This Outdoor and Adventure Leadership concentration is designed for those looking for excellent training to launch them into the field. Students will live and work at HoneyRock, the Northwoods Campus and Camp of Wheaton College. Students can apply for one of the graduate coordinator roles or a variety of seasonal staff positions. Employment in either of these ways is a critical part of the program as it provides the context for integrating coursework into real ministry. Students are also required to live at HoneyRock as part of the ministering camp community. Special permission to live off camp may be approved by the program coordinator.
Requirements for the Christian Formation and Ministry program leading to a Master of Arts degree consist of the successful completion of 42 semester hours, a comprehensive examination, and a capstone project or internship. Students are required to complete 24 hours of core courses plus an additional 18 hours in a specified area of concentration.
Core CFM Courses:
CFM 512 Bible in Ministry (2)
CFM 513 History and Philosophy of Ministry (4)
CFM 514 Ministry in Culture (2)
CFM 515 Human Development and Research for Ministry (4)
CFM 516 Teaching for Transformation (4)
CFM 521 Personal Spiritual Formation (2)
CFM 522 History and Traditions of Spiritual Formation (2)
BITH Category 1 TSR course (BITH 564, BITH 565, BITH 566, or BITH 576) (4)
Students are also required to complete a zero-credit comprehensive exam and a zero-credit Mentoring Group in their area of concentration.
OAL Concentration Courses:
In addition to core classes in the Christian Formation and Ministry Department, students also take the following courses in outdoor and adventure ministry.
CFM 563 The Church and Outdoor Ministry (4)
CFM 564 Adventure Challenge Education (4)
CFM 662 Theology and Practice of Outdoor Ministry (4)
CFM 663 Leadership Development in Outdoor Ministry (4)
Outdoor Ministry Final Project (2)
The final project within each concentration may be either a thesis/applied thesis (698), creative project (692), or internship (696). Up to four hours of electives within a concentration may be taken through independent study courses. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis may not be applied to the degree requirements. For courses offered only on a pass/fail basis, two hours of pass/fail credit may be applied to the degree with approval of the department chair.
Application Process:
Go to http://www.wheaton.edu/Admissions-and-Aid/Graduate for further details. Additional helpful links are found in the lower left column of this page. Applications for fall semester are due April 15th.