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BA in Biblical Studies/MA in Worship Studies

The BA in Biblical Studies/MA in Worship Studies degree program is designed for students who are preparing for careers related to the field of worship and worship leadership, providing them a seamless interface between undergraduate and graduate degrees. Through Christ-centered, quality higher education, students will prepare to work in a variety of vocational worship ministry contexts with a particular preparatory focus on the theological, biblical, historical, and practical dimensions of Christian ministry for the 21st century.

UNDERGRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

courses

credit hours (ba)

Developing A Christian Mind
DCM 2301 - Developing a Christian Mind

3

English

12

ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I

ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II

ENGL 2301 - World Literature I

ENGL 2302 - World Literature II

Fine Arts
FINE 1306 - Introduction to Fine Arts

3

Foreign Language
*Six hours at the 2000 level if adequate requisites are met

14*

Foundations for Excellence

1

FOUN 1101 - Foundations for Excellence

is required of all first-year and transfer students with fewer than 15 credit hours. (AP, CLEP, IB, or dual/concurrent credit earned while in high school does not count toward these 15 credit hours.)

History

6

Choose two:

HIST 1301 - U.S. History to 1865

HIST 1302 - U.S. History Since 1865

HIST 2301 - World Civilization I

HIST 2302 - World Civilization II

Kinesiology

2

KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living

and one additional activity course (KNES 1102-1122); for veterans or those 25 years of age or older prior to enrollment at DBU, KNES courses are waived.

Mathematics

3

Choose one:

MATH 1301 - Math for Liberal Arts

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry

Natural Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)

4

One laboratory science selected from Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, or Physics

Religion

9

RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey

RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey

RELI 2304 - Christian Doctrine

Social Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)

6

POLS 2301 - American National Government

and an additional three credit hours may be selected from Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology.

TOTAL GENERAL STUDIES HOURS

63

BA in Biblical Studies 

Required Courses 

24

PHIL 2301 - Introduction to Philosophy

PHIL 3303 - Philosophy of Religion

RELI 3382 - Practicum in Religion (S-L)

RELI 4345 - Christianity in a Pluralistic World

RELI 4350 - Systematic Theology

RELI 4371 - American Church History

Choose one Old Testament course from:

RELI 3311 - The Pentateuch

RELI 3329 - The Historical Books

RELI 3336 - The Wisdom Literature

RELI 3347 - The Major Prophets

RELI 3362 - The Minor Prophets

Choose one New Testament course from:

RELI 4307 - The Gospels

RELI 4321 - The Early Life and Letters of Paul

RELI 4322 - The Later Life and Letters of Paul

RELI 4336 - The General Epistles

Shared Undergraduate/Graduate Courses 

6

MINS 5303 - Foundations of Spiritual Life

THEO 5313 - Applied Hermeneutics

Additional Upper-Level Electives Required*

Additional Lower or Upper-Level Electives Required*

15

12

TOTAL UNDERGRADUATE WITH SHARED HOURS REQUIRED

120

A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required. Students must complete all Undergraduate hours and shared undergraduate/graduate hours prior to enrolling for remaining Graduate hours.

Elective Requirements*

  • In order to satisfy the “Undergraduate only” portion of an accelerated degree plan, sufficient lower-level and upper-level elective hours must be taken to complete the minimum number of Undergraduate credit hours required for each specific accelerated degree.

  • As part of this accelerated degree plan, 6 shared Graduate hours will be counted toward a minimum of 42 upper-level Undergraduate credit hours required for all bachelor’s degrees.

REMAINING GRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

courses

credit hours (ma)

Core Courses

12

MINS 5302 - Ministry Research and Writing Across Media

MINS 6305 - Ministry Mentorship (S-L)

THEO 6305 - Christian History and Heritage

THEO 6306 - Systematic Theology

MA in Worship Studies Program Specific Courses  

9

WORS 5307 - History of Worship Song

Select one of the following:

WORS 5309 - Worship Life: Education and Administration

WORS 6308 - Worship Through the Ages

WORS 6316 - Worship Theology for Contemporary Ministry

And select one course from the Graduate School of Ministry with approval of Academic Advisor.

Worship Praxis  

9

Select three of the following from the Worship Praxis course options:

WORS 6325 - Worship Praxis I: Worship Song: Creation, Selection, and Implementation

WORS 6326 - Worship Praxis II: Worship Media: Technology and Production

WORS 6327 - Worship Praxis III: Worship Leading: Preparation and Presentation

WORS 6328 - Worship Praxis IV: The Instruments of Worship

WORS 6329 - Worship Praxis V: Worship Leader Travel Study

The Worship Praxis courses are offered in an intensive format on the DBU main campus, except Worship Praxis I and V.

TOTAL ADDITIONAL GRADUATE HOURS REQUIRED

30

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR ACCELERATED DEGREE

150

Note:  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.

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

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.

Refer to course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

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