Master of Arts 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:

• 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
• articulate the relationship between theology and the arts—both verbally and through their artwork.

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; many courses can be taken completely asynchronously