minary W orld Class Seminary - Bethel Seminary - Bethel University

The Master of Divinitywith a Concentration inMarriage and FamilyStudiesDesigned to prepare persons who wishto provide pastoral leadership, this programprepares students to understandfamily systems; to teach, to preach, toadminister programs in ways that aresensitive to family issues; and to understandsystemic dynamics of congregationallife. The M.Div. portion of theprogram (including the marriage andfamily concentration courses) takesthree academic years.ConcentrationMen and women in vocational Christianservice must be prepared to servein a broad range of ministries. Theservant of God, properly trained, willknow how to teach, preach, evangelize,counsel, administrate, and relate helpfullyto people. Because of the growingdemand for specialization in Christianministry, however, most studentswill select defined concentrations inspecific vocational interests. Whilethe core courses in the curriculumlay the foundation for a multifacetedministry, the advanced courses includethe student’s concentration. Studentschoose these courses in consultationwith their advisors.and Families; MF718 Child AbuseAssessment and Intervention; MF719Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention;MF720 Domestic ViolenceAssessment and Intervention; MF726Aging and Long Term Care; and twocredits from the MFT electives.A concentration is defined as a clusterof five related courses beyond the core,designed intentionally for vocationalspecialization either in one disciplineexclusively or in two or more disciplinesfrom the same area. A concentrationin one area may recommendcourses in the two-course section.Students anticipating diversified ministriesrequiring competence in severaldisciplines may choose the generalistdistribution in either the applied orclassical area. For the five-course section,this requires a minimum of oneadvanced course in each disciplinewithin the area chosen. The concentrationwill be noted on the student’stranscript.During the student’s total program ofstudy, there is a cap of 10 courses forany one discipline, including both coreand post-core courses.For specific information on thedistribution of courses and availableconcentrations, see the Appendix.Admission to a DisciplineThe student intending to receive aconcentration in a specific disciplinemust be pursuing course work in theMaster of Divinity degree program, isexpected to meet specific criteria foradmission to the discipline, and mustfulfill specified requirements for continuancein the discipline. A facultyadvisor will provide insight and assistancein planning a degree programand concentration.Admission to the seminary does notensure admission to a particular discipline,and admission to the disciplinedoes not ensure placement in thatdiscipline. The seminary reserves theright to consider, as part of admissionto and continuance in a discipline,those personal qualities, generalhealth, scholastic achievement, conduct,attitude, or other standards seenas appropriately related.Photo by Greg SchneiderSan DiegoThe post-core courses are selected fromtwo broad areas: applied and classical.The applied area includes the disciplinesof discipleship in community,global evangelization and contextualministry, ministry leadership, communicationsand preaching, pastoral care,and marital and family therapy. Theclassical area includes the disciplinesof historical studies, New Testament,Old Testament, and theological studies.To earn a concentration in maritaland family therapy, a student needs 28credit hours of MFT courses. They are:MF504 Theories of Marital and FamilyTherapy I; MF505 Theories of Maritaland Family Therapy II; MF506 IndividualDevelopment and the FamilyLife Cycle; MF557 Families in Context:Gender, Class and Culture; MF565Dynamics of Family Process; MF608Sexuality and Intimacy in Couples69