Purpose

As part of its overall mission to educate persons for service in the Christian Church, Erskine Seminary offers the Master of Arts in Christian Education (M.A.C.E.) degree. The purpose of this degree is to equip persons for competent leadership in the educational ministries of the Church, to the end that God may be glorified. The focus of the program is on educational ministry and practices in the local church, although courses prepare Christian educators and pastors for a variety of ministries in the life of the Church. The program endeavors to impart foundational knowledge, teach professional skills, foster the student’s personal and spiritual development, and prepare the student to integrate the various aspects of ministry so as to share God’s love with all people.

Goals

1. Graduates will understand the Bible’s message in light of its own literary, historical, and theological settings.
2. Graduates will be prepared to articulate the relation between the Bible and the contemporary contexts in which ministry takes place.
3. Graduates will be prepared to utilize the Church’s historical and theological heritage as an important resource in their personal spiritual development and ministry.
4. Graduates will write and speak using theological language that is clear, well-considered, disciplined, and meaningful for those to whom they minister.
5. Graduates will be prepared to articulate a theology of educational ministry arising from Biblical and theological foundations.
6. Graduates will understand educational ministry within the context of the total mission of the local church or other ministry setting.
7. Graduates will understand the educational, social, and behavioral sciences that contribute to educational practice.
8. Graduates will understand the cultural contexts in which educational ministry occurs.
9. Graduates will be prepared to serve the Church with Christian character and integrity in their personal and professional lives.
10. Graduates will be prepared to view their ministries in light of the Church’s mission to worship, follow, bear witness to, and serve Jesus Christ.
11. Graduates will be prepared to communicate the Bible’s message, so as to make clear that its meaning is relevant for today.
12. Graduates will be prepared to foster a sense of community among those they serve in Christian ministry.
13. Graduates will be prepared to design, administer, and assess educational ministry programs.
14. Graduates will be prepared to teach effectively in educational ministry settings.
15. Graduates will be prepared to train teachers and leaders in the Church’s educational ministries.

Residency and Graduation Requirements

A student must complete 60 semester hours of course work to qualify for the M.A.C.E. degree. No more than 30 semester hours may be transferred in from another institution, and no more than 30 hours may be taken at Erskine Seminary’s extension centers. At least 30 semester hours must be earned at Erskine Seminary’s Due West campus. No thesis or dissertation is required for this degree. The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study, although students may spread their program over a longer period by studying part-time, not to exceed four years maximum.

Relation to Other Degrees

Students whose ministry goals warrant doing so may combine the M.A.C.E. with another of Erskine Seminary’s master’s degrees. Students who combine the M.A.C.E. with the M.Div. must complete 120 hours of total course work, including all courses required for both degrees. Students who combine the M.A.C.E. with another two-year degree must complete the 60 hours for the M.A.C.E. and half of the hours required for the other degree, including all courses required for both degrees. In such cases, students will ordinarily be conferred both degrees at the same time, after the requirements for both have been met.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the M.A.C.E. program is designed to offer a balance between traditions of the Christian Church such as the Bible, Church history, and Christian theology, and the best of educational theory and practice. Knowledge and the mastery of skills are integrated with the practice of educational ministry in a Church or church-related setting. To that end, supervised field experience and the education practicum are vital parts of the curriculum. The student’s spiritual formation is addressed not only by a particular course in that area, but also by the entire ethos of the seminary program, which includes regular chapel services, fellowship and denominational groups, special religious and social events, and other occasions for growth and personal development.

Erskine Seminary considers a person to be a full-time student for academic purposes if he/she takes at least 12 hours of classes each semester (fall and spring) AND at least 30 hours in an academic year (fall semester, January term, spring semester, summer term). The schedule below is a suggestion for students who are studying full-time.

Part-time students should recognize that courses required for multiple master’s programs are offered every year, both on-campus and at one of the four extension centers. Courses that are specific to the M.A.C.E. program  are offered only on campus, and only every other year. Therefore, students should take M.A.C.E. specific courses as soon as they are offered, and then should allocate any additional hours they can take in a given term to the other required courses and electives.

Students should pay close attention to the scheduling template and schedules for each year (posted on the web site and the bulletin board in Bowie Hall), to make sure they know when their required courses will be offered.

Students who wish to do so may take the Bible Challenge Exam in lieu of the Bible Survey course. If they pass the exam successfully, they may take a Bible elective to replace BI 101.

A Suggested Schedule for the Master of Arts in Christian Education Degree

Junior Class First Year

Senior Class Second Year