Bachelor of Arts in Theology

at Concordia University, St. Paul USA

The Church Music major develops students into well-rounded church musicians, preparing them for careers as music professionals in a Christian worship setting.  It enjoys all of the opportunities in Concordia's Music program, but also provides these additional features:

• There are organ, choral, piano, guitar, instrumental, composition, and self-designed tracks, thus equipping students to lead both traditional liturgies and contemporary worship formats.
• Each track shares the core musicianship (music theory/analysis/writing/ear-training/keyboard harmony) and music history courses. Private lessons and ensembles applicable to each track are also part of the core.
• Each track has specialized courses, culminating in a senior project/recital in the track.
• The program culminates in recital performance in the student's chosen track(s) and an internship in a metro area church.
• Students may add Director of Parish Music Certification by completing the Lutheran Theology minor, compiling a portfolio, and passing entrance and exit interviews with the Department of Theology and Ministry. This leads to rostered church worker status as a Commissioned Minister in The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

With several tracks available, the Church Music Major at Concordia allows students to pursue music ministry in the area that best suits their interests and talents.

The Sport Psychology major focuses on current psychology and kinesiology applications as foundational concepts in sport psychology. Students learn sport and psychological theory and have numerous opportunities to bridge theory into practical applications. This degree prepares students for careers in injury rehabilitation, fitness/wellness centers, coaching, and health and wellness education. The program also serves as preparation for post-baccalaureate study in areas such as sport psychology and sport management.

In the business program, students will learn to think about the overall picture of a business’s operations and how it interacts with larger market forces. A business management major at Concordia St. Paul will develop business skills in leadership, team-building, and project management. They will explore core business principles in marketing, finance, management, law, economics, and accounting with an emphasis on international perspectives and ethics.

Students studying business management develop crucial business skills in project management, team-building, HR management, and negotiations to enter the broad field of management. Using core business principles in marketing, finance, management, economics and entrepreneurship, develop a personal management style, learn motivation tactics, and utilize strategic planning skills with an emphasis on ethics. Investigate various dimensions of business decisions by delving into case studies and working as a consultant with area businesses to develop strategies for competitive advantage and growth.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology encourages students to develop lifelong skills in scientific thinking and understanding human thought, behavior, and interaction. Classroom learning in combination with a research-focused internship experience will prepare students to enter a career of choice, medical school, or graduate school.

Biology majors develop a strong foundation in biology by exploring cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, chemistry, evolutionary theory, scientific methodology, and laboratory techniques in our core curriculum.  Students then have the opportunity to tailor their degree with various electives including immunology, microbiology, human anatomy and physiology, and human gross anatomy, in which students have access to a human cadaver lab. The coursework pushes students to sharpen their critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and laboratory skills.

This program is designed to prepare students for service in a ministry setting (with an option for certification as a Director of Christian Education or Outreach for LCMS students). Students will gain an understanding of Christian and Lutheran doctrine, beliefs, teachings, history, practices, ethics, church organization and strategy, vocation, and outreach. Upon completion of this program, students will recognize their personal identity in Christ, the broader ministry of the Gospel, and their philosophy of ministry.

The major in theology is designed to prepare students who plan to attend seminary and pursue a master’s of divinity or other advanced theological degree. The core required courses introduce students to biblical studies, Lutheran theology, philosophy, and church history. Students are encouraged but not required to study biblical Greek and Hebrew and can choose from a variety of theology electives that are of interest to them. Although the degree emphasizes Lutheran doctrine, students from any Christian tradition planning to attend seminary will be well prepared by completing this major.

This program is designed to prepare students for creative professions like graphic design and other communications-related fields that rely on visual imagery. Students will gain an understanding of design theories and practices related to production in all areas of graphic design for traditional and emerging digital media. Upon completion of the program, students will have advanced craft, theory, process, and technical skills, and the ability to produce thoughtful and informed work in such areas as institutional branding and identity, new media, web development and interactivity, package design, publication design, advertising, illustration, signage and exhibition design, sustainability, spirituality, or social change.

Our expert faculty are prepared to help you analyze testing techniques, use open-source R and Python to program data analytics capabilities, identify numerical optimization in linear programming, and give you all the practice you need with tools like Hadoop, Spark, and Splunk.

With CSP’s data analytics degree, you will be ready with skills to gather and store big data in a high-salaried role. Employers are on the hunt for pros with your skillset.

Within the program you will analyze various testing techniques such as hypothesis testing, two sample and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests, chi-square tests, simple linear regression, and multiple regression. Learn how to utilize an open-source R statistical package plus Python to program data analytics capabilities.

Other key skills you’ll focus on are Identifying statistical graphic simulations and numerical optimization in linear programming. You’ll also explore designing a decision support system (DSS) using object-oriented technologies.