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 within two years if you take a full-time course load of 9 credits per trimester and complete your thesis in one trimester
- All MA concentrations can be completed entirely via distance learning; many courses can be taken completely asynchronously
Program Course Guide Sheet for Academic Year 2025–2026
PRIMARY OUTCOME |
NUMBER OF COURSES | COURSES |
Theology | 2 |
Invitation to Theology: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
Choose one:
History of Christian Theologies
History of Modern Theologies
|
Textual Hermeneutics | 2 |
Introduction to Religious Texts
One 2000-level Religious Texts course |
Ethics and Justice | 2 |
Choose one:
Christian Ethics
Comparative Religious Ethics
Choose one:
Queer and Trans Theologies
Black and Womanist Theologies
|
Concentration | 5 |
History of Arts and Theology
Art, Religion, and Contemporary Culture Arts Praxis Seminar Two elective courses (as approved by advisor) |
Research and Communication | 1 |
MA Thesis
|
DEGREE TOTAL |
12 |