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Religion Accelerated Master of Arts

The Accelerated Master of Arts in Religion program allows undergraduate Christian Studies majors to begin work in the MA Religion program while completing their BA in Christian Studies degree. Qualified students may apply for admission to the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) in Religion during their junior year (or at the completion of 60 credit hours).

Students enrolled in this program can take up to 30% of graduate coursework towards the MA in Religion (9 hrs) while completing their undergraduate degree at GWU, provided that they earn a grade of B (3.0) or better in each graduate course and fulfill graduate-level requirements. Up to 9 hours of graduate courses will count in both the undergraduate and the graduate programs.

RELI 600 may be counted as an elective in the BA Christian Studies degree; RELI 600, RELI 605, RELI 630, RELI 640, RELI 650 and RELI 660 may be counted toward corresponding requirements in the BA Christian Studies degree. Only nine hours may be counted toward both the BA and MA degrees. Students wanting to take other graduate-level courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with the AMP advisor. All courses that lead to the completion of the MA degree must be approved by the Religious Studies and Philosophy Department Chair.

Application and Admission

Qualified Gardner-Webb University undergraduate students may apply for admission to the Accelerated Master’s Program in Religion.

Program-specific admission requirements for full acceptance into the Accelerated Master of Arts in Religion program are the following:

  1. Completed at least 60 credits (junior year status) with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0;
  2. Research Writing Sample;  
  3. Statement of Purpose  

Applicants for admission to the AMP Religion program with a concentration in Biblical Studies/ Languages will be required to demonstrate proficiency in Greek and Hebrew.

Students admitted to the AMP Religion program who achieve a 3.0 GPA or better in their graduate-level courses and maintain at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA will be granted seamless admission to the MA Religion program upon receiving their baccalaureate degree.

Degree Requirements for Accelerated Program

Students will apply for graduation to have the BA in Christian Studies degree conferred once all requirements for the undergraduate degree have been met. Once all requirements for the BA in Christian Studies degree have been met, students will be conferred the degree. To transition into the Master of Arts in Religion degree from the accelerated program, students must demonstrate conferral of the BA in Christian Studies degree from GWU with a 3.0 GPA or better in their graduate-level courses and at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA. If GPA requirements are not met, students may still apply for the Master of Arts in Religion program and their application will be reviewed by the graduate program coordinators for determination of admission.

Accelerated students transitioning into the Master of Arts in Religion program will be required to complete the full 30-hour program curriculum. Students will take 120 hours of undergraduate courses, and 30 hours of graduate coursework, of which 9 hours can be applied to the undergraduate degree.