BAS in Christian Ministries/MA in Christian Counseling

The BAS in Christian Ministries/MA in Christian Counseling, an accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree program jointly sponsored by the College of Christian Faith and the Graduate School of Ministry, is designed to prepare students to serve in a variety of church and church-related vocational contexts including church staff positions, para-church ministries, and denominational service. The accelerated degree will provide students a seamless interface between undergraduate and graduate degrees. Through Christ-centered, quality higher education, students will focus on the theological, biblical, historical, and practical dimensions of Christian ministry for the 21st century.

UNDERGRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

COURSES	CREDIT HOURS (BAS)
Professional Studies Requirement PRST 3301 Lifelong Learning (S-L) (required for all Professional Studies students)	3
English	9
ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II
and ENGL 2301 - World Literature I or ENGL 2302 - World Literature II
Fine Arts FINE 1306 - Introduction to Fine Arts	3
History	6
Choose two: HIST 1301 - U.S. History to 1865 HIST 1302 - U.S. History Since 1865 HIST 2301 - World Civilization I HIST 2302 - World Civilization II
Kinesiology	2
KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living and one additional activity course (KNES 1102-1122); for veterans or those 25 years of age or older prior to enrollment at DBU, KNES courses are waived.
Mathematics	3
Choose one: MATH 1301 - Math for Liberal Arts MATH 1303 - College Algebra MATH 1304 - Trigonometry MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis MATH 1308 - Calculus for Business Analysis MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry
Natural Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)	4
One laboratory science from Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, or Physics
Religion	12
RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey (If hours transferred at time of initial enrollment at DBU do not equal 60 or more hours, additional religion hours will be required.)
Social Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only) POLS 2301 - American National Government PSYC 1301 - General Psychology	6
TOTAL GENERAL STUDIES HOURS	48
BAS in Christian Ministries
Christian Ministries Courses	24
Required Undergraduate Courses CHST 3301 - Survey of Christian Education     CHST 3372 - Church Administration CHST 4301 - Teaching Ministry of the Church PHIL 2301 - Introduction to Philosophy RELI 2304 - Christian Doctrine RELI 4345 - Christianity in a Pluralistic World Complete two additional upper-level Religion (RELI) courses.
Shared Undergraduate/Graduate Courses	6
MINS 5303 - Foundations of Spiritual Life THEO 5313 - Applied Hermeneutics
Additional Upper-Level Electives Required* Additional Lower or Upper-Level Electives Required*	18 24
TOTAL UNDERGRADUATE WITH SHARED HOURS REQUIRED	120

A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required. Students must complete all Undergraduate hours and shared undergraduate/graduate hours prior to enrolling for remaining Graduate hours.

*Elective Requirements

• In order to satisfy the “Undergraduate only” portion of an accelerated degree plan, sufficient lower-level and upper-level elective hours must be taken to complete the minimum number of Undergraduate credit hours required for each specific accelerated degree.

• As part of this accelerated degree plan, 6 shared Graduate hours will be counted toward a minimum of 42 upper-level Undergraduate credit hours required for all bachelor’s degrees.

REMAINING GRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

COURSES	CREDIT HOURS (MA)
Core Courses	12
MINS 5302 - Ministry Research and Writing Across Media MINS 6305 - Ministry Mentorship (S-L) THEO 6305 - Christian History and Heritage THEO 6306 - Systematic Theology
MA in Christian Counseling Program Courses	18
COUN 5312 - Counseling Theories and Techniques
COUN 5314 - Lifespan Human Development or MAFM 6316 - Faith Formation in the Life Stages
MACC 6301 - Introduction to Christian Counseling MACC 6302 - Abnormal Psychology MACC 6303 - Christian Counseling Skills Select one of the following recommended courses: COUN 5313 - Group Counseling Methods COUN 6311 - Addictive and Compulsive Disorders COUN 6314 - Marriage and Family Counseling COUN 6320 - Counseling Victims of Trauma COUN 6324 - A Christian Approach to Human Sexuality MACM 6303 - Conflict Resolution in Ministry MACM 6304 - Victim Assistance Ministry Training MAEML 5310 - Small Group Ministry Design and Practice or A course from one of the following disciplines: COUN, MACC, MACM, MAEML, THEO, or WORS
TOTAL ADDITIONAL GRADUATE HOURS REQUIRED	30
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR ACCELERATED DEGREE	150

Note:  Church Membership Requirement (for Admission into the Master’s Ministry Degrees, Advanced Ministry Certificate Programs, EDD in Educational Leadership—all concentrations, and PHD in Leadership Studies’ Ministry Concentration): Within the last 12 months, the applicant must have been an active member of a Christian church that holds Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who holds solely the Old Testament and the New Testament as sacred Scripture.

Students must successfully complete PRST 3301 within the first term.

(S-L) = Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

Graduate School of Ministry Portfolio

Dallas Baptist University’s Ministry Degree Programs seek to provide an academic experience that enables all candidates to engage and impact Christian Ministries of the 21st century. The Portfolio is designed to be an individualized collection of documents that represent the candidate’s preparation for future ministry positions, demonstrating the candidate’s ongoing knowledge, skills, and ministry experiences.   

The Graduate School of Ministry provides candidates the opportunity for self-reflection through the compilation of documents in an electronic Portfolio. Documents in the Portfolio may include Signature Assignments, Resume, and Philosophy of Ministry among others.  

Throughout the program, the candidate will collect designated documents and upload them to the Portfolio within Blackboard. The Portfolio will be used to assess development as the candidate proceeds through their designated ministry program.  It is the candidate’s responsibility to meet with their GSOM Program Director to discuss the Portfolio required documents prior to graduation.

Refer to course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Undergraduate Course Descriptions OR Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.