The Master of Christian Studies has proven to be an ideal degree for church leaders ready to take their knowledge of the Bible and their preparation for ministry to the next level. Scores of church staff members and dedicated lay persons have benefitted from new insights gained from their experiences in this “Master of Divinity core curriculum equivalent” program.  

The MCS has served students well since it was launched in 2005 on the main campus in Jackson, Tennessee, and now also in the Memphis and Nashville areas. We are pleased to announce that in order to achieve greater flexibility, the pathway to the degree has been revised. Previously, the MCS consisted of 14 courses of 3 hours each, with no electives, for a total of 42 hours for the degree.

This past spring, the faculty of the School of Theology and Missions faculty revised the plan of study so that it now consists of 11 courses of 3 hours each, for a total of 33 hours for the degree. However, we are retaining 3 former required courses, which are now electives, in the curriculum. These will continue to be offered in our curriculum plan, but will now be marked as electives.

The good news is that students completing these 3 elective courses in addition to the required 11 courses will receive a special ministry studies track acknowlegement.  We urge all students to consider the benefit of acquiring this additional education. In a sense, this is like adding a minor to an undergraduate degree program.

The 11 required courses for the Master of Christian Studies are as follows:

       CLASSIC STUDIES:                                                 PRACTICAL STUDIES:

MCS 500 and MCS 505: Old Testament 1 and 2                 MCS 520: Bible Study for Preaching and Teaching
MCS 510 and MCS 515: New Testament 1 and 2                MCS 537: Introduction to Christian Ethics

MCS 530 and 531: Church History 1 and 2                         MCS 538: Christian Leadership

MCS 545 and MCS 546: Theology 1 and 2

The 3 elective courses that now comprise the ministry studies acknowledgement:

MCS 535: Communicating Biblical Truth
MCS 536: Evangelism and Missions
MCS 539: The Ministry of Biblical Counsel

To view official Master of Christian Studies information,  click here
For a link to information about the Stephen Olford Center, click here
To view information about the Stephen Olford Center and Union University partnership, click here
For policy on purchace of textbooks, click here.
To view the MCS projected course schedule for the Stephen Olford Center please scroll down.

Click for Template for Papers
 

2013-14 Academic Year (Tentative Schedule)

TUESDAY EVENING COURSES	THURSDAY EVENING COURSES
MCS 505 - Old Testament 2 August 20 - October 8, 2013 Dr. Kelvin Moore	MCS 530 - Church History 1 August 22 - October 3, 2013 (plus Wed., 9/11/13) Dr. James Patterson
MCS 536 - Evangelism and Missions (CML or elective)* October - December 2013 Dr. David Olford	MCS 531 - Church History 2 October - December 2013 Dr. Frank Anderson
MCS 539 - Intro to Biblical Counseling  (CML or elective)* Tuesdays and Thursdays, January 2014 Dr. Matt Smith	MCS 545 - Theology 1 Tuesdays and Thursdays, January 2014 Dr. Ken Easley
MCS 510 -  New Testament 1 February - March 2014 Dr. Ken Easley	MCS 546 - Theology 2 February - March 2014 Dr. Aaron O'Kelley
MCS 515 - New Testament 2 April - May 2014 Dr. Ken Easley	MCS 500 - Old Testament 1 April - May 2014 TBA
MCS 535 - Communicating Biblical Truth (CML or elective)* June - July 2014 Dr. David Olford	MCS 520 - Bible Study for Preaching and Teaching June - July 2014 TBA

*Courses marked "CML or elective" above are required for students who choose the 42-hour track that includes the "Certificate in Ministry Leadership."
These courses are optional for students who choose the 33-hour track. See Union University's graduate catalogue for details.

MCS 538, Introduction to Christian Leadership, taught by Dr. Gary Peil, June 4 - July 23, 2013.
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 537, Introduction to Christian Ethics, taught by Dr. Roger Duke, June 6 - July 25, 2013.
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 520, Bible Study for Preaching and Teaching, taught by Dr. Ken Easley,April 2 - May 14, 2013,
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 535, Communicating Biblical Truth, taught by Dr. David Olford, April 4 - May 16, 2013,
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 500, Old Testament 1, taught by Dr. Jason HoodJanuary 29 - March 19, 2013.
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 515, New Testament 2, taught by Dr. Aaron O'Kelley, January 31 - March 21, 2013.
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 546, Theology 2, taught by Dr. Ken Easley, January 2-24, 2013.
 For syllabus, click here.

MCS 510, New Testament 1, taught by Dr. David Olford, January 2-24, 2013.
 For syllabus click here.

MCS 545, Thelogy 1, taught by Dr. Ken Easley, October 16 - December 11, 2012.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 539, Intro to Biblical Counseling, taught by Dr. Matt Smith, October 18 - December 13, 2012.
For syllabus click here. For book list click here. For book critique guidelines click here.

MCS 531, Church History 2, taught by Dr. Frank Anderson, August 21 - October 9, 2012.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 536, Evangelism & Missions, taught by Dr. David Olford, August 23 - October 4, 2012.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 530, Church History 1, taught by Dr. Jim Patterson, June 5 - July 24, 2012.
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 505, Old Testament 2, taubht by Dr. Jason Hood,  June 7 - July 26, 2012.
For syllabus, click here

MCS 537, Introduction to Christian Ethics, taught by Dr. Roger Duke, 03.27.2012 - 05.15.2012.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 538, Intro to Christian Leadership, taught by Dr. Gary Peil, 03.29.2012 - 05.17.2012.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 535, Communicating Biblical Truth, taught by Dr. David Olford, 01.31.2012 - 03.13.2012.
 For syllabus click here.

MCS 520, Bible Study for Preaching and Teaching, taught by Dr. Ken Easley, 02.02.2012 - 03.15.2012
For syllabus click here.

MCS 515, New Testament 2, taught by Dr. Ken Easley, 01.03-26.2012.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 500, Old Testament 1, taught by Dr. Jason Hood, 01.03-26.2012.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 510, New Testament 1, taught by Dr. David Olford, Tuesdays, 10.18.2011-12.6.2011.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 546, Theology 2, Thursdays, taught by Dr. Aaron O'Kelley, 10.20.2011-10.8.2011.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 539, Ministry of Biblical Counsel, taught by Dr. Matt Smith, 8.23.2011-10.11.2011.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 545, Theology 1, taught by Dr. Ken Easley, 8.25.2011-10.6.2011.
For syllabus click here.

MCS 536, Evangelism and Missions, by Dr. David Olford, June 7 - July 26, 2011.
For syllabus, click here.

MCS 537, Church History 2, taught by Dr. Frank Anderson, June 9 - July 28, 2011.
For syllabus, click here.

Old Testament 2,  taught by Dr. Ken Easley, Tuesdays, March 29 - May 17, 2011.
For syllabus, click here.

Church History 1, taught by Dr. Jim Patterson, Thursdays, March 31 - May 19, 2011.
For syllabus, click here.

Intro to Christian Leadership, taught by Dr. Gary Peil, Feb 1, 2011, through March 15, 2011.
For syllabus, click here.

Intro to Christian Ethics, taught by Dr. Roger Duke, Feb 3, 2011, through March 17, 2011.
For syllabus , click here.

Bible Study for Preaching/Teaching,  taught by Dr. Aaron O'Kelley , January 4-27, 2011.
 For syllabus, click here.

Communicating Biblical Truth, taught by Dr. David Olford, January 4-27, 2011.
For syllabus, click here.