Master of Arts in Apologetics (MAA)

The MAA focuses on integrating imaginative and rational defense of the faith, studying a range of issues in theology, philosophy, and the humanities in order to analyze and engage with culture at both the intellectual and popular level (including creative work). Students have the option to fully customize their degree with electives from the entire university, ensuring that they are fully trained for any apologetic ministry they’re passionate about.

Listen to Dr. Michael Ward explain the “rich mix” of rational and imaginative integration.

Online and Residential Degree Options

The MAA has both a residential (Houston) and an online option.  The online program is 100% online with no residency requirement. It has the same curriculum as the residential program and features the same small, seminar-style classes with our excellent faculty. UK students in the online program have the additional benefit of having Dr. Michael Ward, who is based in Oxford, as their faculty advisor.

Advantages and Opportunities

Students in the MAA program will benefit from small classes with faculty committed to excellence in both teaching and scholarship.

The program is committed to mentoring graduate students and developing the program as a spiritually strengthening experience, not a mere intellectual exercise.  It includes a strong component of coursework in writing at both the popular and academic level, designed to help students achieve excellence in engagement with the larger community through conferences, faculty scholarship, cultural and arts programs.

The degree includes a thesis option and provides the academic foundation for further study at the PhD level, as well as for further academic work in philosophy, theology, or the humanities.

Graduates of the MAA program will be equipped for a variety of opportunities. The MAA can provide the educational framework needed for parachurch ministries like Ratio Christi or teaching opportunities at a classical or Christian school. It can provide further training for ministers and professionals in any capacity that requires meeting unbiblical assumptions with Christian truth. In addition, graduates may choose to pursue further education at the PhD level.

Classes in the Apologetics Degree

The Master of Arts in Apologetics (MAA) trains defenders of the faith who are culturally engaged and intellectually robust. The degree provides an interdisciplinary education from a ‘mere Christian’ approach, in the Great Books tradition. Seminar-style classes emphasize the reading of primary texts, extensive writing, and thoughtful discussion. The MAA’s curriculum comprises 36 hours of coursework (typically 12 courses). 

Though courses can be taken in any order, students should optimally begin their degree with the Research & Writing course as an introduction to graduate study, followed by Frameworks & Issues, which applies various apologetic methodologies to a rotating slate of contemporary topics. C.S. Lewis & Imaginative Apologetics introduces students to HCU’s distinctive method, which leverages literature, art, and pop culture to answer the heart-level needs of non-believers. The series of courses focused on Ancient, Medieval, and Modern/Postmodern Philosophy & Culture combine primary sources in the 2000-year history of apologetics with secondary literature responding to common objections about different periods in church history. Our course in Scripture & Apologetics Implications trains students in proper hermeneutics and biblical interpretation in order to respond to challenges to the Bible. 

Students must also take at least one course in a philosophical issue like the existence of God, the problem of evil, or science and faith, and at least one course in graduate level theology or biblical studies. Three elective slots allow for greater customization in a subdiscipline of apologetics. The Thesis option allows preparation for doctoral work or space to pursue a large research topic of personal interest.

Review degree plan

Cost

See the Graduate Tuition Calculator. More details are available through the Graduate School. View the scholarships available.

Faculty

Austin Freeman, PhD, Department Chair
Mike Licona, PhD
Nancy Pearcey, MA
Michael Ward, PhD
Melissa Cain Travis, PhD
Philip Tallon, PhD
Holly Ordway, PhD (Visiting Professor)

Students will also benefit from classes taught by faculty from the Departments of Theology and Philosophy.

Application Requirements

• View the Application Requirements for this program.
• Apply Online Now!

Contact the Graduate School with questions.

Leveling Reading List

Because students in our Apologetics MA program come from a range of backgrounds, the faculty has developed the following suggested readings as preparation for the study you’ll do in our program. These are not required to be admitted, but students may find them helpful as a way to build a foundation for the classes they will be enrolled in.

Introductory

Tactics by Greg Koukl (Foundational)
Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey (Cultural/Scientific)
Apologetics and the Christian Imagination by Holly Ordway (Cultural)
On Guard by William Lane Craig (Philosophical)
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi (Comparative Religions)
Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace (Historical/Biblical)

Intermediate

The Morals of the Story by David and Marybeth Baggett (Moral)
The End of Apologetics by Myron Penner (Foundational)
Cultural Apologetics by Paul Gould (Cultural)
Can We Still Trust the Bible? by Craig Blomberg (Historical/Biblical)
The Return of the God Hypothesis by Steven Meyer (Scientific)
Metaphysics by William Hasker (Foundational/Philosophical)