Program Overview

Program Overview

The Certificate in Theology and the Arts (CTA) offers M.Div. (residential and hybrid), M.T.S., Th.M., and M.A. students firm grounding in the key theological loci and practices relevant to a lifetime’s engagement with the arts in the church, the university, and beyond.

Program Details

The primary objectives of the certificate program are:

• to help students recognize and put into practice the constructive possibilities of the mutual enrichment of theology and arts
• to provide students with a firm grounding in the key theological loci and practices relevant to a lifetime’s engagement with the arts in the church, the university, and beyond
• to offer students an appreciation of the current shape of the arts-theology conversation
• to foster and support research and community-service projects which responsibly integrate the arts and theology
• to increase the opportunities for field-education placements in the arts with community and church organizations
• to encourage and facilitate a community of students with a particular interest in engaging the arts as they discern their particular vocations
• to encourage interdisciplinary education and cross-departmental collaboration within Duke Divinity School and the university

Requirements

M.Div (Residential and Hybrid), M.T.S., and Th.M Students

• Completion of three courses in theology and the arts from approved list
  • (Students may also petition for other Duke courses to count provided there is a significant opportunity to complete research at the intersection of theology and art.)
• Completion of a research or service-learning project in theology and the arts. The project may be conducted in one of the following ways:
  • within a course (but not within any of the three courses that fulfill the previous requirement)
  • within a directed study or a thesis
  • as an internship with a director of music or arts pastor at a church
  • as an independent community-building project
  • within the context of a field education placement
• Regular participation in bimonthly CTA colloquies and DITA-sponsored events

M.A. in Christian Practice

• Completion of two courses in theology and the arts from approved list
• Completion of one assignment related to Theology and the Arts for a non-Theology and the Arts course, with permission from instructor
• Completion of 500-word summary of how coursework integrates with current vocation, with specific reference to the certificate in Theology and the Arts
• Regular participation, if feasible, in bimonthly CTA colloquies and DITA-sponsored events

Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts

Through research, teaching, and arts programming, Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts promotes and supports the vibrant interplay between Christian theology and the arts by encouraging transformative leadership and enriching theological discussion in the Church, academy, and society.