Admissions

Steps to Apply

Eligibility: Students must meet all eligibility requirements listed on the MABC Eligibility page.
Application Content: The application will ask standard questions, including the following categories: Personal, Contact, Family, Education History, Employment History, Church, etc.
Short Answer Questions: Included in the application is a question seeking your personal testimony and several short answer questions about some key theological positions as well as your involvement with your local church and your reason to pursue Graduate Studies with us.
10–15 Page Writing Sample: You will also be prompted to provide us a 10–15 page writing sample of previous academic work, demonstrating graduate study proficiency. There is no assigned topic for this writing sample—you are free to submit a paper you have already written for another class or program. However, be advised that in reviewing this writing sample, the MABC Admissions Committee will look not only for content, but also for acceptable formatting, syntax, grammar, and citation. Instructions and exceptions are described in the application.
3 References: In the application, you will be prompted to provide the names and email addresses of three different references—Pastor or Elder, Educator, Personal (for the most part, these references should be non-relatives). Once you provide the name and the email address of the reference in the application, our system will automatically send the reference the appropriate electronic form and your reference can complete that form without having to confer with you. If the reference delays in filling out the form, there will be an option when you sign-in to the application again to remind the reference with another email or change the reference.
Application Fee ($50): Upon application submission, you will be prompted to pay the application fee ($50) through our electronic portal (via PayPal; a PayPal account is not required). If you cannot complete the payment using our electronic portal, you may mail in your application fee to this address (all checks can be made out to The Master’s University):

THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY
Office of Graduate Studies, Box #50
21726 Placerita Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
UNITED STATES
Official Transcripts: After the application has been submitted, our system will assemble all schools you previously attended and indicated in the application, and it will create a list of official transcripts that you will need to mail to our Graduate Studies Office with the address above. If your school uses a secure electronic system to email official transcripts, you may have the school send them electronically in lieu of mailing them. Please be advised that these transcripts must be official (meaning that they cannot be copies of your transcripts, and they must come directly from your school and not opened by you or anyone else).

When having your official transcripts sent to us, make sure to remind your school that the “Box #50” must be included in the address. Some schools have our basic address in their system without the “Box #50.” They may need prompting to include this number. If it is not included, the transcript may arrive in another department on our campus, and it may take some time to locate it. Thank you in advance!

Of most importance, students applying for graduate studies must have a bachelor’s degree from a school that meets the accreditation standards of the Higher Learning Commission in the United States, with few exceptions. If you are unsure about the accreditation of your school you may consider the following resources:
- If the school(s) from which you received your degree(s) is in the United States, you can use THIS WEBSITE to see if your school is accredited.
- If the school(s) from which you received your degree(s) is located in another country (i.e. International), you can:
  - Send us copies (or official documents) of your transcripts for evaluation by our Registrar. Please note that you will eventually need to send us official transcripts (not copies) for your application.
  - Have your transcripts evaluated by WES or ECE.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Only for students in which English is not their first language, you will need to complete and score a minimum of 100 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Please visit their WEBSITE HERE and search for “Master’s College” or “Master’s University” in Santa Clarita as the school where you would like your exam scores sent.

After Your Application Is Complete

When all the application items have been submitted and sent to us (online application, recommendations, official transcripts, TOEFL), then your application will be ready for review by the Admissions Committee in the Graduate Studies Office. The Committee might take up to 3–4 weeks to review incoming files for admission. We appreciate your understanding and patience.

Upon Acceptance

Assuming the Admissions Committee grants you acceptance, you will be instructed to pay a $250 deposit that will act as payment toward your first class(es). We will not be able to finalize setting up your new student account until the deposit is paid. You will be granted the opportunity to pay the deposit electronically through our Authorize.net service provider upon accepting the offer of admission, or you may send the deposit by mail to the address listed above.

International Students

Once admitted, you will want to get started on your F-1, I-20, and any other international forms. Please see the link below to get started. We also encourage you to contact our International Student Office, iso@masters.edu, if you have any questions.

Click here to start your F-1 Visa, I-20, and other forms.

Former/Current TMS Students

Your application will be shorter than what is prescribed above. Please designate that you are a Current/Former TMS Student at the beginning of the application. This will prompt our system to reduce your application requirements automatically. In the application, you will NOT be prompted to provide us a writing sample, pastor/elder reference, personal reference, or TOEFL. For your transcripts, we have your TMS record, so you will not need to request that from the Seminary. However, we will need you to request for copies of your other school transcripts from the TMS administrator (Arely Perez). Please email Arely at aperez@tms.edu and request from her copies of your transcripts to be sent securely to graduatestudies@masters.edu.

Re-Admit Students

Your application process will be shorter than what is prescribed above. Please designate that you are a Re-Admit student at the beginning of the application. This will prompt our system to reduce your application requirements automatically. In the application, you will NOT be prompted to provide us a writing sample, educator reference, personal reference, or TOEFL. Also, the short answers in the application will be uniquely fitted for you. For your transcripts, please send us only official transcripts of any schools you have attended since the last time you were enrolled as a student in our Graduate Studies program.

Application Deadlines

	Domestic	International
Spring Term	November 1 (of previous year)	July 15 (of previous year)
Summer Term	March 1	December 15
Fall Term	July 1	April 15

Starting Semester for Residential Students

It is preferred that residential-local students begin studies in a Fall term, but there are opportunities to begin in a Spring or Summer semester.

Starting Semester for Distance Students

Because the intensive-modular courses form both the foundation and anchor for the entire distance student’s experience, we highly recommend distance students to start the program in a Summer term. A distant student may begin in the Fall or Spring semesters but he or she must realize that he or she will necessarily need to take classes out of the prescribed order (see what we prescribe HERE) and thus be initially limited as to which courses he or she may take in the first couple of semesters. Moreover, students should be aware that some classes will assume the student’s familiarity of previous content from courses that would normally be taken in the prescribed order. In this way, all students will be held to the same academic standards whether he or she is taking the classes in the prescribed order or not. The Graduate Studies Office will help students minimize any potential problems that may result from taking classes out of the preferred order, but it is important that the student is aware of these potential challenges.

Transfer / Advanced Standing Credits

Credits from other institutions are generally not accepted for transfer or advanced standing due to the unique content and nature of our programs. However, some courses from other theological institutions may transfer with advanced standing with minimal additional coursework. Eligibility for advanced standing is only determined when the Admissions Committee receives a student’s full application and reviews it for admission.