Master of Arts in Religion – NextGen Ministry

What Will You Learn in Our Master of Arts in Religion Degree?

With Liberty’s M.A.R. program, you will gain extensive, well-rounded training in discipleship ministries, apologetics, theology, and biblical studies. By choosing to specialize in next-generation ministry, you will have 12-credit hours focused on the leadership of children, adolescents, and their families for effective and fruitful ministry for decades to come.

You will also gain insight into the issues and trends of ministering to younger people. With the growing need for churches to broaden their reach to people from birth through young adulthood, our program provides vital ministry training to prepare you to meet that need.

 You will also learn how to:

• Expound on the origin and contents of the Bible.
• Defend the theological and historical foundations of the Christian faith.
• Compose a discipleship ministry strategy for Christian ministries.
• Create plans for personal growth, development, and service.

Career Opportunities for NextGen M.A.R. Graduates

• Associate pastor
• Christian camp leader
• Christian educator
• Christian nonprofit manager
• Lead pastor
• Missionary

Highlights of Our NextGen Ministry Degree

As a leader in distance education since 1985, we understand what it takes to create a flexible and affordable education for busy people. Since we have been investing in distance and online learning for decades, our experience has taught us how to streamline our degree options so you can focus on what really matters to you. While many schools offer online degrees, we believe Liberty stands out.

Here’s what sets us apart:

• We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility. Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America. Earning your online religion degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
• Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity has been accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your divinity degree has been approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
• Your ministry matters – so when you take 9-15 credit hours per semester in your divinity program, you’ll pay a discounted block rate of $2,750. It’s our way of supporting all you do to serve others.
• Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
• Electronic textbooks are provided for many divinity courses* all for one convenient fee. To continue our mission of providing affordable education, this fee is waived for students who enroll by Summer 2024 D-term.
• Complete this online Master of Arts in Religion in as little as 2 years!
• Develop practical ministry skills that will help you ensure that individuals and families in your ministry are connected and growing in the church.

*Electronic textbooks are not provided for courses that fall under departments outside the School of Divinity.

Military Benefits

Service is important to us, so whether you’re currently serving in the Armed Forces, have served, or are married to someone who serves, we’re here to serve you. Liberty’s military benefits are available to:

• Active duty service members of the U.S. Armed Forces
• Reserve/National Guard
• Veterans/retirees
• Spouses of service members and veterans/retirees
• Current Department of Defense employees

We are proud to support you in your pursuit of a flexible and affordable online education by offering you the following benefits: 

• Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
• Discounted divinity block rate: $2,475 per semester – only $165/credit at 15 credit hours*
• Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)

*Credits taken above 15 credit hours for the online Master of Arts in Religion are charged at the part-time rate.