Deepen Your Faith Through Applied Theology
The Master of Arts in Christian Faith and Life (MACFL) is an online, 30-credit-hour master’s degree in theology for Christians who want to deepen their theological understanding and integrate their faith with everyday life, work and calling. You don’t need a background in theology or plans to pursue traditional ministry to find your place in the program.
What You'll Learn
- Interpret biblical and theological texts with depth and clarity.
- Engage a range of Christian traditions with wisdom and charity.
- Integrate Christian faith across disciplines, exploring connections between faith and leadership, business, healthcare, the arts and other fields.
- Apply theological insight to complex issues in culture and society.
- Practice faithful discernment grounded in Christian conviction.
Why Pursue an Online Master's Degree in Theology?
Designed for Christians who want to bring their faith into every aspect of their calling, the MACFL builds your theological knowledge and equips you to apply what you learn across your work, relationships and everyday life.
A Different Approach to Graduate Theology
Whole-Person Formation: Learn how Christian faith informs the way you live, work, lead and serve. This program equips you to explore the connection between faith and leadership and apply that perspective across a range of professional and personal settings, from business and education to healthcare, the arts and public service.
Faith in Every Aspect of Society: Through six courses with interdisciplinary partners from colleges across campus, explore how faith intersects with fields such as medicine, law, business, science, architecture, nursing, art and music. This intentional design connects theology to the questions and challenges of contemporary life.
Intellectual Depth and Spiritual Formation: Engage in rigorous, applied theological study while growing in wisdom, discernment and faithful practice. Through reading, research, discussion and reflection, you will develop both scholarly depth and personal formation.
Designed for Diverse Callings: The MACFL is designed specifically for people across many fields and stages of life. It offers graduate-level theological education for those who want to integrate faith more deeply with their work, relationships and sense of calling.
Is the MACFL the Right Fit for You?
The M.A. in Christian Faith and Life is designed for Christians who want to study their faith at a deeper level and bring that perspective to the questions they’re facing in their everyday lives, careers and callings.- Mid-Career Professionals: You’ve built a successful career but are asking deeper questions about purpose, calling or what comes next.
- Healthcare Professionals: You’re navigating the human, ethical and spiritual questions that come with caring for others and want your faith to be a deeper source of grounding in your work.
- Business and Nonprofit Leaders: You’re thinking seriously faith-based leadership — what it means to lead ethically, define success and make decisions rooted in your faith.
- Legal and Public Service Professionals: You’re navigating questions of justice and ethics and want to build a deeper understanding of how your faith shapes your daily work.
- Educators: You want to think more deeply about how your faith shapes the way you teach, mentor and serve others.
- Creative Professionals: You’re exploring the relationship between faith, creativity and the work you put into the world.
- Christians Exploring Calling: You want formal theological study and deeper personal formation, even if you aren’t pursuing ordained or traditional ministry.
Program Details
Curriculum
Includes three theology-focused courses and six courses developed with faculty experts from across Belmont, culminating in one capstone experience. You’ll study faith and theology in depth while exploring how they connect with areas like healthcare, business, law and the arts, bringing those perspectives together throughout the program.
Core Curriculum (30 Credit Hours)- CFL 5010: Theology as a Way of Life
- CFL 5015 Who Is Jesus Christ?
- CFL 5020 Faith, Beauty, and Imagination
- CFL 5025 Worship and Christian Life
- CFL 5030 Technology and the Good Life
- CFL 5035 Being Human
- CFL 5040 Community and the Common Good
- CFL 5045 Social Entrepreneurship and the Common Good
- CFL 5050 Suffering and Death
- CFL 5100 Capstone
- Students must complete at least 18 credit hours before enrolling in the Capstone.
- The Capstone is recommended in the final semester and includes an in-person presentation component.
Designed as a flexible online theology program, the MACFL combines asynchronous coursework with faculty mentorship, interdisciplinary learning and meaningful connections with peers.
Online and Asynchronous: Learn on your schedule through fully asynchronous online coursework, with faculty support and peer engagement throughout the program.
A Connected Community: Build relationships with classmates who bring different professional and personal perspectives to conversations about faith, life and calling.
On-Campus Orientation: Start with an in-person orientation on Belmont’s campus, where you'll build connections with faculty and peers.
Interdisciplinary Faculty Expertise: Learn from faculty across fields like health care, law, business and design, exploring how Christian faith applies across disciplines.
Capstone Project: Complete a capstone project connecting theology and faith to your field or area of interest.
- Education
- Law
- Healthcare
- Business
- Nonprofit leadership
- Art & Design
- Ministry
Application Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited institution
- Official Transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
- Minimum GPA: 3.0 preferred; conditional review available for applicants below 3.0 with evidence of readiness
- Statement of Purpose outlining career goals and program fit
- Two Letters of Recommendation (one academic, one professional) attesting to readiness and leadership potential
Additional Information:
- Transfer Credit: Up to 6 graduate hours may transfer (B or higher, within 5 years).
- Application Review: Rolling admissions; early application recommended for preferred start term.
Tuition
Tuition: $865 per credit hour- Additional $1,000 program fee that supports on-campus immersions, academic support needs and other expenses to enhance the experience for online graduate students.
- Belmont alumni receive a 20% reduction in tuition.
Learn more about graduate tuition and financial aid
Sample Course Sequence
*Flexible pacing based on your schedule| Semester | Course Code | Course Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Year 1 | CFL 5010 | Theology as a Way of Life |
| CFL 5015 | Who Is Jesus Christ? | |
| Spring Year 1 | CFL 5020 | Faith, Beauty, and Imagination |
| CFL 5025 | Worship and Christian Life | |
| Summer Year 2 | CFL 5030 | Technology and the Good Life |
| CFL 5035 | Being Human | |
| Fall Year 2 | CFL 5040 | Community and the Common Good |
| CFL 5045 | Social Entrepreneurship and the Common Good | |
| Spring Year 2 | CFL 5050 | Suffering and Death |
| CFL 5100 | Capstone |
Learn from Faculty Mentors
MACFL courses are developed and taught by faculty who bring years of research, professional expertise and lived experience to their exploration of how Christian faith intersects with their fields. They’ve built courses around the questions they study and encounter every day, bringing firsthand perspective from fields including theology, healthcare, law, business, science and the arts to your graduate experience.
Kevin Trowbridge
Email: kevin.trowbridge@belmont.edu
Christina Carnes Ananias
Email: christina.ananias@belmont.edu
Amy Rasmussen
Email: amy.rasmussen@belmont.edu
Adam Neder
Email: adam.neder@belmont.edu
Jordan Wood
Email: jordan.wood@belmont.edu
About Belmont’s Christian Mission
Belmont is a Christian university in Nashville, TN, committed to bringing faith and learning together. The MACFL builds on that foundation, drawing on faculty expertise from across the University to offer graduate-level study rooted in Christian faith.
Frequently Asked Questions
A master's degree in theology can deepen your understanding of Christian faith and help you apply theological insight to your work, relationships, leadership and service. Belmont's M.A. in Christian Faith and Life is designed for Christians who want to connect their faith more meaningfully to the work they're already called to do, whether that's in healthcare, business, education, law, nonprofit leadership, the arts, public service, ministry or another field.
MACFL coursework is fully online and asynchronous, allowing students to complete coursework on their own schedules. The program also includes in-person experiences at the beginning and end of the program for orientation and the final capstone presentation.
Belmont's 30-credit-hour M.A. in Christian Faith and Life can be completed in as few as five terms (16 months), with flexible pacing based on your schedule.
No. Students from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds are welcome, regardless of their stage in the Christian faith or prior study of theology.
The MACFL is designed for Christians who want to think more deeply about their faith through graduate-level study, whether they are early in their careers, established professionals or exploring a deeper sense of calling.
It is a strong fit for individuals across fields such as business, education, healthcare, nonprofit leadership, the arts and public service.
Yes. The Belmont Bruin Alumni Grant offers 20% tuition reduction for Belmont graduates.
Additionally, to determine your eligibility for financial aid, graduate students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
No. The MACFL welcomes Christians from a variety of denominational backgrounds. Students are encouraged to examine their beliefs, encounter different perspectives, and develop a deeper understanding of their own faith.
Unlike many graduate theology programs that focus primarily on preparing students for ministry or academic roles, the M.A. in Christian Faith and Life is designed to help you integrate faith with everyday life and vocation. Through interdisciplinary engagement with fields such as business, healthcare, law, science, architecture, design and the arts, the MACFL combines rigorous theological study with spiritual formation and practical discernment.
A Master of Divinity (MDiv) typically prepares students for ordained ministry and pastoral leadership. Belmont's M.A. in Christian Faith and Life focuses on theological study and formation for Christians who want to apply their faith across a wide range of professions, communities and callings.
Contact Us
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
Sophie Chua
Admissions Coordinator
(615) 460.8335