MA-MF
M.A. Marriage and Family Ministry
Department of Pastoral Ministry · 2 years · 16 courses · 100% online
About this programme
Marriage and family work takes more of a minister's time than most expect, and finds them least prepared. The couple in trouble, the blended household, the teenager the parents no longer recognise, the home where violence has become ordinary: these arrive weekly and rarely at a convenient hour. This degree is for those who want to build a serious ministry around them.
The degree rests on a theology of marriage, sexuality and family, then takes up family systems as the framework for understanding why a household behaves as it does. The sequence follows the life of a family, from preparation for marriage through parenting and adolescence to the strain that careers and screens place on a home. Harder ground is faced squarely, including divorce, blended families, domestic violence and crisis work, with ethics, a long supervised practicum and a ministry plan you build and defend.
You will graduate able to run premarital courses that hold, work with a family as a system rather than a queue of individuals, and recognise abuse for what it is. Picture the couple who arrive at eleven at night finding someone trained to meet them. Begin that preparation here.
16 courses across 4 semesters, about 2 years of study.
Who it is for
Those already trained in theology who want to go deeper, and to be equipped to teach and lead others. It assumes you have studied the subject before.
What you will be able to do
Teach the subject, supervise others, write to a scholarly standard, and lead at a senior level in the church or in theological education.
How you will study
Every course here runs the same way, so you always know where you are.
- Six study modules a course, each with a handout you can read on screen or download.
- Video and audio of the same teaching, for studying while you travel or work.
- A short refresher quiz to open each course. It is not scored, and you may retake it.
- Two tests along the way, then a final examination. The pass mark is 50%.
- Results appear as soon as you submit.
Study is entirely online and at your own pace. Everything works on a phone, and handouts can be downloaded to read without data.
Entry requirements
A theological background is required. If you do not have one, begin with the Postgraduate Diploma, which is designed as the route in.
Fees
Your fees are set out in the admission letter issued to you.
What you will study
16 courses across 4 semesters, drawn from these areas.
- Department of Pastoral Ministry
The full course schedule is issued when you are admitted.