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Master of Arts in Christian Counseling

The Master of Arts in Christian Counseling is a non-licensure 36-hour graduate program designed to provide Christ-centered education to prepare servant leaders for the practical ministry of Christian counseling. The program provides both a theological and counseling foundation, enabling the student to incorporate biblical principles into a counseling ministry. The program is designed for graduates who plan to counsel in the local church, denominational agencies, and ministry-based organizations.

In addition to previously stated admission requirements, the following program-specific requirements must be met:

  • Evidence that the student is a Christian and is compatible with DBU's mission by proven conduct in accordance with Christian standards set forth in the Bible by announced intent, and by church involvement.

  • Church Membership Requirement (for admission into the EDD in Educational Leadership—all concentrations, PHD in Leadership Studies’ Ministry Concentration, Master’s Ministry Degrees, and Advanced Ministry Certificate Programs): Within the last 12 months, the applicant must have been an active member of a Christian church that holds Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who holds solely the Old Testament and the New Testament as sacred Scripture.

REQUISITES

  • Old Testament Survey

  • New Testament Survey

  • General Psychology

Requisites may be met with equivalent courses from another institution or from a passing grade on the GSOM Old Testament and New Testament equivalency exams and do not count toward degree completion.

Graduate School of Ministry Portfolio

Dallas Baptist University’s Ministry Degree Programs seek to provide an academic experience that enables all candidates to engage and impact Christian Ministries of the 21st century. The Portfolio is designed to be an individualized collection of documents that represent the candidate’s preparation for future ministry positions, demonstrating the candidate’s ongoing knowledge, skills, and ministry experiences.   

The Graduate School of Ministry provides candidates the opportunity for self-reflection through the compilation of documents in an electronic Portfolio. Documents in the Portfolio may include Signature Assignments, Resume, and Philosophy of Ministry among others.  

Throughout the program, the candidate will collect designated documents and upload them to the Portfolio within Blackboard. The Portfolio will be used to assess development as the candidate proceeds through their designated ministry program.  It is the candidate’s responsibility to meet with their GSOM Program Director to discuss the Portfolio required documents prior to graduation.

course

Credit hours

Required Curriculum

18

MINS 5302 - Ministry Research and Writing Across Media

MINS 5303 - Foundations of Spiritual Life

MINS 6305 - Ministry Mentorship (S-L)

THEO 5313 - Applied Hermeneutics

THEO 6305 - Christian History and Heritage

THEO 6306 - Systematic Theology

Program Specific Curriculum

15

COUN 5312 - Counseling Theories and Techniques

COUN 5314 - Lifespan Human Development

or

MAFM 6316 - Faith Formation in the Life Stages

MACC 6301 - Introduction to Christian Counseling

MACC 6302 - Abnormal Psychology

MACC 6303 - Christian Counseling Skills

Elective

3

Recommended courses:

COUN 5313 - Group Counseling Methods

COUN 6311 - Addictive and Compulsive Disorders

COUN 6314 - Marriage and Family Counseling

COUN 6320 - Counseling Victims of Trauma

COUN 6324 - A Christian Approach to Human Sexuality

MACM 6303 - Conflict Resolution in Ministry

MACM 6304 - Victim Assistance Ministry Training

MAEML 5310 - Small Group Ministry Design and Practice

Or a course from one of the following disciplines:

COUN, MACC, MACM, MAEML, THEO, or WORS

Total Credit Hours Required

36

(S-L)=Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.