Master of Divinity in UU Studies

The MDiv in UU Studies program will prepare you—in collaboration with your local congregation and the Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC)—for ministerial fellowship in the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and for ordained ministry in a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation. As a liberal religious seminary, United has attracted a number of UU students, staff, and faculty, providing a welcoming community where UU students can feel at home as they prepare to become ministers in a pluralistic world.

This program may be a good fit for you if you are interested in ordained UU ministry, including but not limited to the following roles:

• Congregational ministry
• Community and entrepreneurial ministry
• Chaplain in a hospital or other professional setting (with the addition of chaplaincy certification)
• UU denominational leadership at the local, regional or national level

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Concentration Learning Outcomes

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

• conduct a personal theological interpretation of a selected biblical text that demonstrates understanding of the influence of their own situatedness on that interpretation and that engages the situatedness of contemporary readers from a context different from their own;
• demonstrate skills for effective, professional, ethical, and compassionate pastoral and spiritual care to a diversity of persons;
• craft and deliver a sermon or public address that demonstrates effective speaking form/style and content based on a selected context;
• prepare a holistic, multisensory, inclusive worship or ritual for life passage that integrates theological theory and practice and demonstrates awareness of multicultural and multigenerational approaches to worship;
• construct and deliver a faith formation curriculum that effectively applies theories of teaching and learning, engages appropriately with diverse spiritual traditions and communities, and demonstrates understanding of multi-religious knowledge and practices;
• articulate their own constructive theological position and interpret the theological context of their call to UU ministry or other vocation in a way that demonstrates a critical reflection of a number of Unitarian and Universalist theologies and the influences of other liberal traditions; and
• effectively apply their knowledge of UU history, UUA polity structures, and the opportunities and challenges of Unitarian Universalism to the practice of UU ministry.

United’s MDiV at a Glance

• 72 credits
• Twenty-four 3-credit courses, including one field experience; eligibility for ordination by UUA requires completion of an internship and additional external courses, completed either during or after seminary
• A final thesis or project is not required, but you can choose to complete a thesis as an elective course
• Can be completed in approximately three years if you take a full-time course load of 9 credits per trimester
• Most MDiv concentrations, including UU Studies, can be completed entirely via distance learning; many courses can be taken completely asynchronously

Completion of the MDiv in UU Studies at United does not in itself fulfill the requirements of ordination or ministerial fellowship. Contact the MFC and your local ordaining congregation to determine any additional requirements.