Master of Arts in Worship Studies 

The Master of Arts in Worship Studies program provides an academic course of study for theological training in Christian worship and practice. The program of study equips students with biblical, theological, historical, and practical foundations for worship ministry in preparation for lifelong servant leadership in a variety of worship contexts. Students receive not only a biblical foundation of worship but also explore the practical and artistic skills needed to effectively lead worship experiences.

All students take 18 hours of core courses, 9 hours of program-specific courses, plus 9 hours of worship praxis courses to prepare them to serve as worship educators and leaders. The core requirements are designed to provide a strong biblical, theological, and philosophical foundation in Christian worship for students currently serving or preparing to serve in worship ministry.

In addition to previously stated admission requirements, the following program-specific requirements must be met:

• Evidence that the student is a Christian and is compatible with DBU's mission by proven conduct in accordance with Christian standards set forth in the Bible, announced intent, and by church involvement.

• 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.

Admission into the MA in Worship Studies program is by audition only in consultation with the Program Director.

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.

REQUISITES

• Old Testament Survey

• New Testament Survey 

Requisites may be met with equivalent courses from another institution or from a passing grade on the GSOM Old Testament and New Testament equivalency exams and do not count toward degree completion.

COURSE	CREDIT HOURS
Core Courses	18
MINS 5302 - Ministry Research and Writing Across Media MINS 5303 - Foundations of Spiritual Life MINS 6305 - Ministry Mentorship (S-L) THEO 5313 - Applied Hermeneutics THEO 6305 - Christian History and Heritage THEO 6306 - Systematic Theology
Program Specific Courses	9
WORS 5307 - History of Worship Song Select one of the following: WORS 5309 - Worship Life: Education and Administration WORS 6308 - Worship Through the Ages WORS 6316 - Worship Theology for Contemporary Ministry And select one course from the Graduate School of Ministry with approval of Program Director.
Worship Praxis	9
Select three of the following: WORS 6325 - Worship Praxis I: Worship Song: Creation, Selection, and Implementation WORS 6326 - Worship Praxis II: Worship Media: Technology and Production WORS 6327 - Worship Praxis III: Worship Leading: Preparation and Presentation WORS 6328 - Worship Praxis IV: The Instruments of Worship WORS 6329 - Worship Praxis V: Worship Leader Travel Study The Worship Praxis courses are offered in an intensive format on the DBU main campus, except Worship Praxis I and V.
Total Credit Hours Required	36

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

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

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