CEDARVILE — Faster, cost-efficient and now with more specialized options, Cedarville University’s Master of Divinity program has announced upgrades for students seeking a professional ministry degree. Students will save time and money, while having the chance to specialize in one of eight new tracks.
Stand-alone degree
The streamlined stand-alone M.Div. makes this ministry-focused graduate degree possible in only three years with 79 credit hours, now among the lowest total credits required for M.Div. programs at conservative theological institutions. Students pursuing this pathway can also choose an optional nine-hour track in academic ministry, biblical apologetics, biblical care and counseling, missions, worship and theology, pastoral ministry, women’s ministry or youth and family ministry.
“We are excited about offering an M.Div. that has fewer overall hours, while maintaining our core of two years of Old Testament, two years of New Testament, two years of Christian theology and both Hebrew and Greek,” said Dr. Jason Lee, dean of the school of biblical and theological studies. “We believe that our specialized ministry tracks will enhance our students’ preparation for serving the local church.”
Accelerated degree
The accelerated five-year B.A.+M.Div. allows students to achieve two degrees with significantly reduced cost. The newest change to the accelerated M.Div. is the addition of two tracks. The pastoral ministry track is built into the program, while students choose their second track from the same options that are available in the standalone M.Div.
“With these revisions to our accelerated B.A.+M.Div. program, we have maintained our accelerated curriculum, which saves students time and money,” said Lee. “We have also kept our robust core of Bible and theology, but now we have added more specialized training for ministry.”
Advanced degree
The new advanced M.Div., which is pending approval by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission, is a 61-hour program that assumes students have a 30-hour undergraduate prerequisite base in biblical and theological studies at Cedarville University or another accredited Christian university or Bible college. In the advanced program, students also have the option to choose a specialized ministry track.
“By adding the advanced M.Div. for students who have previous studies in Bible, along with our streamlined M.Div. program, Cedarville has become a more attractive option for students,” noted Lee. “What makes Cedarville’s M.Div. special is that we have maintained the entire core of our program.” Students taking any of these M.Div. pathways may be eligible for financial aid up to the amount of their estimated cost of attendance. To learn more about Cedarville University’s M.Div. program, visit cedarville.edu/MDiv.
