Master of Arts in Leadership in Humanist Studies

The MAL in Humanist Studies concentration fosters leadership that is ethically grounded, informed, skillful, globally responsible, personally sustainable, and committed to meeting the needs of the Humanist community. This program is designed for students interested in becoming leaders who intend to work in humanist settings and/or interreligious settings that include Humanists. The Humanist Studies concentration offers a nondogmatic and nondoctrinal approach to learning leadership within an interreligious and ecumenical seminary community.

This MAL program may be a good fit for you if you are interested in pursuing a career in community, chapter-based, regional, or national organizational leadership. If you wish to receive training for ministerial competencies with a Humanist focus, check out the MDiv in Humanist Studies program.

Concentration Learning Outcomes

In addition to achieving the core MAL degree learning outcomes, a graduate of the MAL in Humanist Studies program will be able to:

• articulate the core values of Humanism and how these values have been expressed in multiple historical and cultural contexts;
• articulate a personal Humanist philosophy that is informed by a critical interpretation and analysis of the perspectives of multiple Humanist philosophers;
• articulate opportunities for practicing Humanist values in the world that incorporate their expressed personal beliefs derived from those values as well as critical reflection on their social position and past experiences; and
• articulate strategies for effective organizational leadership in multiple Humanist-oriented non-profit contexts.

United’s MAL at a Glance

• 48 credits
• Sixteen 3-credit courses, including a final project
• Can be completed in two years if you take a full-time course load (24 credits per year)
• All MAL concentrations, including Humanist Studies, can be completed entirely via distance learning; many courses can be taken completely asynchronously