The Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies (MAIS) offers students a 36-unit graduate-level program of study that includes a core curriculum of biblical studies and interdisciplinary skills along with a targeted intercultural field study that includes an ethnography project. This highly specialized program requires students to complete a minimum of eight months of the program from a crosscultural field of study of the student’s choosing. By taking a full-time load of 9 units each trimester, the program can be completed in two years. Course availability, student load, adherence to student advisement, and other factors may extend or shorten the anticipated completion timeline.

PURPOSE

The MAIS degree is primarily designed to prepare students for:

• Cross-cultural Christian ministry including international missions and/or other leadership
roles that would find the student in a context not otherwise native to the student;
• Field work among a targeted foreign-language and/or people group.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies program students will be able to:

1. Interpret the content of the Old and New Testaments utilizing a literal-grammatical-
historical hermeneutic;
2. Demonstrate a graduate-level proficiency in research and writing on a targeted cross-cultural people group of the student’s choosing;
3. Express essential Christian doctrines in a cross-cultural and missional context; and
4. Apply biblical knowledge for effective international missions work.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Each candidate for the MAIS degree must meet the general graduation requirements and complete 36 units (or 12 three-unit courses) of graduate-level courses and:

1. Complete 36 units of graduate level courses as indicated below.
2. Complete at least 30 units at SCS.
3. Complete the program curriculum with not less than a 2.0 GPA.
4. Successfully complete the Intercultural Field Study (1 & 2) and the Ethnography Project.
5. Submit a petition to graduate to the Registrar by the deadline in the Academic Calendar.
6. Settle all financial obligations to SCS.
7. Be recommended by the faculty based on demonstrated moral integrity.