Director, Associate Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership, Associate Professor Junias Venugopal
Our mission for this program is to "equip men and women with knowledge, spiritual understanding, and skills to lead in a culturally diverse world." The structure of the 36 credit hour degree is designed to give students analytical, practical, and theological tools for leadership in multiple contexts.
When our students graduate, we anticipate they will have become...
- Leaders who are able to fruitfully guide organizational strategy and manage change.
- Leaders who are able to develop themselves and diverse others.
- Leaders who are able to articulate and demonstrate the relationship of Christian mission and values with personal vocation.
- Leaders who are able to engage critically with leadership theory and practice.
Admission to the Leadership program is open both to those serving or preparing to work in both marketplace and ministry roles. Admission does not require a specific undergraduate major or a prescribed set of courses, but students are expected to have demonstrated leadership experience and possess proficiency in written and spoken English. Accelerated MA students can take classes Junior and Senior year that do not count towards their bachelor's degree but which will count towards the MA should they matriculate in the accelerated MA program.
Master of Arts in Leadership
Requirements consist of the successful completion of 36 credit hours:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | ||
| LEAD 557 | Foundations of Leadership in a Globalized World | 4 |
| LEAD 559 | Organizational and Change Leadership | 4 |
| LEAD 662 | Leading Multicultural Teams | 2 |
| MML 503 | Cultural Engagement | 2 |
| MML 512 | Leadership and Spiritual Formation | 4 |
| MML 513 | Theological and Systematic Foundation of the missio Dei | 4 |
| LEAD 652 | Strategic Management | 2 |
| Biblical and Theological Studies Requirement | 4 | |
| Select an approved 4-credit BITH course from the approved Category I list | ||
| Electives | 10 | |
Students should take at least one elective course (2 or 4 credits) from the LEAD designation and the remaining credits may be taken from available and accessible courses in the Wheaton College Graduate School. | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
As part of this 36-credit program, all graduate students are required to complete a theological studies requirement of 6 credit hours. For Leadership students, this consists of MML 513 Theological and Systematic Foundation of the missio Dei plus a 4-hour course from the approved Category I listing in the Graduate School section of this catalog.
Master of Arts in Leadership: Executive Ministry Concentration
Requirements consist of the successful completion of 36 credit hours:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Integration Courses | 12 | |
| Strategic Management | ||
| Foundations of Leadership in a Globalized World | ||
| Organizational and Change Leadership | ||
| Leading Multicultural Teams | ||
| Core Courses | 4 | |
| Leadership and Spiritual Formation | ||
| Theological Study Requirement (TSR) Courses | 4 | |
| Christian Theology | ||
or BITH 566 | Foundations for Biblical Interpretation | |
or BITH 578 | Global Church History | |
| Executive Ministry Concentration Courses | 12 | |
| Gospel: Theological Perspectives on Evangelism and Renewal | ||
| Church: Movements & Models | ||
| Culture: Emerging & Global | ||
| Elective Courses | 4 | |
| Choose 4 credits from the following list of courses | ||
| Apologetics in Global Contexts | ||
| Foundations of Organizational Structure: Finance, Operations, Governance, and Legal | ||
| Entrepreneurial Marketing | ||
| Introduction to Non-Profits | ||
| Leading Non-Profit Organizations | ||
| Character and Leadership | ||
| Biblical and Theological Foundations of Leadership | ||
| Theology of Work: Equipping God's People to Flourish in their Calling | ||
| Mental Health and the Leader | ||
| The Best and Worst of Christian History: Key Insights for Today's Leaders | ||
| Special Topics in Leadership | ||
| Special Topics in Leadership | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Internship | ||
| Preaching | ||
| Congregational Leadership: Worship, Discipleship, and Care | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
As part of this 36-credit program, all graduate students are required to complete a theological studies requirement of 6 credit hours. For M.A. in Leadership - Executive Ministry Concentration students, this consists of EVAN 526 plus a 4-hour course from the approved Category I listing in the Graduate School section of this catalog.
Master of Arts in Leadership: Managing Non-Profits Concentration
Requirements consist of the successful completion of 36 credit hours:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Integration Courses | 12 | |
| Strategic Management | ||
| Foundations of Leadership in a Globalized World | ||
| Organizational and Change Leadership | ||
| Leading Multicultural Teams | ||
| Core Courses | 10 | |
| Cultural Engagement | ||
| Leadership and Spiritual Formation | ||
| Theological and Systematic Foundation of the missio Dei | ||
| Theological Study Requirement (TSR) Courses | 4 | |
| Christian Theology | ||
or BITH 566 | Foundations for Biblical Interpretation | |
or BITH 578 | Global Church History | |
| Non-Profits Concentration Courses | 8 | |
| Foundations of Organizational Structure: Finance, Operations, Governance, and Legal | ||
| Entrepreneurial Marketing | ||
| Leading Non-Profit Organizations | ||
| Elective Courses | 2 | |
| Choose 2 credits from the following list of courses | ||
| Character and Leadership | ||
| Theology of Work: Equipping God's People to Flourish in their Calling | ||
| Mental Health and the Leader | ||
| The Best and Worst of Christian History: Key Insights for Today's Leaders | ||
| Special Topics in Leadership | ||
| Special Topics in Leadership | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Internship | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Master of Arts in Leadership: Outdoor Ministry Concentration
Requirements consist of the successful completion of 36 credit hours:
The purpose of the Master of Arts degree in Leadership Concentration in Outdoor Ministries is to equip outdoor ministry professionals as an academically grounded, spiritually maturing, and practically skilled leaders who are able to lead in their organizations in culturally savvy ways for Christ and His Kingdom. This concentration is specifically designed for those called to provide leadership in the outdoor ministry field in a variety of contexts including camps, colleges, churches, non-profits, or for-profit organizations. It integrates core courses on the theology and practice of outdoor related ministry with core courses in Christ-centered leadership.
This Master of Arts degree in Leadership concentration in Outdoor Ministry is directed through HoneyRock, Wheaton College's Center for Leadership Development in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Since 1951, HoneyRock has operated as an experiential leadership development laboratory that integrates leadership of camp programs with liberal arts training and coursework to develop leaders for Christ's church worldwide. HoneyRock operates as a fully functioning camp year-round, providing a variety of youth and undergraduate programs as the context for graduate student learning. Our faculty are fully engaged practitioner-scholars, simultaneously leading an outdoor adventure-based ministry while they study and teach in the field.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MML 512 | Leadership and Spiritual Formation | 4 |
| MML 503 | Cultural Engagement | 2 |
| LEAD 652 | Strategic Management | 2 |
| LEAD 662 | Leading Multicultural Teams | 2 |
| OAL 663 | Organizational Leadership and Staff Development in Outdoor Ministry | 4 |
| OAL 549 | Program Philosophy and Planning | 4 |
| OAL 662 | Theology and Practice of Outdoor Ministry | 4 |
| OAL 682 | Integrative Seminar | 2 |
| Biblical and Theological Studies Requirements | ||
| Select an approved 4-credit BITH course from the approved Category I List (BITH 565, BITH 566, BITH 578) | 4 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 8 credits from one of the OAL specialization, any Leadership courses, or available and accessible courses in the Wheaton College Graduate School or at another college (with approval of OAL faculty). | 8 | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Master of Arts in Leadership: Residential Track
Requirements consist of the successful completion of 36 credit hours plus labs:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | ||
| MML 503 | Cultural Engagement | 2 |
| MML 503L | Cultural Engagement Lab | 0 |
| MML 512 | Leadership and Spiritual Formation | 4 |
| MML 512L | Leadership and Spiritual Formation Lab | 0 |
| MML 513 | Theological and Systematic Foundation of the missio Dei | 4 |
| MML 513L | Theological and Systematic Foundations of the missio Dei Lab | 0 |
| LEAD 557 | Foundations of Leadership in a Globalized World | 4 |
| LEAD 557L | Foundations of Leadership in a Globalized World Lab | 0 |
| LEAD 652 | Strategic Management | 2 |
| LEAD 652L | Strategic Management Lab | 0 |
| LEAD 559 | Organizational and Change Leadership | 4 |
| LEAD 559L | Organizational and Change Leadership Lab | 0 |
| LEAD 662 | Leading Multicultural Teams | 2 |
| LEAD 662L | Leading Multicultural Teams Lab | 0 |
| Biblical and Theological Studies Requirement | 4 | |
| Select an approved 4-credit BITH course from the approved Category I list | ||
| Electives | 10 | |
Students should take at least one elective course (2 or 4 credits) from the LEAD designation and the remaining credits may be taken from available and accessible courses in the Wheaton College Graduate School. | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
As part of this 36-credit program, all graduate students are required to complete a theological studies requirement of 6 credit hours. For Global Leadership students, this consists of MML 513 Theological and Systematic Foundation of the missio Dei plus a 4-hour course from the approved Category I listing in the Graduate School section of this catalog.