Academic Program Proposal

Date Proposal Activated	Institution and Proposal	Degree Awarded	Academic Program Name	Objection Deadline	MHEC Final Action	Final Decision Date
3/8/2016	Unification Theological Seminary Proposal	Multiple	OOS Initial	9/4/2016	Authorized	5/25/2016
OOS Initial Program Description
The Master of Religious Education (M.A) program is a broad-based degree program for students who seek to integrate their faith with knowledge of religions and their impact on society, and who may be seeking to equip themselves for a variety of ministries, especially for the task of building peace among religions and cultures or for non-profit leadership. The program requires 48 credit hours and consists of four concentrations: Interfaith Peacebuilding, Non-profit Leadership, Unification Studies, and Theological Studies.  The program prepares students for a wide variety of positions and jobs. These include church lay leadership; peace-building and social service ministries in churches, faith communities and non-profits; work in interfaith ministries; as more effective witnesses for their faith in today's multi-faith environment; management positions in churches and non-profit organizations; teaching religion in an academic setting and for those who wish to pursue further graduate work in religion. The MA in Religious Studies is also the base degree for interfaith chaplaincy.