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Master of Arts in Religion - concentration in Leadership and Business Ethics

The Master of Arts in Religion concentration in Leadership and Business Ethics (MAR-LBE) is a masters-level degree program for mature students with workplace experience, leading to a degree that equips students to live out their Christian faith in their lives in the "secular" workplace.

Download the MAR-LBE brochure

Degree Requirements
Students in this concentration receive the MAR-LBE by completing:

• 10 core courses on-campus or via distance learning as in Gordon-Conwell’s usual MAR. All of these courses may be completed via distance learning, so no time on campus is required to complete them
• 6 weeks of Residencies plus between-Residency Projects in conjunction with students in the Doctor of Ministry, Workplace Leadership and Business Ethics track. Residencies are conducted two weeks per year over a three-year period, and require full-time presence during each week.
• A special requirement of the MAR-LBE is that students must have at least 3 years of active experience in business or other workplaces.

This program recognizes that the secular workplace is (or should be) a mission and ministry field for those Christians who work there, and that Gordon-Conwell desires to make its singular educational resources available for equipping them with the same rigor, quality, and theological depth with which we equip students for pastoral and academic professions.

Like all GCTS Master of Arts in Religion degrees, the MAR-LBE requires the equivalent of about 2 years of full-time academic study. However, the MAR-LBE is designed to be completed on a part-time basis over a number of years, while requiring only 6 weeks total on campus. Thus, MAR-LBE students can continue in their jobs while earning their degrees.

Cohort System
The MAR-LBE is taught in the same cohort-based system as Gordon-Conwell’s Doctor of Ministry programs. In fact, MAR-LBE students are integrated into the cohorts of the D. Min., Workplace Leadership and Business Ethics track. Students stay together for the entire cohort over a period of three years. Therefore students may only begin Residencies when a new cohort is launched. However, students may enter the MAR-LBE program at any time and begin working on the MAR Core courses while waiting for the Residencies of the next cohort to begin. The next cohort is scheduled to begin in June 2008 with the following Residency schedule:

 

Session	Date	Location	Course Number and Name
Weeks 1-2	Jun 9-19, 2008	Hamilton Campus	MK1011: The Meaning and Value of Work MK1012: Business Ethics and Leadership I – The Character of the Leader
Week 3	Jan 12-16, 2009	Location TBD	MK1023: Advanced Workplace Theology and Practice
Week 4	Jun 8-12, 2009	Charlotte Campus	MK1024: Business Ethics and Leadership II – Organizational Systems
Week 5	Jan 11-15, 2010	Location TBD	MK 1035: Models for Workplace Impact
Week 6	Jun 7-11, 2010	Boston Campus	MK 1036: Business Ethics and Leadership III — Excellence and Execution

Additional cohorts will be posted here as soon as they are scheduled.

*Notes

1. MAR-LBE students must take the following pre-requisite courses/Semlinks      
   • Prior to June 9, 2008: Life of Jesus (NT503) or New Testament Survey (NT501)
   • Prior to June 8, 2009: Theology Survey I (TH501)
   • Prior to June 7, 2010: Christian Ethics (ET501)
     
2. Semlinks started prior the student’s first on-campus class or Residency are charged at Gordon-Conwell’s pre-arrival reduced tuition rate.
3. Locations are subject to change.

Entry into the Program                                                                      
Prospective students in the MAR-LBE must submit a special application for the program. The usual Gordon-Conwell Masters application is not accepted for the MAR-LBE. Also, the special recommendation form for a workplace supervisor is used in place of one of the regular MAR-LBE recommendation forms.

Total enrollment in each cohort is limited to 24 students.

How to apply for admission

1. Download a copy of the MAR-LBE application and related forms or contact the GCTS admissions office at 800-428-7329 or send an email to adminfo@gcts.edu. You may also send a written request to:
   130 Essex Street, S. Hamilton, MA, 01982,
   and request a special "MAR-LBE Application Packet.” Please DO NOT use the regular GCTS admissions form— the regular form does not apply to the MAR-LBE.
   

   Master of Arts in Religion, special concentration in Leadership and Business Ethics (MAR-LBE) MAR-LBE Admissions Application Regular Letter of Recommendation Form (Print 2 copies) Special Letter of Recommendation Form for Workplace Supervisor/Manager (Print 1 copy) Church Endorsement Form Transcript Request Form Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Admissions Office 130 Essex Street South Hamilton, MA 01982 email: adminfo@gcts.edu TEL: (978) 646- 4039 1 (800) 428 - 7329

2. Complete the MAR-LBE Application, including transcripts, recommendations, church endorsement and all other necessary materials, and submit to the GCTS admissions office. You will be notified whether you have been accepted into the MAR-LBE approximately two weeks after your complete application is received.
3. If you are admitted, you will receive information about preparing for the first Residency and completing the course pre-requisites.

Students who are already enrolled in another master’s-level program at GCTS may apply to transfer into the MAR-LBE program. The decision whether to permit the transfer will be made using the same criteria applied to new students applying directly to the MAR-LBE. Admissions to other master’s-level programs at GCTS does not automatically qualify students for entry into the MAR-LBE, and vice-versa.

For more information on the MAR-LBE program, download the MAR-LBE Program Description or contact the office of Admission at 1.800.428.7329 or at adminfo@gcts.edu.

NOTE: All degree students are assigned as an advisee to a professor in the field of concentration.

For more information on this degree program, contact the office of Admission at 1.800.428.7329 or at adminfo@gcts.edu.

Catalogs
To download the South Hamilton campus catalog, click here.
To request a catalog from the Boston/CUME campus, click here.
To request a catalog from the Charlotte campus, click here.

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