The Five-Year Pastor-Scholar Program is a joint degree program that combines the four-year Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program (with a major in an area of ministry offered by the Department of Philosophy and Religion) with the 30-month Master of Arts (M.A.) program in Pastoral Ministry (offered by the Graduate School of Theology). This combined program enables students to complete both degrees in five years, rather than in the typical 6.5 years, by taking master-level courses during their undergraduate program that will also fulfill the requirements for their undergraduate degree. The program culminates with a two-year church residency.
Upon completion of this five-year program, the successful student will have completed two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in one of the majors listed below and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry.
Admission Requirements
In order to participate in this program, students must meet the following requirements:
- Students must apply for admission into this program (generally before their first year at NNU and no later than the end of their second year), complete the interview process, and be granted admission into the program.
- Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 and achieve Ministerial Standing during their first three years in the program and/or at NNU. If a student’s GPA falls below the minimum GPA requirement at any time during those first three years, they have one semester to restore it to the required level or be discontinued from the program (but continuing in the “regular” undergraduate program).
- Students must apply and be accepted provisionally for the M.A. program before taking master-level work (which will also cover requirements for the B.A. program) before the start of the spring semester of their third year (as full acceptance cannot be considered or granted until the completion of the B.A. degree).
- Students will participate in and successfully complete a two-year church residency as part of the Pastor-Scholar Program.
B.A/M.A. Dual Enrollment Courses
Students must apply and be accepted provisionally for the M.A. program before taking masters-level work before the start of the spring semester of their third year in the undergraduate program. Full acceptance in the M.A. cannot be considered or granted until the completion of the B.A. degree. The student will dual enroll in the corresponding undergraduate courses in order to complete their B.A. while earning credit towards their M.A. degree.
The following graduate courses will also fulfill undergraduate course requirements in the B.A. program:
|
Bachelor of Arts Courses |
CR |
|
Master of Arts Courses |
CR |
|
BIBL4340 New Testament Narratives |
3 |
- |
BIBL6860 New Testament Exegesis |
3 |
|
PHIL4520 Experiencing God |
3 |
- |
PHIL6860 Philosophy of Religion |
3 |
|
PRTH4720 Missional Church II: Local Church Perspectives |
3 |
- |
PRTH6960 Missiology and Contextualization |
3 |
|
PRTH4810 Spiritual and Leadership Formation |
1 |
- |
CHED6160 Congregational Education and Formation |
3 |
|
PRTH4960 Internship in Christian Ministry |
3 |
- |
PRTH6990A and PRTH6990B Supervised Ministry (2 credits each) |
4 |
|
THEO4550 Systematic Theology I |
3 |
- |
THEO6860 Issues in Christian Theology |
3 |
|
THEO4560 Systematic Theology II |
3 |
- |
CHIS6960 History of Christianity II |
3 |
|
THEO4570 Systematic Theology III |
3 |
- |
THEO7960 Christian Theology II (3) |
3 |
To see the undergraduate course descriptions, please view the Course section of the Traditional Undergraduate Catalog.
M.A. in Pastoral Ministry
The following courses are required to complete an M.A. in Pastoral Ministry: