Master of Religion and Public Life

Credit Hours

In fulfilling the 36 hours required for the MRPL degree, students may not exceed the following limits: 3 hours for ministry internship; 6 hours of electives taken on an S/U grading basis; 6 hours for summer courses; 3 hours for Atlanta Theological Association cross-registration (counted as transfer credit); 6 hours for transfer credit, including ATA cross-registration, and 6 hours for directed study.

GPA Requirements

Courses taken toward the MRPL degree must earn a letter grade of at least C, i.e., 2.0 on a scale of 4.0. Students may elect to take up to two elective course on an S/U grading basis with instructor permission. Students who earn less than a C in a course will not receive credit for the course toward the degree, though it will remain part of the student’s academic record. Students who earn less than a C in a course may choose to retake the course. However, the same course cannot be counted more than once toward the total credit hours for graduation. Both instances of a retaken course remain on the transcript and are factored into the official GPA. A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 is required for successful completion of the program.

Curricular Requirements

The MRPL requires a total of 36 credit hours for graduation, normally earned through the successful completion of 11 three-credit courses (three of which will fulfill Common Requirements for the program and eight of which will be elective courses), plus the completion of a final integrative paper worth three credits.

COMMON REQUIREMENTS

MRPL students will complete nine hours of foundational courses in the following areas: (1) religion and society, (2) world religions (a Candler course with the WR designation or a non-Candler course approved by the registrar in consultation with the academic dean), and (3) basic beliefs, attitudes, and practices of Christians. Courses fulfilling each of these requirements are selected in consultation with the program director.

Religion and Society
Students will choose one three-hour course that will assist them in understanding the role of religion in American society. Students choose from courses such as:

• BI620. Bible, Race, and Reception History
• BI670. Bible Law and Religion in America
• HC659. U.S. Religion and Politics since the Civil War
• SR515. Methods of Social and Congregational Analysis
• SR536. Religion and Health in Context: HIV
• SR593. Religion and Health in Context: Sexual and Reproductive Health
• SR601. Sociology of Religion
• SR612. The Church and Disabilities
• SR613. Gender in U.S. Religion
• SR615. Immigration, Religion, and the American Church
• SR617. Memory, Culture, and Redemption
• SR620. Nonviolent Strategies for Social Change
• SR622. Ethnographic Research for Ministry in Congregations and Local Communities
• SR623. Religion in Urban Landscape
• SR624. Ecclesiology in Action
• SR626. Introduction to Black Church Studies
• SR628. Ritual Practice and the Nature of Ritual Performance
• SR633. African American Religion and Culture
• SR634. Globalization and the Church’s Mission
• SR636. Faith and Philanthropy
• SR647. Sociology of Latinx Religions
• SR655. Catholicism in America
• SR670. The Church and Abuse: Eccumenical Perspectives
• ES610. Religion, Ethics, and Public Intellectuals
• ES661. Christianity and Politics
• ES683. History of Church-State Relations
• ST618. Theology, Art, and Urban Spaces

World Religions
Students will choose one three-hour course that will assist them in understanding the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of adherents of at least one world religion such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other religion outside of Christianity. Students choose from courses such as:

• WR510. Introduction to Judaism
• WR570. Approaches to Interreligious Leadership
• WR603. Ancient Judaism in the Mediterranean Diaspora
• WR605. Introduction to Islam
• WR607. Introduction to Hinduism
• WR612. Zen for Christians
• WR614. Socially Engaged Buddhism
• WR630. Sacred Space in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• WR635. Teaching World Religions to Youth
• WR640. Religions of Atlanta
• WR645. Spiritual Care in African Religious Traditions
• WR650. Islam in America
• WR652. History of Christian Muslim Relations
• WR655. Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations
• WR657. Interreligious Spiritual Care
• WR673. Krishna Meets Jesus: Hindu Christian Interactions on the Indian Subcontinent
• WR675. Interfaith Dialogue as Congregational Mission
• WR682. Jewish Law
• WR683. Islam and Democracy
• WR684. Islam and Politics
• WR685. Islamic Law
• WR690. Global Religions and Community Engagement
• WR698. Special Topics in World Religions

Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices of Christians
Students will choose one three-hour course that will assist them in understanding the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of Christians. Students choose from courses such as:

• BCS601. Introduction to Black Church Studies
• BI640. The Bible and Health
• ES501. Christian Ethics
• ES505. Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself: Doing Christian Ethics in Context after ES501
• ES524. Feminist and Womanist Ethics
• ES/LA560. Principles and Practices of Moral Leadership
• ES609/M619. Social Mission of the Christian Church
• ES621. Christian Sexual Ethics
• ES625. Sexuality and the Black Church
• ES661. Christianity and Politics
• HC505. History of Christianity in America
• HC661. The Black Church
• HC672. Modern Catholicism
• PC612. Spirituality and Health
• PC628. Care for Marginalized Populations
• ST501. Systematic Theology
• ST620. Black Theology and Ethics
• ST/W627. Theology of the Church and Sacraments
• ST645. Ecclesiology
• ST677. Theological Arguments for Criminal Punishment Reform

ELECTIVES

In consultation with the program director, students are free to choose for their additional 24 hours of electives any courses that are of the most interest and have greatest relevance to their professional contexts.

INTEGRATIVE PAPER

Following completion of at least 15 credit hours and no later than the penultimate semester, MRPL students enroll in MRPL620. MRPL Integrative Paper Part A for one hour of credit. During this course students will determine an integrative paper topic in consultation with the program director and a paper adviser and create a prospectus and initial bibliography for the paper. At the conclusion of MRPL 620, a grade of In Progress (IP) will be awarded and students then enroll in MRPL650. MRPL Integrative Paper Part B for two hours of credit, typically in the final semester. The Integrative Paper advisor will be the instructor of record for MRPL650. The final paper will typically be 25-35 pages in length and will integrate themes from the student’s course of study. The paper advisor and program director will review the integrative paper and assign a letter grade. The minimum passing grade is B. in cases where the readers cannot agree on a final grade, the paper will be submitted to the academic dean for adjudication. Students who do not complete the paper satisfactorily by the last day of classes for the regular session of the semester in which they enroll in MRPL650 but who have completed all other courses needed for graduation are required to enroll in MRPL999R. MRPL Residency each semester until the paper has been successfully completed and the student graduates.

*The duration for the MRPL is an approved exception to Degree Program Standard D, section D.3.2.1.

Advising and Assessment

In addition to the curricular requirements listed above, students in the MRPL program are required to be advised each semester. Any student who fails to meet with his or her faculty adviser during the advising period will have a hold placed on registration until advising has taken place.

In the final semester of the MRPL program, students in the MRPL program will compile a program portfolio and submit it to their adviser, program director, and the Candler registrar via a secure online folder provided by the Candler registrar. The portfolio will include the following documents:

• A two-page self-reflection on work done in the degree program and evaluation of the progress made on the learning outcomes as well as further plans beyond graduation
• Paper or project from a world religions course that was used to fulfill the MRPL World Religions Common Requirement
• Paper or project from the course used to fulfill the Religion and Society Common Requirement
• MRPL Integrative Paper. NB, because the integrative paper may not be fully completed by the time of the final advising conversation, an earlier draft may be included for the advising conversation, and the final paper, along with the two reader assessments, would be added when complete.

Residence

Students must complete a minimum of three full-time equivalent semesters, to include at least two fall/spring semesters with not more than six total summer term enrollment hours. For part-time or transfer students, the last two semesters of the program must be completed at Candler. Students in good standing at other seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, or at other regionally accredited universities where they are studying religion at the graduate level, may, with approval, transfer up to six credit hours. A maximum of three hours taken through cross-registration at Atlanta Theological Association (ATA) schools may be applied toward the degree, counted as transfer credit. Upon transfer of six hours, no additional transfer work or ATA cross-registration work will be allowed. Students who transfer into the MRPL program must complete a minimum of two semesters with at least 24 Candler semester hours. The maximum length of time allowed to complete the program is five calendar years. Students who do not complete the MRPL integrative paper in the semester of enrollment but have completed all courses are required to enroll in MRPL999R (MRPL Library Use) during each semester until the paper is complete.

Transfer Credit

Students in good standing at other seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, or at other regionally accredited universities where they are studying religion at the graduate level, may be admitted as transfer students. These students may receive transfer credit approval for up to six credit hours for courses in which they earn a grade of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (84 on a numerical scale). Candler special/nondegree students and students in other degree programs may have all Candler coursework considered for transfer into the MRPL. See page 115 for the detailed MRPL program transfer credit policy.