Master of Divinity Program
Andover Newton's Master of Divinity Curriculum
In the fall of 2009, Andover Newton introduced a new Master of Divinity (M.Div.) curriculum that applies to all entering students. The new program was based on the belief that a professional degree for ministry must equip students to face the needs of church and society today, while also recognizing that the world is changing quickly.
An effective Master of Divinity curriculum must help students to become as flexible as they are grounded, as open to the new as they are committed to tradition, and as confident engaging those who are different as they are in forming and expressing their own convictions.
The Four Competencies
The Andover Newton Faculty has built the new curriculum around four interdisciplinary competencies for ministry:
- Interpreting
- Communicating
- Leading
- Embodying
These competencies emerged through both research and reflection as essential arts for ministry in changing contexts.
Andover Newton's faculty teach the core elements of theological disciplines that remain at the heart of the theological tradition but those disciplines are interrelated in new ways and integrated in a curriculum that is oriented not toward “checking off boxes” but toward equipping students for reflection and practice.
This integrated structure aims to give Andover Newton better means to hold itself accountable to its mission, challenging us to measure the effectiveness of our graduates in these areas, and to continually strive to improve the preparation they are given.
The new Master of Divinity curriculum comes as a response to a question with which the Andover Newton faculty has grappled for the better part of a decade: “What would it be like if the entire curriculum were built not simply around academic disciplines, but around what students and graduates need to serve today’s church and world?”
Curriculum Summary
The following outlines will help current and prospective M.Div. students to understand what will be required to earn the M.Div. degree at Andover Newton. Please consult the Andover Newton Catalogue for additional details, including:
- Details about which courses meet which requirements
- Recommended course sequences, including a specialized sequence for Unitarian Universalist candidates for ordination
- Descriptions of what specific outcomes students can expect from different areas of competence
- Expanded definitions for each required area of the curriculum
Number of credits required: 81, the equivalent of approximately nine courses per year.
Types of Courses
The Master of Divinity program provides courses of four different types, each with a specific role in the curriculum. The types include:
- Core courses: Only one, specific course meets the given requirement.
- Distributional requirements: Students may choose one course among several options to fulfill the requirement.
- Electives: Students may choose any course among those not specifically designated as a requirement, to add either depth or breadth to their programs.
- Integrative catalysts: Courses, institutes, or off-campus programs, each with a different form of registration, that integrate practical experience with formal classroom learning. Examples include Border Crossing and offerings of the Worship, Theology, and the Arts Program
Curriculum Structure
All courses are three credits unless otherwise noted.
Interpreting
- Systematic Theology I (Core)
- Systematic Theology II (Core)
- Early Christian History (Distributional)
- Religious Education (Distributional)
Communicating
- Christian Bible I (Core) (“Old Testament”)
- Christian Bible II (Core) (“New Testament”)
- Upper-level Bible (Distributional)
- Preaching (Distributional)
- Worship (Distributional)
Leading
- Field Education (Core)
- US Religious History (Distributional)
- Ministerial Leadership (Distributional)
- Practicing Theology (Distributional)
Embodying
- Introduction to Christian Ethics (Core)
- Pastoral Care (Distributional)
- Ethics and Society (Distributional)
- World Christianity and World Religions (Distributional)
Integrative Catalysts
Each Integrative Catalyst is designed to crystallize learning within one area of competence while also connecting learning across the whole of the curriculum.
- Linked with “Interpreting:” Spiritual Formation (Integrative Catalyst) (One credit)
- … with “Communicating:” Interfaith Engagement or The Arts (Integrative Catalyst) (Student may choose)
- … with “Leading:” Professor-Practitioner Program (Integrative Catalyst) (In conjunction with Field Education)
- … With “Embodying:” Border Crossing Immersion (Integrative Catalyst) (Two credits)
