Mars Hill Graduate School is a learning community dedicated to transformation through the study of text, soul, and culture. Our students are writers, artists, bloggers, theologians, and counselors who are devoted to experiencing God through relationships. They are passionate and purposeful; committed to both academic excellence and relational maturity; curious about the biblical text, the human soul, and the culture at large. Learn more about who MHGS is below.

At Mars Hill Graduate School, we believe that knowing isn’t something you only do in isolation or detachment or in a classroom. It is what you bring from your own story, your own journey, your own questions and convictions. It happens when text.soul.culture are engaged in a fabric of information, formation, and transformation. We aren’t much interested in telling you what to think but we want to walk with you as you learn to think well, to think deeply, to think passionately, and compassionately. To connect knowing with living, praying with doing, learning with caring; all in the narrative of one’s own story.

Keith Anderson,
President of MHGS
Read Keith's letter

The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) is a personally rigorous program that challenges students to explore their own stories in preparation for practicing the art of psychotherapy. Upon completion graduates are well equipped to face the professional and personal challenges of the counseling profession.

From Roy Barsness, Ph.D.
Professor of Counseling Psychology

MHGS is an institution that believes that God is a God of relationship. From creation to covenant to the incarnation, the grace and presence of God is revealed within the human encounter. From this theological foundation we teach a psychology that challenges the student to enter into the sacredness of the human relationship knowing that in that endeavor the Holy is present.
When looking for a graduate school, you should ask, “will the program help me achieve the personal growth and development I desire?” I have taught in four different psychology programs and without a doubt the MHGS counseling program is the most committed of those programs, in challenging students to consider their own story and its impact on their relational world. Convinced that knowledge without personal transformation can be harmful, our program provides academic rigor with experiential learning, enabling students to approach theory from the place of personal reflection.
Read Roy's letter

The Mars Hill Graduate School Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree emerges from the belief that theology is alive only as it is lived in community. Through an exploration of the interplay of text, soul, and culture, the degree embodies the tensions and paradoxes of Christian faith as we engage with the world. Committed to academic excellence and relational integrity, we seek to be a healing presence within the global community, developing innovative leaders in the service of the body of Christ.

From Jo-Ann Badley, Ph.D.
Professor of Biblical Studies

Could I give you a small taste of Master of Divinity studies at Mars Hill Graduate School?  MDiv studies begins with questions.  And every new term there are new students with new questions. Some students bring questions that are easy to answer. But some bring hard questions, ones worth thinking about for a long time. None of them are easy to answer. But they are all worth thinking about. Are these the kind of questions you are asking? If so, maybe Mars Hill Graduate School is the place for you. It is a place to ask hard questions about both scripture and life. And it's a place where, sometimes, the questions are more important than the answers. Our students and faculty here are seeking after God, and we're more than willing to talk about the questions that are on your mind. Come…ask.
Read Jo-Ann's letter

The MACS degree is a unique experience for those looking to tailor their learning for the transformation of their experience and effect in the world. Combining the best of all the MHGS courses, this program allows tomorrow’s leaders to think vocationally about the work they hope to do in the unexpected places of God’s kingdom – from music and art to NGOs and social justice arenas. Those with ambitions to be agents of change will find this program to be especially helpful in preparing to be leaders of courage, humility, innovation, and restoration.

From Dwight Friesen, D.Min.
Associate Professor of Practical Theology
 
A holistic Christian spiritual formation which embodies social and global advocacy is the burgeoning hope and mission of Mars Hill Graduate School’s Master of Arts in Christian Studies (MACS). At MHGS, we will invite much of your mind, your heart, your relationships, and your life, as our curriculum uniquely calls you to both explore and integrate text, soul and culture. One of our sound bites at MHGS is that we hope students, before leaving us, will learn to “have a good cup of coffee” with others. It's a euphemism for having rich, deep, soul-exploring conversation. It’s an aspiration only those considering coming here would understand.
Read Dwight's letter

Learn more about our school by reading this digital version of our viewbook.