Vital Information for Talbot Christian Education Grad Students!

Information About the
Master of Arts in
Christian Education
The mission of the M.A.C.E. program is to develop and equip experienced church and parachurch servant-leaders in mind, character, and ability to serve God and further His kingdom through biblically-based educational ministries, according to a particular area of specialization.

Need More Information?
Contact Dr. Freddy Cardoza
Program Director
Christian Education
Talbot School of Theology
freddy.cardoza@biola.edu
310.779.5224

Program Changes Possibly Affecting You

With all the numerous changes that seem to be happening at Talbot and the updating of curriculum, I wanted to reach out to you to alert you about changes NOW IN EFFECT in the Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACE) program.
These changes DO NOT necessarily affect MDiv/CE students unless you are considering moving into the Master of Arts Program.

Effective Fall 2016 (now)
To clarify, these are not changes to be made at a future date regarding this or other programs at Talbot. These are specific changes that have just been put into place and that are now fully-approved. These changes are so new that even the online version of the university website has still yet to get the old MACE program page changed (yes, they have been notified and website changes are pending).
Let me briefly explain what you need to know:

The 60-unit MACE program that has been in effect for several years has been updated. A 48 Unit Program is now available.
The Changes That Have Been Made

The 60 unit MACE for the 2016-2017 Catalog has been changed and shortened.
The 60 unit MACE from 2015-2016 and earlier is still being honored if you are close to graduation and want to continue in it.
The Updated MACE Program (2016-2017 Catalog) is now 48 units.
Both the new 48 unit degree AND the 60 unit degree are legitimate “MACE” degrees and are considered “the same degree.”
MACE Students are not automatically placed into the shorter program. You must visit the Registrar’s Office and request to be moved.

What Hasn’t Changed

-The Name. It is still currently the Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACE)
-The Degree. Both are still the Master of Arts in Christian Education- they’re one and the same, despite the unit difference.
-The Accreditation. Both (48 and 60 unit programs) are ATS and WASC accredited degrees
-The Type of Degree. Both (48 and 60 unit programs) are ‘first professional’ graduate degrees
-Graduates’ Options. Both (48 and 60 unit programs) are eligible to qualify students for admission into Ph.D., Ed.D., and D.Ed.Min. degrees in this field (Leadership, Christian Education, Christian Ministries, Education Studies, Education Ministries, and some other Practical Theology areas) though some schools could have unique admission qualifications– so be sure to double-check.
Why Change the MACE?
The difference is that the degree in previous catalogs (60 unit) had additional courses that we have now eliminated from the curriculum. There were redundancies or courses that, in the current climate of changes in higher education, are no longer universally considered essential as core requirements, so our program now reflects that. In addition, because other ‘non-first professional master degrees’ (like the M.Ed., and many M.A.R. and some M.A.R.E. and similar degrees) in non-ATS graduate schools are significantly shorter than our 60 unit degree (some of them as low as 32-36 units) we thought it reasonable to lower our degree requirements to reflect the tendency toward life-long learning that is now becoming more common.
Also, if people pursue more education later in life, that option becomes more reasonable if our current degrees are not unnecessarily long. These types of changes toward shorter degrees are beginning to take place throughout higher education institutions- especially seminaries associated with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Historically, ATS schools have tended to have longer degrees, but most are now working to cut unit requirements in light of challenging economics and changes in the educational landscape. Our program happens to be among the first making changes- changes, by the way, that you will begin to see everywhere in the coming few years.
In other words, most academic and professional master’s degrees like this one, and even the M.Div. will see unit reductions in the near future throughout the US and Canada. All of that is to say that this is no ‘discounted’ degree.. it is no dead end degree… but rather is a legitimate first professional graduate master’s degree that leads to the same opportunities as does the 60 unit degree, though it now has fewer course requirements.

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New 48 Unit Core Requirements (click the image for the MACE Degree website)

Compare the 2016-2017 48 unit program above with the 60 Unit Program in previous Talbot Academic Catalogs. Download the 60 unit Course Program sheet.

MACE SPECIALIZATION COURSES
Please note that CE students may not take TTCE 600 as a qualifying elective to meet MACE program requirements. If you took that course while enrolled in another program, it (TTCE 600) will become a “drop through” (extra, non-counting) course, since it is an introductory course only for non-CE program students.
Below are the courses that may be taken as CE Electives.

Now What?
CONTINUING TALBOT MACE STUDENTS
(Everyone except new MACE students enrolling for the first time this semester)
You have the option of either (a) completing the current 60 unit degree OR (b) Completing a Catalog Change Form in the Registrar’s Office from your current catalog to the new 2016-2017 Catalog, then simply completing the new 48 unit degree requirements.
By changing, some students may save significant time and money, though you will have fewer academic courses that you may have very much wanted to take. Either way, it is your choice!
NEW STUDENTS
MACE Students Who Are New This Semester or Newly Transferring into the MACE Degree
If you are a new incoming MACE student, you are enrolled in the MACE 48 unit. If you are an existing Talbot student who has decided to switch into the MACE Degree, you must enroll into the new 48 unit degree program… the former 60 unit degree is no longer available as an option. Only students previously enrolled as MACE 60 unit course students have the choice of remaining in that longer program. New MACE students *must* enroll in the 48 unit degree (simply go to the Registrar and ask to be put in the 48-unit MACE under the 2016-2017 Catalog).

REMINDERS

This Friday is the Deadline to Add New Courses, if that is relevant to you.
If you are a continuing Talbot Student and want to take advantage of this change, you MUST contact the Registrar’s Office and specifically ask to change into the 2016-2017 Catalog. (Note that it will not necessarily be advantageous to some students really close to graduation)
Though the essential information about the degrees is included above, if you need personal assistance with advising or help in any way, I (Dr. Freddy Cardoza) am available to help you. Simply make an appointment with me at freddy.cardoza@biola.edu. I’ll be delighted to help. The best times are Mondays, Tuesdays, and some Thursdays.
The Registrar is also available to answer technical questions when an official reply may be more helpful.

Thank you for your time.
God bless you–
Dr. Freddy Cardoza

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