The J. Dalton Havard School provides students with the opportunity to complete the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), the Master of Arts in Christian Education (M.A.C.E.), the Master of Arts in Lay Ministry (M.A.L.M.), and the Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.Th.) in their entirety at the Houston campus.
The Southwestern M.Div. prepares students for the broadest range of Christian ministries. Students receive training in classical theological disciplines such as Old Testament, New Testament, church history and historical theology, systematic theology, ethics, and philosophy, as well as applied disciplines such as pastoral ministry, preaching, evangelism, and missions. In addition, students may use elective hours to pursue concentrations in any school at Southwestern in accordance with their ministry goals and academic interests. The M.Div. is the only approved first master's degree for a student preparing for a pastoral or preaching ministry, as well as any other ministry largely comprised of biblical teaching.
The following M.Div. concentrations may be completed in their entirety at the Houston campus:
Biblical Theology
Chaplaincy
Christian Apologetics
Christian Ethics
Church History and Historical Theology
Old Testament Exegesis and Exposition
Pastoral Leadership
Philosophy of Religion
Preaching
Student Ministry
Teaching
Theology
Women's Ministry
For a list of the requirements for the above-mentioned concentrations, please consult the M.Div. Concentrations catalog pages in the School of Theology section. Additional M.Div. concentrations may also be pursued in collaboration with the School of Theology in Fort Worth.
The M.A.C.E. is primarily for those persons preparing for Christian educational ministry in a church setting. It is a 64-hour program with 26 hours of theological studies. Elective hours may be taken in any of several concentration areas.
The following M.A.C.E. concentrations may be completed in their entirety at the Houston campus:
Administration
Student Ministry
Teaching
Women's Ministry
For a list of the requirements for the above-mentioned concentrations, please consult the M.A.C.E. Concentrations catalog pages in the School of Educational Ministries section. Additional M.A.C.E. concentrations may also be pursued in collaboration with the School of Educational Ministries in Fort Worth.
The M.A.L.M provides theological education for lay people, equipping them for competent lay ministry to the church and community. Since the M.A. in Lay Ministry degree does not adequately prepare students for any aspect of vocational ministry, those who sense God’s leadership into vocational ministry should normally enroll in the Master of Divinity.
The M.A.Th. is a graduate level degree offering advanced work in the classical theological disciplines. The degree prepares students to pursue an academic ministry in one of these disciplines. Since the degree does not include courses outside of the classical theological disciplines, those called to local church ministry should pursue the Master of Divinity.
The student must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0. The student’s undergraduate degree must include courses in the following subject areas:
| Biblical Hermeneutics | 3 |
| Survey of the Old Testament* | 3 or more |
| Survey of the New Testament* | 3 or more |
| Greek or Hebrew (two years of one language) | 12 |
| Survey of Systematic Theology* | 3 or more |
| Survey of Church History* | 3 or more |
| Philosophy of Religion | 3 or more |
| Total | 30 or more |
* Undergraduate survey courses must cover the entire subject (for example, all of the Old Testament) in at least three hours. Admitted students who have not satisfied the prerequisites must do so at the beginning of the program. The prerequisites may be fulfilled by taking bachelors-level courses in the Southwestern College program or masters-level courses in the Seminary program. Typically masters-level surveys require two courses each (for a total of six hours per survey).
Concentrations in Biblical Theology, Christian Apologetics, Christian Ethics, Church History and Historical Theology, New Testament Exegesis and Exposition, Old Testament Exegesis and Exposition, Philosophy of Religion, and Theology are available on the Houston Campus. The specific course requirements for each concentration are given in the M.Div concentration section.