Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

MA / PR

Master of Arts / Philosophy of Religion

Engage difficult questions with historic Christian wisdom and excellence in philosophical thought.

The MA / PR offers concentrated, rigorous work in philosophy of religion and Christian apologetics. Students in this program wrestle with perennial issues such as the existence of God, the problem of evil, religious pluralism, and religious epistemology.

Master of Arts / Philosophy of Religion

Where can this degree take me?

This program is ideal for three groups of people:

  • Students who anticipate further academic work at the PhD level and who want to pursue a vocation of academic teaching and writing;
  • Anyone whose ministry context brings them into contact with highly diverse and intellectual strains of thought, such as college & university campus ministry or urban ministry.
  • Pastors who want to strengthen their ability to help their congregations wrestle with difficult philosophical / theological issues.

What will I study?

Courses you’ll take include the following:

  • Biblical and Theological Studies - 11-12 hours

    ST 5101 Theology I 3 hours
    ST 5102 Theology II –or–
    ST 5103 Theology III 3 hours
    ID 5000 Biblical Theology and Interpretation 3 hours
    NT 7395 Hermeneutics –or–
    CC 5610 Cultural Hermeneutics 2-3 hours

  • Philosophy of Religion Core - 20-21 hours

    Required:

    PR 5500 Apologetics 2 hours
    PR 7220 Ethical Theory 3 hours
    PR 7715 Theism 3 hours
    PR 7750 Philosophical Issues in Religious Pluralism 3 hours

    Elective studies in Philosophy of Religion (9-10 hours)

    The following courses in other departments may be completed in the Concentration Core:

    CH 8361 Jonathan Edwards
    ME 7300 World Religions
    ST 8039 The Problem of Evil
    ST 8720 Postmodern Theology
    Note: Up to 3 hours of the Capstone may be applied in the Concentration Core

  • Field Education & Capstone - 0-3 hours

    Field Education

    PT 5090 Field Ed (two semesters) –or–
    PT 5090 Field Ed (one semester) and ID 5080 Formation Group (two semesters) 0 hours

    MA/PR Capstone (0-3 hours)

    Choose one of the following:
    (a) Two – PR 7480 MA Major Paper
    (b) PR 7485 MA Thesis

Field Education

All MA / PR students must complete a field education requirement. Learn more about field ed here.

What are the prerequisites for admission to this program?

In addition to the requirements for general admission, you’ll need the following:

  • An undergraduate major in philosophy or its equivalent which includes 15 semester hours of undergrad philosophy.
  • A reading knowledge of languages required to complete the thesis (depending on your area of study).
  • Six semester hours of Bible, including Old and New Testament surveys (or TEDS OT 5000 and NT 5000).
  • GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) required if less than 3.0.