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MA/Intercultural Studies

MA/Intercultural studies

Online | Deerfield, IL

This program provides specialized study in the discipline of intercultural studies and Christian mission. The MA/ICS is suitable for persons seeking academic preparation for service as missionaries, cross-cultural workers, teachers, strategists, and researchers. It may also serve as an intermediate step toward doctoral study in a related area.

Why take Intercultural Studies at TEDS?

The MA/ICS is flexible, allowing students who live and serve in various parts of the world to complete it. Required courses are scheduled regularly online and this program can be completed entirely online. Live courses are offered at the Deerfield campus on weekends, and in one- or two-week modular formats, both throughout the academic year and during summers. Courses are also offered at Trinity extension sites.

Students will benefit from studying under our world class faculty in the areas of Mission and Evangelism. TEDS professors have a combined experience spanning many cultures, with years of work through different modes of cultural engagement. Courses are also taught by outside experts who bring their own highly skilled and unique knowledge to the program. Students complete an MA/ICS for many reasons: to deepen their knowledge for ministry or to equip themselves for doctoral studies. Flexibility, combined with the accessibility, makes it a great program for anyone who is engaged in cross-cultural ministry and service.

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

A foundation of theology courses is coupled with core courses in mission and intercultural studies along with a generous number of electives and a choice of capstone projects (integrative paper, internship, or thesis) depending on your interests and future plans. Courses you will take include the following:

BIBLE AND THEOLOGY CORE: 9 HOURS

Course	Title	Credits
ID 5000	Biblical Theology and Interpretation	3 hours
ST 5201	Theology I: The God of the Gospel	3 hours
ST 5202	Theology II: The Gospel of God	3 hours

INTERCULTURAL STUDIES CORE: 15 HOURS

Course	Title	Credits
ME 6760	Theology of Mission & Evangelism	3 hours
ME 6610 (or) ME 8210	Anthropology for Ministry (or) Intercultural Communications	3 hours
ME 6410 (or) ME 7450	History of the Expansion of Christianity (or) Christianity in the Non-Western World since 1700	3 hours
Recommended Electives (6 hours required)
Course	Title	Credits
ME 7300	World Religions	3 hours
ME 7710	Contextualization	3 hours
ME 8230	Global Church Planting and Development	3 hours
ME 8315	Christian Encounter with Islam	3 hours
ME 8815	Ethnicity: Modes of Analysis and Inquiry	3 hours

ELECTIVES, FIELD EDUCATION & CAPSTONE: 12 HOURS

Elective course work is dependent upon academic and professional goals, and is determined in consultation with the faculty advisor. If writing a thesis, a research methods course is required.

Electives (9 hours)
Field Education and Formation Group (0 hours)
Choose One:
Course	Title	Credits
PT 5090	Field Ed (two semesters)	0 hours
PT 5090 and ID 5080	Field Ed (one semester) and Formation Group (two semesters)	0 hours
Comprehensive Exam and Capstone
MA/ICS Major Comprehensive Exam		1 hour
MA/ICS Capstone Participants work with the department in completing one of the following
Course	Title	Credits
ID 7480	MA Integrative Paper	2 hours
PT 746X	Intercultural Ministries Internship (Required for students with limited cross-cultural experience as determined by the ME department)	2 hours
ME 7485	MA Thesis (The thesis option requires a research methods course as an elective)	2 hours

WATCH OUR FULL-LENGTH WEBINAR

Hear what faculty, students and alumni have to say about the MA/Intercultural Studies.

Nontraditional Student Options

This program is structured so as to enable nontraditional students to complete it. Required courses are scheduled regularly in evenings, weekends, and in one- or two-week modular formats; others are offered in the summer, at extension sites, online through distance education, or as guided research study. Please talk to an admissions counselor to find out what options might be best for your situation.

Missional Ministry Focus

There are many forms of pastoral, church-planting, parachurch, and urban ministry in the U.S., Canada, and other western contexts in which a deep understanding of contextualization and cross-cultural ministry is necessary. For this reason, several courses are offered with a focus in missional ministry.

WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES FOR
ADMISSION TO THIS PROGRAM?

In addition to the requirements for general admission, you’ll need the following:

An undergraduate major in intercultural studies or its equivalent that includes a minimum of eight (8) hours in intercultural studies/missions and social sciences, or extensive intercultural experience.

Six (6) semester hours of Bible including Old and New Testament surveys; or TEDS OT 5000 and NT 5000. You can be admitted without this, but you must make up these courses early in your program to move forward.

An undergrad GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is preferred; we’ll need scores from either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) if your GPA is below 3.0.

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