Master of Arts: Theology and Peace Studies

The MATPS is a 60-credit-hour academic degree program that prepares students interested in careers and scholarship at the intersection of theology and transformative peacebuilding. Students combine academic study with sustained engagement in the field. Through this integrated approach, students develop interdisciplinary knowledge that draws insights from theological, biblical and historical studies into conversation with social sciences and peacebuilding practice.

The program, which grows out of the Anabaptist tradition of Christian peace witness, is grounded in the assumption that Christ calls us to become part of a new community whose mission is to participate in God’s reconciling mission throughout the world. Our theological approach to peacebuilding brings Christian eschatologies undergirding transformative approaches to conflict together with a concern for embodying nonviolence in a pluralistic world. Peacebuilding addresses the structural roots of conflict and forges multi-level (personal, relational, hermeneutic, societal and international) initiatives to transform violence.

Concentrations

Educational goals

Graduates with a MATPS will be able to:

  • Analyze theological and biblical foundations of peace and justice, considering Anabaptist perspectives.
  • Evaluate multiple forms and consequences of violence using multi-disciplinary methods and insights.
  • Deploy the skills and habits of a reflective practitioner: a) create context-sensitive transformative approaches to violence and conflict; b) synthesize theological and theoretical concepts with practical experience; and c) discern practices that cultivate nonviolence and spiritual development.

Ministries of recent graduates

  • Ph.D. studies in peace and theology
  • work in a non-governmental organization
  • work with an international church-based relief organization
  • coordinating a public school anti-bullying program
  • organizing a community farming program in Japan