# Questions about a M.A.T.S. Degree



## C. M. Sheffield (Jun 18, 2010)

I have two questions about the degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies (M.A.T.S.):


Can one with a M.A.T.S. move on immediately to a Ph.D.?

Can the credits earned in a M.A.T.S. count toward a M.Div.?
I'm considering a M.A.T.S. and want to know what my options are. Your help and counsel is appreciated.


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## Emmanuel (Jun 18, 2010)

1. Yes. A lot of people earn a M.A.T.S. in preparation for a Ph.D––especially to build up their language skills.
2. It depends on the seminary. Some do, others don't. Some require that you do a joint M.A.T.S./M.Div programme in 4 or 5 years.

From the page for M.A.T.S. programme at Erskine:
"As part of its overall mission to educate persons for service in the Christian Church, Erskine Seminary offers the Master of Arts in Theological Studies (M.A.T.S.) degree. The purpose of this degree is to prepare scholars who have an in-depth knowledge of a given field in Biblical, historical, or theological studies and who can integrate the various fields into a coherent whole, to the end that God may be glorified. The M.A.T.S. may serve as a terminal degree, or as preparation for further graduate study in Biblical, historical, or theological disciplines. The M.A.T.S. degree includes four tracks (Old Testament, New Testament, theology, and Church history), each of which serves to prepare students for doctoral-level academic studies and, eventually, a teaching career. It is not aimed at professional leadership in the Church and is not intended for persons preparing for pastoral leadership in local congregations."


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## Hilasmos (Jun 18, 2010)

Of course it would depend on the school you are at. A general rule of thumb is that a thesis MA can get you into a Ph.D (among other potential pre-requisites like languages, MAT/GRE scores, writing sample, etc...), where as a non-thesis MA will not. You may be able to get into a PhD with a non-thesis M.Div. Some schools may allow you to transfer conferred MATS credit into the larger M.Div degree, but you would have to check with the school on each and every one of the stipulations.


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## mjmacvey (Jun 19, 2010)

1) As was noted above, it might depend upon the school/program. At Westminster Seminary California we have had MATS (non-thesis) students admitted directly to various PhD programs (Aberdeen and Calvin come to mind, but there are others). The MATS requires 20 units of Greek/Hebrew. However, more students looking toward PhD program opt for our MAHT program which requires a thesis (substantial writing sample) and also requires Greek/Hebrew (many of our HT also students also take Ecclesiastical Latin).

I would encourage you to decide what type of PhD program you are looking for and ask them what they require, before making a decision on where to pursue an MA. 

2) Students who earn an MA (TS, HT, or BS) at WSC are granted advanced standing toward the MDiv (both can be earned in 4 years).

Feel free to contact me [email protected] if you have any questions about our programs.


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## larryjf (Jun 19, 2010)

C. M. Sheffield said:


> I have two questions about the degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies (M.A.T.S.):
> 
> 
> Can one with a M.A.T.S. move on immediately to a Ph.D.?
> ...


 
It very much depends on the school.

At TNARS we only allow those who already posses a doctorate to enter our Ph.D. program. We do allow MATS students to earn their M.Div. by just taking biblical languages and then we rescind their MATS once they earn their MDiv.


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