Coming Summer 2027
Bethlehem College is launching a new Master of Arts in Classical Christian Education, a 30-credit, 26-month degree for teachers and school leaders serving in classical Christian schools. Delivered primarily through in-person summer intensives, the program forms students in the history, philosophy, and theology of classical Christian education, equipping them with the pedagogical wisdom to teach and lead well through sustained in-person formation, without requiring full-time residency, so they can continue serving in their current school throughout the program.
30 credit hours
26 months, from the first summer intensive to the last
$420 per credit hour, all fees included.
We tend to study what delights us — and study, in turn, deepens delight. The psalmist declares this truth in Psalm 111:2: “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.” This is the engine of true education: a lifelong flywheel where delight leads to study, and study leads to greater delight still, energizing our love for God and neighbor. Education, rightly understood, is not the acquisition of information. It is the formation of rightly ordered loves.
This degree exists to form that kind of teacher: one whose own delight in what is good, true, and beautiful overflows into the classroom, and who can lead students to taste and see that the Lord is good. We call this an Education in Serious Joy.
“Bethlehem led me to a career I never had expected to pursue, and yet it is one I would not trade for the world. It was the four rigorous years of study, the immersion of my mind and heart into the great thinkers, and the instructors I sat under, that cultivated in me a passion for classical Christian education. Bethlehem provided the knowledge I needed to become a classical educator; it provided the models I needed to become an effective instructor; and it provided the proper end by which to order all things to, namely, the supremacy of God and eternal joy in Jesus Christ. To read, and now teach, the great books in light of the Greatest Book is one of my chief passions in life, and it is a passion I hope to pass down to those I am privileged to teach.”
Jake Thompson, B.A. ’24
Academic Dean, Valor Classical Academy
Grounded in the Historic Protestant Tradition
Every course is shaped by the doctrines of the Reformation and Bethlehem’s own Reformed, Christian Hedonist convictions, so classical pedagogy is never separated from a coherent, Christ-centered theology of teaching and learning.
Learn In-Person, to Form Your Students In-Person
The wisdom, virtue, and vision this degree cultivates are caught as much as they are taught. That’s why the program is built around real, in-person formation with faculty and fellow educators.
Grow as an Educator Without Leaving Your School
Delivered primarily through summer intensives, the degree lets working teachers and school leaders keep serving their students and their school year-round while deepening their capacity to teach and lead well in the classical Christian movement.
The degree combines a small required core, a Great Conversations sequence, and a wide pool of electives.
Required Core
Foundations of Classical Christian Education, Theological Vision for Lifelong Learning, Doctrine for the Classroom, and a supervised practicum in your own educational context.
Great Conversations
A sequence of seminars on Goodness, Truth, and Beauty, drawn from the great books of the Western and Christian tradition — texts worth reading not once, but many times over a lifetime.
Electives
A rotating pool of Topics in Classical Christian Education, each centered on a particular author, question, or theme, so you can shape part of the degree around what your own classroom or school needs most.
The summer intensive courses anchor the degree, each bringing you to Bethlehem’s Minneapolis campus for a season of concentrated study and formation alongside classical educators from other schools. Self-directed work, a practicum in your own school, and time for reading and reflection round out the rest of the calendar. Students can complete the full sequence in 26 months.
The first cohort begins in Summer 2027. Start your application today, and our admissions team will guide you toward starting your degree.
Yes. The degree is designed for working educators, both teachers and leaders. Most coursework happens over three summers in week-long intensive formats, and your practicum takes place in your own school or educational context.
The standard path takes 26 months, from the first summer intensive to the last.
$420 per credit hour is the current graduate tuition rate and the program is 30 total credits.
On Bethlehem’s campus in Minneapolis, at 720 13th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55404.
For students traveling from outside the Twin Cities metro, on-campus housing is available during each summer intensive at our residence halls. Students who live locally are welcome to commute instead; staying on campus is optional, not required.
The summer courses are week-long intensive classes. Each day includes morning sessions, a shared meal time, afternoon sessions, and an occasional outing or evening event.
No. Each summer course is taught in person with some reading, discussion, and preparation work done before the week-long intensive. The self-directed fall or spring courses include an in-person weekend at one of Bethlehem’s conferences. The practicum occurs in person at your own school or educational context.
A supervised, applied experience in a K–12 setting under the mentorship of a headmaster or senior colleague, in which you reflect critically on your own teaching or leadership. It takes place in your own school or educational context.
Yes, it is not a requirement to be currently teaching or leading at a classical school. Teachers at public or private schools or homeschool teachers are also welcome in the program.
Yes. We welcome teachers from all grade levels, as well as school leaders and those who are not teachers.
No specific undergraduate degree is required. We accept students with a variety of bachelor degrees.
Bethlehem College and Seminary is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education.
The first cohort begins in Summer 2027. Request information below and our admissions team will follow up.
Do you know a prospective student who might be interested in our programs? Use this form to send us their name, and we’ll do the rest.