College of Theology Changes Its Program

The College of Theology and Christian Ministry has consolidated its major selections from nine to four.

As part of a curriculum revision that launched in August, the class of 2029 is the first graduating class to see the changes. The new majors in the department are Bible & Theology, Christian Leadership, Faith & Social Justice and Worship & the Arts.

While maintaining the college’s existing courses, the new programs introduce a more flexible, streamlined curriculum that eliminates former prerequisites and structured pathways.

“I’m excited for students to be able to have the flexibility to take classes that interest them. I know a lot of former students who have struggled with… having to take a class because it was required,” said Andy Watts, the academic coordinator and chair at the College of Theology and Christian Ministry.

Internships are also required across all new major titles to ensure students graduate with practical, hands-on experience in a religious setting.

Through observing the religious studies structures at other universities, Watts found that the majority of previous majors were not sustainable and were unpopular with students.

“The primary motivation for us changing the curriculum was to design a curriculum that would benefit the students’ interests and their career needs in the context of our Christ-centered university,” said Bryan Sullivan, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Most of the new degrees are derived from combining previous major paths to create a broader course of study.

“Religion programs are struggling to navigate through the changing culture, so we decided to adapt and innovate,” said Watts.

Christian Leadership and Faith & Social Justice underwent minimal revisions and kept their previous names.

Worship Leadership and Religion & the Arts combined to create the current major, Worship & the Arts.

Biblical Studies and Religious Studies also contributed parts to what became the Bible & Theology major.

Before these changes, sophomore Eli Ingle enrolled as a double major in Biblical Studies and Worship Leadership to create a foundation in biblical knowledge while also investing in his vocation in the music industry.

“It was sad to see the worship leadership program get absorbed because Worship & the Arts requires you to declare an outside minor. Declaring an outside minor is different than my music emphasis,” said Ingle.

Though that specific change disappointed him, Ingle and all other College of Theology students will keep the same programs they enrolled in and earn degrees under the previous names and REL prefix.

For students under the BELL Core, all options for third-year religion courses and junior cornerstones have also stayed the same. 

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This article was written by Ria Skyer