History of Christianity, M.A.

The History of Christianity M.A. program (44 hrs) equips students at Wheaton's Litfin Divinity School through flexible course offerings to study the contours of Christian history that reach across two millennia and around the globe. Through course curriculum and mentoring, students will undertake rigorous and critical study of the history of Christianity as it interacted with Scripture, theology, philosophy, society, culture, politics, economics, gender, race, world religions, and culture. 

Core courses provide each student with a foundation in Bible, Christian Theology, Global Church History, and World Religions. Students also receive training in Historiography and Reformation Studies. Over the course of the program, students are trained for advanced historical study through seminars that range from Early Christianity to Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern Christianity. The option of an MA Thesis or an independent study is also a possibility depending on a student’s abilities and commitments.

In addition to the pursuit of academic excellence, skills for service to the church and society worldwide are fostered through the integration of faith and learning in the classroom. Those who excel in the program translate their skills for professions in education, journalism, publishing, ministry, library science, and more. This program also prepares students who excel to pursue doctoral studies in the fields of church history, historical theology, or history.

Program Director, Franklin S. Dyrness Professor in Biblical and Theological Studies, Jennifer Powell McNutt
Professor of Theology, Marc Cortez
Carolyn and Fred McManis Professor of Christian Thought, Professor of History, Timothy Larsen
Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology, Daniel Treier
Adjunct Professors, James Arcadi, Jeremy Lundgren

The History of Christianity M.A. requires 44 hours:

¹ Another 4 credits of BITH 677 (one course) can be taken instead of BITH 679 to fulfill this requirement.