MA in Theology and the Arts

The MA in Theology and the Arts degree program will prepare you to engage theological questions through the lens of the arts. You’ll engage these questions in a broad and systematic way, drawing on art history, aesthetics, practical arts, creativity, and imagination. The program has an academic focus on exploring justice, spirituality, and the human condition through the lens of art and theology.

If you are interested in preparing for ministerial leadership through the lens of the arts, check out the MDiv in Theology and the Arts.

This program may be a good fit for you if you are interested in pursuing:

• A doctoral degree in theology and the arts, aesthetics, art history, art and culture, or religious studies in preparation for a career as a professor
• Work in a museum
• Curatorial work
• Work as a gallery coordinator
• Work in an arts institution

CONCENTRATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

In addition to achieving the core MA degree learning outcomes, a graduate of the MA in Theology and the Arts program will be able to:

• apply the arts to their ministerial or vocational context in a way that demonstrates an informed understanding of the use of the arts as a means of theological or religious expression and reflection;
• articulate an informed understanding of the historical use of the arts as a means of theological or religious expression and reflection;
• articulate an informed understanding of the complex relationships among art, culture, and religion;
• analyze a contemporary artistic or cultural work for the ways it expresses spiritual and religious ideas;
• express a studied theological or religious concept, question, or issue via an art form; and
• demonstrate, within the scope of a particular arts-related religious or theological topic, question or issue, their capacity for analysis and evaluation of the topic in relation to diverse contexts, and for integration of diverse resources in the service of construction of theology or worldview. OR
  Work of Art Thesis: create a work of art that expresses a religious or theological concept, question, or issue and demonstrates an advanced degree of technical skill, and reflects substantively on the work.

United’s MA at a Glance

• 36 credits
• Eleven 3-credit courses plus a 3-credit thesis, or ten 3-credit courses plus a 6-credit thesis
• Can be completed in two years if you take a full-time course load (24 credits per year) and complete your thesis in approximately one trimester
• All MA concentrations can be completed entirely via distance learning