African American Worship Studies

Total Credit Hours

36

Program Length

18 months

Mode

100 percent online

Additional Information

Optional in-person intensives

Although the program is 100 percent online, students have the choice of intermittently attending three in-person intensive courses at Trevecca’s main Nashville campus while working toward their degree. This offers both the opportunity to experience face-to-face interaction and connection with other classmates. These same three courses will also be offered in an online format if students choose to earn their degree fully online. 

Primary objective

The purpose of this program is to equip worship practitioners already serving as musicians in African American churches in the areas of spiritual formation, discipleship, ministry application, team building, personal disciplines, theology and leadership principles. We seek to prepare students to engage in the following ways upon graduation:

• Articulate a worship philosophy and ministry strategy for the African American worship community based of biblical, theological foundations of worship
• Synthesize principles of critical contextualization applicable to current issues confronting worship leaders in the African American tradition
• Develop literature and research methodologies applicable to worship professionals in the African American worship tradition
• Evaluate ministry needs 
• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of a balanced worship ministry

The e-portfolio

As part of the curriculum, students will develop a cumulative e-portfolio that can be used in future ministry opportunities such as applying for a new position or teaching. The portfolio will include sample work from each course. It is designed to give prospective employers a greater understanding of the student’s abilities as it will showcase the individual’s collective best academic work in worship.

This program is fully online with options for face-to-face engagement if desired.

For more than a decade, Trevecca has offered fully online academic programs that allow students to earn their degree in a format that works for them. We understand life is busy and you may not have time to attend classes on campus. Whether you’re a working adult or simply live outside Nashville, we make it easy to focus on one class at a time, any time—24/7. 

At the same time, we recognize some students value a face-to-face educational experience. Through three courses offered on-campus, you can gain opportunities for growth and learning alongside your colleagues, professors and classmates. Aside from these face-to-face options, all classes are taught online with books and materials delivered to your front door. Online students also benefit from a cohort model, where students begin and complete their degree alongside a group of other online classmates working toward similar goals. 

With our digital programs, you can expect the same level of quality and rigor that Trevecca has provided students since its inception in 1901. Trevecca is committed to holistic education, encouraging students to grow intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Trevecca as a doctoral university, ranking it among the top 7 percent of schools nationwide. Regionally, the Nashville Business Journal has named Trevecca as the fastest-growing university in Middle Tennessee for the past five years.

At Trevecca, we want to help you grow in your calling. The Master of Arts in African American worship studies is designed to equip you to serve in multiple ministry roles. The program is also a great fit for those desiring to teach at an undergraduate level. Possible ministry paths include:

• Worship pastor
• Administrative or associate pastor
• Children or student ministry director
• Multimedia church pastor
• Student worship pastor 
• High school music director
• Parachurch worship ministry director or staff member
• College instructor/professor

How much will it cost?

How am I going to pay for it?

1. Federal loans and grants are available to all eligible students who complete a FAFSA.
2. Employer tuition reimbursement opportunities are also an option. 
3. Monthly payments through Trevecca make fulfilling tuition requirements more manageable.
4. Trevecca accepts military benefits such as Yellow Ribbon and GI Bills.

How do I qualify?

• Fill out your FAFSA. Based on your income, you will know how much federal financial aid you are eligible to receive.
• Talk to your employer about tuition reimbursement opportunities.
• For military benefits, contact the Academic Records Office at 615.248.1268.

Getting Started

1. Complete the online application (it's free!). No GRE or GMAT scores required
   Need help applying? Read the step-by-step instructions here!
2. Fill out FAFSA to be considered for financial aid
3. Request official transcripts from your undergraduate institution

Admissions Requirements

• Have earned a bachelor's degree from an institution accredited by a CHEA-recognized regional accrediting agency or the Association for Biblical Higher Education. Students who do not meet these degree requirements may be conditionally accepted in accordance with the Conditional Admission Policy
• 2.5 cumulative minimum GPA for all prior coursework
• Provide a photocopy of government-issued identification (e.g., driver's license, state ID, military ID, passport). This requirement ensures that Trevecca complies with the U.S. Department of Education expectations for student verification. 

Not sure if you meet the admissions requirements? We’re here to help! Fill out the form to be connected with an enrollment counselor who will walk you through every step of the admissions process.

Transfer credit

The number of transfer credit hours allowed is determined by the degree program requirements and is considered on a case-by-case basis. Transfer credit will be carefully evaluated by the program director/coordinator or advisor/appointee. Transferability will be based on specific criteria:

• The course is no more than 10 years old
•  The course is relevant to the degree program
• The course was taken for graduate credit from a regionally accredited institution
•  A minimum grade of a B was earned in the course
• The applicant meets all entrance requirements for the program

Permission to take courses at other institutions while working on a graduate degree at Trevecca must be obtained from the dean of the school offering the program or the dean’s designee. Students can transfer a maximum of six credit hours.

Not sure if the Master of Arts in African American worship studies is the right fit for you? Consider these programs:

Master of Arts in church and community 

The Master of Arts in church and community is a fully online program designed to offer a specific type of ministerial preparation not readily found elsewhere. This program uses a local congregation approach to community healing. Churches, to be true to the narrative of the people of God, must engage the places to which they have been sent. This degree prepares students to help congregations begin to engage actual neighborhoods, working for the peace of the place right in front of them. 

Students will train to lead congregations and ministries within diverse communities and learn to respond uniquely to community issues like racism, immigration, generational poverty and changing neighborhoods. They will learn how to study their neighborhoods, how to engage in successful intercultural work in changing neighborhoods, and how to lead people toward reconciliation.

With spiritual formation woven into every course, the program seeks to create faith-filled servant leaders who will be prepared to lead in roles such as a community leader, director of outreach ministry, executive director of a nonprofit organization or inner-city church pastor. 

This program is ideal for students who:

• are interested in compassionate ministries, urban ministries, rural communities or rapidly changing multicultural communities
• are involved in community development or nonprofit ministry that is attached to churches
• are practitioners who have found help through the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)
• have a personal passion to see churches involved in bringing underserved communities to a place where they’re flourishing 
• urban pastors of large churches, rural pastors of small churches and lay persons in service and outreach ministries—all church and ministry leaders who want more focused training on church and community issues

Master of Arts in worship and leadership 

Theological training, leadership strengthening and congregational shepherding are at the core of the fully online Master of Arts in worship and leadership degree. 

Students explore key questions, such as:

• What does it look like to excel in music ministry today? 
• How can worship leaders foster community and spiritual health among their worship teams and congregations? 
• How can the act of worship allow for healthy lament, praise and adoration? 
• In what ways can worship bring renewal?

The curriculum integrates a study of worship with coursework from our respected master’s program in organizational leadership. Students deepen their understanding of theology while also improving their leadership capabilities.

Graduates develop an e-portfolio curated throughout the program that can be used when applying for a new ministry position. The degree also equips students with the academic credentials needed to teach worship and/or leadership at the undergraduate level. Or, students can become qualified to serve in an executive pastor role.

Master of Arts in theology and biblical studies

The Master of Arts in theology and biblical studies is another fully online degree that offers students an exploration of foundational, timeless and transformative truths in a contemporary context. While guiding students through up-to-date research and commentary, the program also challenges them to apply emerging methods of theological and biblical study to some of the most critical issues of our time, including:

• Human relationships
• How theology can inform our engagement with a quickly-diversifying culture
• The ever-increasing capacities for technology to reshape how we think and use our imaginations
• How our beliefs should cause us to approach topics such as gender, economics, race, and creation care
• The question of what it means to live faithfully in community with other Christians and how theology should impact all parts of life, from our smallest daily interactions to service in ministry

As part of the program, students will also spend significant time studying what it means to live out theological truths as they relate to race, culture, hospitality and a sense of place.

Coursework is designed to be impactful on multiple levels. The aim is for students to experience much more than just gaining head knowledge, but instead to draw together their context, academic content and their experience of formation to ask, “How does this shape who I am, and the way I engage the world?”

This degree provides an excellent enrichment opportunity for those who are currently serving in ministry, as well as offering preparation for individuals who desire to become pastors, chaplains, educators, nonprofit directors or take on any role in full-time or part-time ministry. It’s also a wonderful option for lay people who seek to gain a foundation in biblical and theological studies, or for anyone personally interested in learning more about Scripture.

Master of Arts in worship and business management 

The fully online Master of Arts in worship and business management gives students practical training in worship, while also equipping them to bring business expertise to the roles they serve in churches, church plants, parachurch ministries, Christian schools or nonprofit organizations. 

Worship pastors—or those who oversee other worship initiatives—are often additionally tasked with responsibilities that require business acumen and administration of finances, budgeting and accounting. The Master of Arts in worship and business management specifically prepares students called to worship ministry with additional business management skills, so that they are ready to work bivocationally or assume multiple roles, including worship pastor, administrative pastor, business manager or operations manager.

Creative, innovative, yet highly relevant to churches and ministries today, this degree features a complete and balanced educational experience in both disciplines. Graduates will finish the program with a unique skill set that includes both congregational shepherding and strong business management.