GTU Common Master of Arts
Explore a two-year intensive program focused on one theological discipline with a Common Master of Arts degree.
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts
Program Types
Graduate
Mode of Study
On Campus
School / College
San Francisco Theological SeminaryWhat is GTU Common Master of Arts?
In affiliation with the Graduate Theological Union, this two-year intensive program focuses on one theological discipline and draws on a close working relationship with a faculty advisor in a specific area of study. You will have the opportunity to pursue graduate-level theological studies apart from preparation for a career in ordained ministry. If you are planning to pursue doctoral studies or wish to fine-tune scholarship in a specific area, this degree is for you and includes a substantial, research-based thesis in addition to a basic competency in a modern foreign language for research purposes.
Why GTU Common Master of Arts?
You will work closely with a faculty advisor and be able to specialize in the following disciplines, preparing you for a career in ordained ministry or to continue your education through a doctoral program:
- Bible
- Biblical languages
- Historical studies
- Systematic and philosophical theology
- Religion and personality sciences
- Christian spirituality
- Interreligious studies
Through other schools and centers of the Graduate Theological Union, you can also pursue a master of arts in art and religion, cultural and historical studies of religions, Jewish studies, and Buddhist studies.
Helpful Links at the GTU
Additional program information
The GTU Common MA is primarily a research-focused, academically oriented degree designed to provide a breadth of knowledge for the advanced study of religion that incorporates an ecumenical design. It is a two-year program that requires certification in a modern foreign language and the writing of a thesis. Most people who pursue this degree would like to teach, research, and write.
The Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree is a three-to-four-year professional program preparing persons for lay and ordained ministries and pastoral work. Each member seminary offers the MDiv degree designed in accordance with the denominational affiliation of that school. Member schools also offer MTS and proprietary MA degrees that may be more denominationally oriented, or match specific program strengths of that seminary on its own.