Master of Arts: Theology and Peace Studies (MATPS)
The Master of Arts: Theology and Peace Studies (MATPS) is a 60-credit-hour academic degree program that prepares students interested in careers and scholarship at the intersection of theology and transformative peacebuilding.
The program, which grows out of the Anabaptist tradition of Christian peace witness, is grounded in the assumption that Christ calls us to become part of a new community whose mission is to participate in God’s reconciling mission throughout the world. Our theological approach to peacebuilding brings Christian eschatologies undergirding transformative approaches to conflict together with a concern for embodying nonviolence in a pluralistic world.
In the program, students combine academic study with sustained engagement in the field. Through this integrated approach, students develop interdisciplinary knowledge that draws insights from theological, biblical and historical studies into conversation with social science analysis and peacebuilding practices. These peacebuilding practices address the structural roots of conflict and forge multilevel (personal, relational, hermeneutic, societal and international) initiatives to transform violence.
For more details, please see the AMBS Catalog.
Educational goals
Graduates with a MATPS degree will be able to:
- Analyze theological and biblical foundations of peace and justice, considering Anabaptist perspectives.
- Evaluate multiple forms and consequences of violence using multidisciplinary methods and insights.
- Deploy the skills and habits of a reflective practitioner: a) create context-sensitive transformative approaches to violence and conflict; b) synthesize theological and theoretical concepts with practical experience; and c) discern practices that cultivate nonviolence and spiritual development.
Degree concentrations
Environmental Sustainability Leadership
- Participate in a residential Sustainability Leadership Semester with Goshen College’s Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center in Wolf Lake, Indiana. In addition to living on site, students take three courses exploring ways to empower sustainable communities, understanding integrated social and ecological systems, and developing leadership experience in sustainability.
Peace Studies Courses
- At AMBS, we engage peace-building from biblical, theological, historical, ethical, ecclesiological, cultural and pastoral perspectives. See what courses can help ground you in peace theology as well as strengthen your practical peace-building skills.
Degree design
MA: Theology and Peace Studies students can complete the program of study in two years of full-time study by taking 27–30 credit hours per year through courses in three terms: Semester One, Semester Two and Intensive Term in summer.
Download our Admissions Calendar to see an overview of AMBS’s academic year and note important application deadlines.
Ministries of alumni
- PhD studies in peace and theology
- work in a nongovernmental organization
- work with an international church-based relief organization
- coordinating a public school anti-bullying program
- organizing a community farming program in Japan
Why seminary?
Students and faculty share why and how they discerned attending their AMBS program
“I was looking for the school where I could bring together my commitment to peace-building and justice-seeking with theological insight. I found that AMBS was doing what I wanted to be doing. My time at seminary has been a time of academic and spiritual formation that helps me to continue to grow and develop a capacity to resist the social constructs that divide God’s people and foster hostility.”
Henok T. Mekonin of Nazreth, Oromiya region, Ethiopia (Master of Arts: Theology and Peace Studies, 2021)
Yes, you can afford seminary!
AMBS’s low base tuition rate
+ generous need-based financial aid
+ scholarships for full- or part-time student
+ church matching grants
= an affordable seminary degree
Meet the AMBS Admissions Team
From your first inquiry about seminary study to your transition from applicant to student, we’re here to help you.
Looking for something else?
Try an upcoming graduate course
Want to explore seminary study? Take an upcoming graduate course!
If you’re a non-admitted student, you can even get 50% off your first three credits at AMBS!*Exceptions apply
Try an online short course
Looking to expand your theological knowledge?
Take one of our six-week, discussion-based, online short courses.
(No papers. No grades.)
Request a visit from an AMBS instructor
Invite the faculty and staff of AMBS to come directly to you either in person or over video conference.