 credits), usually in the second year

Pastoral Ministry Track Electives (27 credits)

• A New Testament II option (3 credits) and a Hebrew Bible II option (3 credits)
• Intro to Preaching (3 credits) and Christian Worship (3 credits)
• Five additional track electives (15 credits) – student’s choice from among pastoral ministry options

Free Electives (15 credits)

This track is appropriate for students pursuing vocations in conflict transformation, mission and evangelism, ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, ecological justice and sustainability, trauma healing and theology, social and economic justice, and non-profit leadership. Because this track is highly flexible, it is particularly good for entering MDiv students still seeking clarity of call, as it affords the opportunity to explore interdisciplinary coursework without endangering progress in the program.

Global and Community Engagement Track, Part-time “In-Service” option: Regional students already embedded in a religious leadership setting may choose to pursue our MDiv part-time through the “in-service” option. This spreads the MDiv curriculum over five years of part-time study, instead of the traditional 3 years of full-time study. Students in the in-service cohort meet together online in a seminar each semester, which helps those for whom commuting to BU is a challenge more than one or two days per week. Beyond the online seminar, the rest of the in-service track curriculum is the same as the traditional Global and Community Engagement track.

Plan of Study

Master of Divinity Core (32 credits)

• Intro to Christian Traditions (3 credits) and Christianity Engaging Modernity (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• Intro to Hebrew Bible (3 credits) and Intro to New Testament (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• First year formation (1 credit), Spiritual Companioning Group (1 credit), and Practicing Faith option (3 credits) in the first fall semester
• Any Social Ethics class (3 credits) – student’s choice, any semester
• A Church History II option (3 credits) and a Theology II Option (3 credits) – second or third year
• Year-long Contextual Education internship (6 credits), usually in the second year

Global and Community Engagement Track Electives (27 credits)

• A New Testament II option (3 credits) and a Hebrew Bible II option (3 credits)
• Seven track elective courses – student’s choice from among a wide range of global and community engagement options

Free Electives (15 credits)

This track is for students in any academic discipline who are seeking to pursue doctoral studies after their MDiv in order to teach in the academy. This track relies heavily on advisor mentoring to help each student know what courses are best to prepare for doctoral work in a chosen field. When appropriate, language studies are part of the track’s coursework.

Plan of Study

Master of Divinity Core (32 credits)

• Intro to Christian Traditions (3 credits) and Christianity Engaging Modernity (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• Intro to Hebrew Bible (3 credits) and Intro to New Testament (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• First year formation (1 credit), Spiritual Companioning Group (1 credit), and Practicing Faith option (3 credits) in the first fall semester
• Any Social Ethics class (3 credits) – student’s choice, any semester
• A Church History II option (3 credits) and a Theology II Option (3 credits) – second or third year
• Year-long Contextual Education internship in a site appropriate to a religion and academy vocation (6 credits), usually in the second year

Religion and the Academy Track Electives (27 credits)

• A New Testament II option (3 credits) and a Hebrew Bible II option (3 credits)
• Seven track elective courses – student’s choice in consultation with advisor in a particular field of study or designed to prepare students for further academic study

Free Electives (15 credits)

The Organizational Management Track is designed for students preparing for forms of religious leadership that call upon a robust set of organizational and financial management skills. The track is appropriate for those pursuing vocations in contexts where creative new models of ministry are required both inside and outside traditional parish structures. For some, it may mean managing complex religious organizations or offering entrepreneurial leadership to faith-based nonprofits, community organizations, and social ministries. In some settings, new faith communities are emerging in the context of bakeries, bars, pubs, or corner coffee houses, supported by income for new and creative forms of outreach. Still others will find themselves in bi-vocational situations that require ministry skills but also other professional managerial training.

Plan of Study

Master of Divinity Core (32 credits)

• Intro to Christian Traditions (3 credits) and Christianity Engaging Modernity (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• Intro to Hebrew Bible (3 credits) and Intro to New Testament (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• First year formation (1 credit), Spiritual Companioning Group (1 credit), and Practicing Faith option (3 credits) in the first fall semester
• Any Social Ethics class (3 credits) – student’s choice, any semester
• A Church History II option (3 credits) and a Theology II Option (3 credits) – second or third year
• Year-long Contextual Education internship (6 credits), usually in the second year

Organizational Management Track Electives (27 credits)

• A New Testament II option (3 credits) and a Hebrew Bible II option (3 credits)
• Any two courses from Cluster 1, chosen with advisor. One course may be taken outside STH within BU or the BTI (6 cr)
• SHA HF 762 Hospitality Marketing and Branding (4 cr)
• SHA HF 711 Hospitality Financial Management (4 cr)
• SHA HF 733 Hospitality Organizational Leadership (4 cr)
• Track-Specific Elective – student’s choice in consultation with advisor from among non-profit management and fundraising options across the University (list of approved courses are on plans of study; others may be petitioned)

Free Electives (15 credits)

This track aims to prepare students for religious leadership within settings traditionally understood under the rubric of chaplaincy. These include prisons, the military, hospitals, hospice, retirement communities, police stations, airports, workplaces, and educational institutions such as private high schools, colleges, and universities. The design of the track assumes that students need to be equipped to minister within religiously pluralistic and “secular” contexts, will have the necessary skills to provide spiritual care within those settings, and will be conversant in the primary policy and advocacy discourse within the setting in which they intend to minister.

Plan of Study

Master of Divinity Core (32 credits)

• Intro to Christian Traditions (3 credits) and Christianity Engaging Modernity (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• Intro to Hebrew Bible (3 credits) and Intro to New Testament (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• First year formation (1 credit), Spiritual Companioning Group (1 credit), and Practicing Faith option (3 credits) in the first fall semester
• Any Social Ethics class (3 credits) – student’s choice, any semester
• A Church History II option (3 credits) and a Theology II Option (3 credits) – second or third year
• Year-long Contextual Education internship (6 credits), usually in the second year

Chaplaincy Track Electives (27 credits)

• A New Testament II option (3 credits) and a Hebrew Bible II option (3 credits)
• A course in World Religions, Inter-Religious Dialogue, Ecumenism, Evangelism, or Mission Studies (3 credits)
• Spiritual Care (3 credits) and Intro to Christian Worship (3 credits)
• Introduction to Chaplaincy (3 credits)
• Three additional track elective courses – student’s choice in consultation with advisor focused on chaplaincy preparation

Free Electives (15 credits)

This track is appropriate for students pursuing vocations in interfaith leadership, inter-religious dialogue, and the study of world religions. As with all the MDiv tracks at STH, this track requires substantial core coursework in Christian history, theology, and ethics, and in the study of the New Testament and Hebrew Bible. Building on that core, the track invites students to study other religious traditions and their scriptures, to seek out a contextual education placement in an interfaith ministry setting, and to prepare themselves with coursework that will increase interfaith understanding, dialogue, peace-building, and other forms of inter-religious engagement.

Plan of Study

Master of Divinity Core (32 credits)

• Intro to Christian Traditions (3 credits) and Christianity Engaging Modernity (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• Intro to Hebrew Bible (3 credits) and Intro to New Testament (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• First year formation (1 credit), Spiritual Companioning Group (1 credit), and Practicing Faith option (3 credits) in the first fall semester
• Any Social Ethics class (3 credits) – student’s choice, any semester
• A Church History II option (3 credits) and a Theology II Option (3 credits) – second or third year
• Year-long Contextual Education internship (6 credits), usually in the second year

Interfaith Leadership Track Electives (27 credits)

• A New Testament II option (3 credits) and a Hebrew Bible II option (3 credits) – note one of these can be substituted with a scripture course from some other world religion
• Seven track elective courses – student’s choice in consultation with advisor focused on Interfaith dialogue and leadership

Free Electives (15 credits)

The Theology and the Arts Track is designed for students pursuing a vocation in sacred music, music ministry, church architecture, liturgical studies, homiletical arts, literature and religion, sacramental theology, aesthetics and the visual arts, film, or the dual degree program with the Master of Sacred Music. Students in this track will find coursework at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts helpful toward shaping their curricula, while others may be engaged with interdisciplinary coursework in individual University departments such as: College of Communication, Department of Comparative Literature, Department of History of Art & Architecture, or the Department of Romance Studies

Plan of Study

Master of Divinity Core (32 credits)

• Intro to Christian Traditions (3 credits) and Christianity Engaging Modernity (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• Intro to Hebrew Bible (3 credits) and Intro to New Testament (3 credits) – year-long sequence
• First year formation (1 credit), Spiritual Companioning Group (1 credit), and Practicing Faith option (3 credits) in the first fall semester
• Any Social Ethics class (3 credits) – student’s choice, any semester
• A Church History II option (3 credits) and a Theology II Option (3 credits) – second or third year
• Year-long Contextual Education internship (6 credits), usually in the second year

Theology and the Arts Track Electives (27 credits)

• A New Testament II option (3 credits) and a Hebrew Bible II option (3 credits)
• Seven track elective courses – student’s choice in consultation with advisor focused on theology and the Arts

Free Electives (15 credits)

This track is designed for students who are enrolled, or who plan to seek admission, in the dual degree program that the School of Theology shares with the School of Social Work (the MDiv/Master of Social Work degree). The track ensures that courses counting for both degrees are tracked properly and guides the student through both programs efficiently. At present, almost one-third of MDiv coursework is shared with Social Work, thereby reducing the time it takes to complete both degrees had they been taken separately.

• MDiv/MSW Dual Degree – Macro and Clinical (Fall 2019)
• Guided Electives

The School of Theology and the School of Education offer two dual degree programs: the Master of Divinity/Master of Arts in Teaching (MDiv/MAT) and the Master of Theological Studies/Master of Arts in Teaching (MTS/MAT). Opportunities abound for religious educators in both secular and religious contexts, not only for the teaching of a particular religion, but for teaching any number of other subjects in religious or faith-based institutions. The combination of expertise in theology and religion with the various academic fields for which the MAT prepares persons uniquely position graduates from the dual degree as interdisciplinary leaders and educators with broad intellectual horizons and pedagogical depth. 

The Master of Arts in Teaching degree program in the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development is designed for college graduates who want to continue their studies in an academic field, and at the same time secure initial licensure to teach at the secondary level. Currently, the School of Education offers MAT degrees in English Education, Mathematics Education, Modern Foreign Language Education, Science Education, and Social Studies Education. While the MAT program requires students to possess an undergraduate degree, or equivalent amount of coursework, in the intended area of study, the program does not presume students have completed coursework in education. The MAT program leads to licensure as a middle or high school teacher in all states and in the District of Columbia through reciprocal licensure agreements. (Individual states may have other requirements).

• MDiv/MAT Dual Degree (Fall 2019)

The MDiv curriculum is shaped by the conviction that prophetic, practical, religious leaders, thoroughly grounded in the wisdom of their traditions, are essential to the work of on-going transformation of the church and the world. The degree seeks to educate religious leaders who can interpret complex and evolving local and global contexts and engage those contexts in creative and confident conversation with a full array of theological resources.

The primary learning outcomes of the MDiv include:

1. a critical appreciation and broad, operative understanding of the Christian tradition in relation to other religious and cultural traditions, including:
   • the broader heritage of the Christian tradition and its legacies, and the more specific character of particular Christian traditions and communities in relation to other faith traditions and socio-cultural contexts;
   • the ways in which traditions can transcend particular social and cultural settings, and the ways in which they come to unique expressions in them; and
   • the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the historical development and contemporary articulation of the doctrinal and theological traditions of Christian communities of faith, the social and institutional histories of those communities, and the mutual influence of those distinctive traditions within diverse social contexts.
2. a critical understanding of, and creative engagement with, the cultural realities and structures within which the church and other religious communities exist and carry out their missions, including:
   • contemporary cultural and social issues and their significance for diverse linguistic and cultural contexts of ministry; and
   • the global character of the church, as well as ministry in the multifaith and multicultural contexts of contemporary society.
3. growth in personal faith, emotional maturity, moral integrity, and public witness
4. growth in prophetic ministerial and professional leadership, including:
   • ministerial and public leadership skills to address social issues in transformative ways;
   • the use of theological and other scholarly resources in the service of social justice;
   • professional and ministerial ethics;
   • a developed sense of vocational direction;
   • a critical awareness of one’s own theology, both lived and conceptualized;
   • the ability to think theologically about the practice of ministry; and
   • the cultivation of habits of lifelong learning.
5. growth in one’s capacity for robust embrace of, and engagement with, social and theological diversity and one’s capacity to relate across differences

Master of Divinity students participate in several assessment opportunities throughout their degree program, the most significant of which is the “Mid-Degree Assessment” in the fourth semester. Students submit a number of documents in preparation for their mid-degree assessment such as their original personal statement, one paper/project/presentation with one-paragraph rationale, contextual education evaluations, and a mid-degree assessment survey. The student then has an assessment conversation with their faculty advisor and at least one other mentor (pastor, another faculty member, etc.). Instructions for the Assessment Team can be found here.

In the final semester of study, MDiv students complete a final assessment survey online.