Selecting the Right Major
With so many ATS programs to choose from, selecting the right major may seem a bit overwhelming at first glance. So here are some tips to point you in the right direction. Firstly, at the Associate’s level students will major in Biblical Studies. At the Bachelor’s level, there are two majors. Either program is suitable for pastors or church workers, and both lead to all other graduate majors at ATS.
At the Master’s level, there are four majors with eight fields of study. If you have strong desire to work with Biblical Languages, then you will be most interested in the Master of Biblical Studies in New Testament. If you are not interested in Biblical Languages, you will need to decide if you prefer a program with Christian and Biblical Counseling courses. If not, you will be most interested in the Master of Ministry in Biblical Exposition or the Master of Theology in Pastoral Theology program. If so, then you will need to decide if Christian Counseling is your primary calling. If so, then the Master of Ministry in Christian Counseling (with NCCA Licensure) is most definitely for you. If not, then either the Master of Ministry in Biblical Counseling or the Master of Ministry in Pastoral Leadership would be most suitable for you.
At the Doctorate level, there are two majors with six fields of study. If you have a strong desire to work with Biblical or Christian Counseling courses, the Doctor of Ministry in Christian Counseling (NCCA) or the Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling is for you. If you have a strong desire to work with the English text of the Bible, you will want to focus upon the Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Exposition or the Doctor of Theology in Biblical Counseling. For pastors that desire a combination of counseling and exposition, the Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Studies is an excellent choice.
