Top 25 Online Master's in Theology Programs for 2019

Located in the rolling foothills of the Endless Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania, Clarks Summit University is a Baptist institution that offers online master’s in theology-related fields such as a master of arts in Bible. This program meets the academic and professional needs of both active laypeople and clergy. Graduate students in Bible take about two years to complete the required 30 credits. Courses operate on an eight-week schedule, and students do not need to be online at any specific time.

To earn their master’s degrees, students complete their core courses in Bible, theology, and interpretation plus one course in communications. Electives in Bible and theology comprise the rest of the program. Courses include inductive Bible study, Christology, and dispensational premillenialism. CSU offers reduced tuition for military members, students currently employed in ministry, alumni, and international students.

Located in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, UNW equips students to be Christian leaders in professional and academic fields, including church-based ministry. The school offers a master of divinity and a master’s in theological studies online. The master’s in theology online (MATS) consists of 36 credits and is the foundational prerequisite for the M.Div. program. The program takes 18-22 months to complete.

The master of divinity (M.Div.) builds on the MATS and prepares students for pastoral or chaplaincy ministry. M.Div. students complete a total of 76 credits in 42-46 months. UNW students complete internships and fieldwork but are not required to take courses in biblical languages. UNW also offers a combined BA/M.Div program in which students earn a BA in pastoral ministry as well as a M.Div. over the course of five years.

A Baptist school by heritage, Corban University educates students at its Salem, OR campus and through its online program. Corban’s School of Ministry includes a master of divinity (M.Div.) that’s available fully online or in a convenient hybrid option. Full-time students can complete the M.Div. in three years, but part-time students take longer.

This theology-related master’s degree offered online balances practical ministry courses with biblical and theological studies. Course topics include counseling, worldviews, ministry, Greek, exegesis, Hebrew, and interpreting scripture. Digital learners can choose to concentrate in church ministry or in biblical languages. Upon completion of the program, church ministry majors can pursue a doctor of ministry, while biblical languages majors are ready for a Ph.D. in a relevant field.

Emphasizing intercultural perspectives and opportunities, CIU equips students to lead and serve as Christian educators, pastors, missionaries, and business professionals. The university’s online master’s in theology does not require any on-campus work. Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree for admission. The program requires 48 credit hours to graduate, but those entering with 30 undergraduate credits of theology, Bible, or church history can take an abbreviated 33-credit curriculum.

CIU students learn aspects of biblical interpretation, tools for evaluating doctrine, and skills to research and write on theological topics. Courses include systematic theology in global Christianity and missions and evangelism in the 21st century. Students can choose a 15-hour concentration in church history, Bible, theology, Greek, or Hebrew. A capstone project or thesis is not required.

Students can earn HIU’s master of arts in ministry entirely online, but it is also offered with an eight-day residential option at the school’s home campus in Fullerton, CA. Identified with the non-denominational Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, HIU’s theology-related master’s degree lets online learners choose a single or a dual concentration program. Available concentrations include biblical studies, worship, intercultural studies, and church planting.

The single-concentration option requires 36 credits with nine credits in the field while the dual-concentration degree requires 42 credits, nine in each field selected. Students without formal biblical or theological training must take an extra six credits of biblical studies early in their graduate school careers. Unique courses include Jesus and the kingdom among us and C.S. Lewis and literature of faith.

ASOT offers an online master’s in divinity (M.Div.) to help prepare both clergy and lay people for Christian ministry in the church and community. Grounded in the African American religious tradition, ASOT’s master's in divinity allows online students complete the 90-credit M.Div. program without ever attending class at the school’s campus in Durham, NC.

Students in the program are not required to undertake a thesis or final project for graduation. They do, however, study biblical languages and complete three credits of field education. Coursework includes the passion narratives in the gospels, women in ministry, church administration, the church and elder care, and the soul of black worship. Students may transfer up to 30 graduate credits into the M.Div. program.

The nation’s largest non-profit, private university, Liberty offers a fully online master of arts pastoral counseling - theology degree with optional intensive courses on the Lynchburg, VA campus. To earn their master’s in theology online, students complete 24 credits of core courses in pastoral counseling such as marriage & family counseling and spiritual formation in counseling. Students then take 12 credits of theology courses, including systematic theology and the doctrine of God. The program concludes with a three-credit internship.

Clergy, lay pastors, and others who have a bachelor’s degree with a 2.0 GPA can enter the program. Students who have earned up to 50% of this 36-credit hour master’s degree from another accredited university can transfer their credits in. Graduates may meet the qualifications to become military chaplains, but the program does not satisfy state licensure requirements.

Teaching from a dispensational, fundamental Baptist perspective, Maranatha Baptist University’s seminary offers its master of divinity (M.Div) and master of biblical studies (MBS) degrees through distance education. To complete the 96-credit M.Div. or the 34-credit MBS, students can enroll in a hybrid of online courses, available asynchronously, and virtual courses, offered at specific times. The school also conducts modular classes through a church-site program and on its Watertown, WI campus.

Maranatha’s online master’s degrees in theology-related disciplines require coursework in biblical languages, theology, biblical studies, and intercultural studies. Students can transfer in up to 48 credits of the M.Div. and 12 credits of the MBS. An advanced placement option can also help students reduce their time in the program. Only male applicants are admitted into the M.Div. program.

Dubbed “the Catholic university for independent thinkers,” UD students can earn a master of theological studies. Requiring 37 credits for graduation, UD’s online master's in theology allows students to consider pastoral and theological questions in an academic setting. Digital learners concentrate in biblical theology, Catholic secondary school teaching, or general theology. The 22 credits of core courses include, but are not limited to, moral theology, systematic theology, Old Testament, and New Testament.

For admission, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a 2.75 GPA or above. A maximum of nine graduate credits may transfer from another accredited school after approval by the dean. In lieu of concluding the program with a thesis or capstone project, students complete an annotated bibliography as evidence of theological preparation in a pastoral context.

A higher education institution in Nampa, ID affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, NNU offers an online master of arts in pastoral ministry to equip church leaders for vocational ministry. While the program is open to students from a variety of denominations, its graduates complete the academic requirements for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene.

For this master of arts in a theology-related discipline, online students take 28 months to complete 40 credits. During that time, students work with a pastoral mentor in their chosen ministry setting. Course topics draw from the fields of Christian education, theology, intercultural studies, pastoral leadership, preaching, Bible, and spiritual formation. Students can take advantage of NNU’s zero-interest monthly payment plan to help offset the program’s financial impact.

Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH moors itself to the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. Its master of arts in theology allows students to pursue their degree online with no residence obligation. This 36-credit program requires 10 foundational courses and two electives. Students must complete two background courses (the ecclesial nature and mission of theology and word of God: scripture and tradition) prior to beginning the program.

Students can begin their degrees in summer, fall, or spring semesters, each of which is 15 weeks long. Students can complete their degrees in as few as two or as many as seven years. Most classes are asynchronous, meaning digital learners can study on their own time. Franciscan’s online program costs about 75% of the on-campus program’s tuition.

Located in Winston-Salem, NC, PIU offers theology-related master’s degrees through online learning, modular coursework, and a church-site program. Students can earn a master of biblical studies (non-language) or a master of biblical studies (Ph.D. preparation) completely online, or they can complete the master’s in ministry through PIU’s unique e4-12 distance opportunity at their local church.

Students with a bachelor’s degree and a GPA of 2.75 or higher can seek admission to the biblical studies program. The ministry major requires a 2.0 GPA. Up to 50% of the programs’ requirements may transfer in. To graduate, students successfully pass a comprehensive examination. Biblical studies majors complete 57 credits and ministry majors must earn 30 credits. PIU takes a dispensational approach to theology in the classroom.

A Southern Baptist institution located in Graceville, FL, BCF educates pastors and other Christian leaders through its online master of arts in Christian studies. This 30-hour program is available with or without a thesis. Students pursuing the non-thesis option take an extra elective and a comprehensive exam.

Since the program is an online master’s in a theology-related discipline, students select from a variety of advanced courses in biblical studies, preaching, church history, and graduate research. The school also offers a course in contemporary studies of Southern Baptists and a history of Southern Baptist course, in keeping with its theological heritage. For admission, students must hold a bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.5 GPA and submit GRE or MAT scores.

Fordham University in New York City offers an online master’s in Christian spirituality. This 36-credit program prepares students for general Christian ministry or for work in spiritual direction. Underpinned by Catholic theology, the master’s program allows online students to take a research concentration or a generalist concentration. Fordham also offers a spiritual direction concentration, but it requires some on-campus coursework.

To complete the research program, students write a thesis and demonstrate ability in a second language. Those students completing the generalist program take a comprehensive exam in place of these requirements. Courses in all degree programs include Christian spirituality, Old Testament, New Testament, and discernment in Christian tradition.

ONU is a Church of the Nazarene-affiliated institution in the Village of Bourbonnais, IL. It blends a typical curriculum for a master of theology online with courses in practical ministry to create its master’s in pastoral leadership. This 36-credit program, offered entirely by distance education, serves pastors and Christian leaders with no previous graduate ministerial training. Students take two years to complete the series of required courses, culminating in the development of a ministry plan.

Classes in ONU’s pastoral ministry degree include visionary leadership, the pastoral leader as priest, and theology and ministry. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a 2.7 GPA or higher and have completed a series of prerequisite courses in theology, Bible, world religions, and philosophy. The program begins in January of each year.

Offering a master of divinity (M.Div.), a master of practical theology, and a master’s in theological studies (English) online, IWU in Marion, IN trains pastors, church staff members, and theologians. M.Div. students begin the program with 24 credits in intensive on-campus courses with their seminary cohort. The 75-credit M.Div. requires six six-hour courses that blend theory with practice in a local church setting.

The master’s in practical theology online takes 36 hours and serves as a bridge to a doctorate in ministry for students who do not have an M.Div. Practical theology students complete a capstone project.The 36-credit master’s in theological studies (English) provides ministerial training for second-career pastors, teachers, and church workers. A prior learning assessment or transfer credits may shorten the amount of time a student spends at IWU.

Located about 30 miles west of Minneapolis and affiliated with the Christian & Missionary Alliance, Crown College offers online theological education to future pastors and church professionals. Its 72-credit degree master of divinity blends biblical and theological studies with practical ministry coursework. Students can choose one of 10 concentration tracks, including community development, disaster and emergency management, pastoral leadership, spiritual formation, and international Christian education.

Crown’s M.Div. is a fully online program that students can complete in two and a half to four years. Crown’s transfer policy allows up to 48 credits to transfer into the program. Online students beginning their graduate education at Crown may qualify to receive another online master’s in a theology-related discipline (MA in Christian studies or MA in ministry leadership) along with their M.Div.

Regent University boasts an enrollment of more than 11,000 students on its home campus in Virginia Beach and through its online programs, such as the master of theological studies (MTS). This degree program allows online students to pursue a 48-credit master’s in theology, which prepares them for theological writing, research, and teacher training. The program can also serve as the foundation for a Ph.D. in theology.

The MTS is available in four concentrations: biblical studies, Christian theology, history of Christianity, and interdisciplinary studies. Courses include Christian ethics, New Testament, and theology of global religions. Students can conclude their program with a thesis or a comprehensive exam. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of a 2.75 GPA. Students can enroll eight times each year.

Affiliated with the non-denominational Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Johnson trains preachers and Christian leaders. Its online master’s in theology degrees include a master of arts in New Testament. A 24-credit core curriculum in New Testament and a 12-credit concentration make up this 36-credit degree. Concentration options include preaching, spiritual formation and leadership, research, and a customized concentration.

Applicants who do not have 27 undergraduate credits of Bible and theology must take two preparatory courses in Old and New Testament. Standard courses include world of the New Testament, Gospel of Matthew, and New Testament theology. While the degree can be completed entirely online, some courses require a one-week residence at Johnson’s Knoxville, TN campus. The program concludes with an honors thesis or a research project.

Dallas Baptist University's online master's degree in christian ministry prepares graduates to pursue their calling to serve God and their communities. The program includes concentrations in general ministry, counseling ministry, family ministry, education, nonprofit leadership, worship ministry, life coaching, ministry leadership, and urban ministry. Students complete 36 credits to graduate.

The master’s degree may be completed entirely online online, or as a hybrid model that includes both distance education and more traditional on-campus learning. Students receive the same high-quality instruction as their on-campus counterparts.

To apply, prospective students must hold a bachelor's degree and provide official transcripts from any accredited colleges or universities they previously attended. They also must submit two letters of recommendation and statement of purpose.

DBU is located in Dallas, TX, and receives regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.