College of Bible & Religion

List of Programs - List of Courses

Program Descriptions

Located on two campuses—in Searcy, AR and in Memphis, TN—where the goal of education is to lead to an understanding and philosophy of life consistent with Christian ideals, the study of the Bible provides vital foundational training for becoming and growing as a Christian servant.

The Harding University Graduate School of Religion in Memphis has a separate catalog, where interested parties can obtain more information about the following programs:  Master of Arts (New Testament, Old Testament, History or Doctrine), Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry.

The College of Bible and Religion, located on the Searcy campus, offers several degree programs at the graduate level presented from a Christian perspective and worldview with the goal of equipping God’s people for effective ministry:

Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy: For more than 80 years, family values have been stressed to Harding undergraduate students. The university demonstrates its commitment even further by offering a challenging master’s program in marriage and family therapy. The goal is to provide quality training that prepares MSMFT graduates to serve as counseling ministers in congregations, as counselors in community mental health agencies, as counselors in private mental health practices, and in various other capacities in psychotherapeutic settings. Degree requirements include 60 semester hours of coursework, 100 hours of faculty supervision, and 500 hours of client contact.

Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling: Mental Health Counseling is training in basic principles and practices of development, diagnosis, treatment, proper referral and prevention of mental and emotional disorders. When promoting optimal mental health, effective utilization of DSM-IV-TR and appropriate treatment plans are basic to practice. Awareness of community programs and interdisciplinary treatment teams provide a context for consultation, collaboration and effective services. Training in mental health counseling is graduate preparation in pursuit of professional credentials for Licensed Professional Counseling. Degree requirements include 60 semester hours of coursework and 280 client contact hours.

Master of Ministry: All Christians are called to ministry. By God’s design, they are to be equipped for their ministries by certain individuals whom Christ has given to the church specifically for this purpose. It has been observed that the number of ministers equipped to serve in local congregations is declining. In recognition of this growing need for capable ministers in the church, Harding University offers the Master of Ministry, a 36-hour non-thesis program, for promoting mastery in ministry—equipping people as congregational servants who can fully participate in building up the body of Christ. Additional graduate offerings in the fields of ministry, counseling, and theology are available at our Memphis location.

Harding University’s College of Bible and Religion is located in the McInteer Building on the University campus in Searcy.

Faculty

Dean: Monte Cox, Ph.D.

Professors:
   Jerry Bowling, Ph.D.
   Joe Brumfield, Ed.D.
   Ross Cochran, Ph.D.
   Adrian Hickmon, Ph.D.
   Lewis L. Moore, Ph.D.
        Chair of Marriage and Family Therapy/Mental Health Counseling
   Ken Neller, Ph.D.
   Cheryl K. Pollard, Ed.D.
   Paul Pollard, Ph.D.
   Vann Rackley, Ph.D.
   William Richardson, D.Min.
        Director of the Center for Advanced Ministry Training
   Daniel Stockstill, Ph.D.
        Associate Dean

Associate Professors:
   Monte Cox, Ph.D.
        Dean of the College of Bible & Religion
   Justin Moore, Ph.D.
   Philip Thompson, D.Min.
   Randy Willingham, D.Min.
        Director of the Center for Spiritual Leadership

Assistant Professors:
   Tim Westbrook, M.Div.

Assisting from Other Departments:

Professor:
   Dwight Ireland, Ed.D.
   Forrest Smith, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor:
   Kelly Elander, M.A.
   Michael Jones, Ed.S.

Mission of the College of Bible and Religion Graduate Programs

The mission of the College of Bible and Religion graduate programs is to equip God’s people for effective ministry. This mission complements the mission of the College of Bible and Religion which seeks to lead all students to know, live, and share God’s Word; and to understand, love and serve God’s world through and beyond their chosen vocation. 

Currently, two master-degree programs are offered to prepare students for opportunities in counseling from a Christian perspective and worldview. The third master’s program better prepares students to serve in a variety of ministry positions within local communities and/or congregations.

The motto of Harding University is “Developing Christian Servants.” In the College of Bible and Religion we strive to ensure that every one of our graduates meets this goal. In order to accomplish this mission, we are committed to:

1. Awakening and deepening students’ faith in God, and in the Bible as the revelation of His will;
2. Motivating students to study the Bible within a context of sound interpretation;
3. Training and motivating students for service in the local church, for Christian living, and for communicating their faith to others; and
4. Training students for service in ministry settings, including preaching, missions, religious education, youth ministry, teaching the Bible in an academic setting, and vocational ministry.

Accreditation

The College of Bible and Religion is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association as part of Harding University.

College of Bible & Religion

     All Courses

Marriage and Family Therapy 

Mental Health Counseling 

Master of Ministry