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Master of Arts in Global Leadership

Designed for globally-minded leaders who aspire to forge new paradigms for working in international or multicultural environments, the Master of Arts in Global Leadership explores ways to lead in today’s rapidly changing world of globalization, resurgent cultural values, religions, clashing worldviews, professional domains, and business ventures. Students must be highly motivated self-starters with innovative ideas who are eager to make a difference in the world. Global Leadership consists of connecting with people in other cultures and societies around the globe and finding ways to exert a positive influence in their lives. Learning the intercultural skills and understanding multiethnic dynamics are crucial skills for leadership in today’s increasingly multicultural and multiethnic environments.

Graduates have strong intercultural skills with a calling to Christian ministry, and often serve as 21st-century missionaries, as missions mobilizers, as church planters, or kingdom professionals conducting business as missions, as Ministers of Missions on a church staff, as cell group leaders or house church workers, as denominational and parachurch organization leaders, or doing nontraditional ministry in urban and intercultural settings.

In addition to guidelines in the Graduate Admissions section of this catalog, 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, announced intent, and 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.

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.

REQUISITES

  • Old Testament Survey

  • New Testament Survey

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.

course

Credit hours

Core Courses

21

MAGL 5330 - Introduction to Missiology

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

Elective

Select one course from the MA in Global Leadership degree with approval of Academic Advisor.

3

Concentration Options

12

Select one of the following concentrations. Courses taken for the concentration may not also count as electives.

Missions

Select four of the following:

MAGL 5316 - Global Leadership Practicum (S-L)

MAGL 5331 - Cross-Cultural Living and Ministry

MAGL 5332 - Strategies for Missionary Work

MAGL 5333 - Local Church on Mission

MAGL 5334 - Chronological Bible Storying

MAGL 5335 - Biographies of Outstanding Missionaries

MAGL 5336 - Current Trends in Missions

Church Planting

Select four of the following:

MAGL 5321 - Sharing Gospel Faith

MAGL 6322 - Transformational Church Life

MAGL 6323 - Small Group Disciple-Making

MAGL 6324 - Church Multiplication Methods

MAGL 6325 - Starting New Churches

English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL)*

ESLS 5301 - Second Language Acquisition

ESLS 5304 - Methods in Teaching ESL

ESLS 5306 - Content Area Language Proficiency Skills

ESLS 5308 - Multicultural and Multilingual Learning Environments

*Students with a concentration in ESL may substitute ESLS 5314 Practicum in ESL/EFL Settings (S-L) for MINS 6305 Ministry Mentorship (S-L). Choosing ESL Practicum to receive the Advanced Certificate in ESL will require taking a total of 39 credit hours. In order to demonstrate minimal proficiency in English language usage required for teaching ESL, international students must provide a TOEFL exam score of 213 (computer-based), 550 (paper-based), or 79 (Internet-based).

Global Studies

Select four of the following:

ENGL 5340 - Studies in Global Literature

MAGL 5340 - Integrating Faith and Cultures

MAGL 5341 - Global Christianity

MAGL 5342 - Ethnography, Cultures, and Worldviews

MAGL 5343 - Understanding Islam

MAGL 5344 - Strategies for Urban Ministries

MAGL 5345 - Business as Mission (S-L)

MAIS 5303 - Christian Perspectives on Global Religions and Worldviews (S-L)

MALA 5380 - Ethnomusicology in Cross-Cultural Service

THEO 5345 - Christianity in a Pluralistic World

East Asian Studies

Select four of the following:

MAGL 5351 - History and Culture of East Asia

MAGL 5352 - History of East Asian Philosophy and Religion

MAGL 5353 - Fine Arts in East Asia

MAGL 5354 - Literature of East Asia

MAGL 5355 - Leadership in East Asia

MAGL 5356 - Business and Finance in East Asia

MAGL 5357 - Understanding East Asian Civilization and Culture

MAGL 5358 - Essentials of East Asian Language

MAGL 5359 - Travel Study in East Asia

MAGL 5360 - Understanding Japanese Society

Urban Ministry

Select four of the following courses:

MAGL 5321 - Sharing Gospel Faith

MAGL 5326 - Urban Community Development

MAGL 5333 - Local Church on Mission

MAGL 5344 - Strategies for Urban Ministries

MAGL 6312 - The Urban Church in Transition

MAGL 6313 - Developing Neighborhood Churches in Urban Settings

MAGL 6322 - Transformational Church Life

General Studies

Select four courses from Global Leadership with approval of Academic Advisor.

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.