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Master of Divinity (Spiritual Formation)

Overview

The Master of Divinity with a concentration in Spiritual Formation is an innovative Master of Divinity degree program that prepares you for pastoral leadership with a specialty in spiritual direction and soul care.

Offered through Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation (ISF), the program addresses the growing need for pastors to help their churches understand the process of spiritual growth and to experience spiritual transformation in their lives. This M.Div. program combines traditional seminary training with a full curriculum in spiritual formation and soul care, which includes supervised training in spiritual direction and other co-curricular requirements such as therapy, personal retreats and the Intensive Journey Inward Retreat, a three-week extended retreat in solitude or partial isolation with supervision from a spiritual guide.

  • Prepare for Servant Leadership. The Master of Divinity with a concentration in Spiritual Formation unites the core of Talbot’s seminary program and the Institute for Spiritual Formation’s specialized training in spiritual direction and soul care. This program offers all the biblical knowledge and training in practical ministry you need, as well as a full curriculum in spiritual formation. Through your experiences in and out of the classroom, you will be well-equipped to step into your role as a spiritual leader for your congregation.
  • Preach and Teach with Spiritual Formation in View. You will be trained and equipped to integrate spiritual formation into your ministry of preaching and teaching, in addition to other church ministries. As a Master of Divinity student in ISF, you also have the privilege of taking a course on Prayer and Formation in Expository Preaching to complement your preaching class. You will be enabled to take what you have learned and personally experienced and translate it into practical ministry for your church.
  • Learn to Counsel and Care for Others. The role of a pastor involves counseling and care for congregants. You will receive a specialized training from ISF, which is designed along the lines of an apprentice training model to facilitate personal growth and readiness to provide others spiritual direction. Your training takes place both in and outside the classroom, from the history of soul care to a practicum that gives opportunity to practice empathic listening and relational skills to help develop and nurture a deep community.
  • Gain Experience Under the Care of Expert Practitioners. Take what you’ve learned and translate it into practical ministry with the help of expert faculty and professional spiritual directors. This program provides you with the opportunity to receive and offer spiritual guidance through Talbot’s Center for Spiritual Renewal, a training center for ISF students where spiritual direction is available to Biola students, the community and beyond. Master of Divinity students have the option of completing two semesters of the soul care practicum or two semesters of a field internship.

For more reasons to choose Talbot School of Theology for your education, see the Why Talbot? page.

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Courses

What will I study as a Master of Divinity (Spiritual Formation) student?

Each of Talbot School of Theology’s Master of Divinity programs include a core of biblical and theological foundation courses, a sequence of Hebrew and Greek, training in preaching and counseling, and an area of ministry specialization.

The concentration in Spiritual Formation includes both in-depth theoretical and integrative coursework, employing such disciplines as theology, philosophy, psychology and education as well as experiential-relational soul work in classes and co-curricular requirements to aid in understanding the spiritual life mentoring. Because the program is experiential and theoretical in nature with respect to spiritual growth and the dynamic processes involved, it draws upon an interdisciplinary faculty from both Talbot and Rosemead School of Psychology.

In addition to coursework, you’ll also participate in several co-curricular activities required of all ISF students.


Admissions & Deadlines

As a Christian institution, Biola seeks to admit applicants whose backgrounds clearly demonstrate scholarly aptitude, a commitment to the historic Christian faith, personal character and integrity, and a positive service-oriented motivation toward their field of study. Biola does not discriminate on the basis of the applicant's race, color, sex, socio-economic status, disability, or national or ethnic origin.

Note: Participation in the graduate programs in spiritual formation presumes a certain degree of ministry or life experience and personal maturity. This is particularly true of the M.A. in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, which is not only an academic degree, but involves applied ministry where life experience and relational skills involved in spiritual direction are crucial. It is also our aim to keep the faculty-student ratio lower than in typical seminary programs. Thus, application consideration will be based on weighing the following factors:

  • Ministry and life experience
  • Personal preparedness for a growth journey
  • Perception of calling and giftedness for ministry in spiritual formation and soul care

 

Education and GPA Requirements

  • You must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution by the time you plan to start coursework at Biola, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
  • Note: If you do not meet the degree or GPA requirements above, you may still be considered for admission. Please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions office at graduate.admissions@biola.edu. If you are an international student, contact grad.international@biola.edu.

English Proficiency Requirements

  • If English is not your first language, you are required to display your English proficiency before admittance into a Biola University graduate program. See “English Proficiency” in the application steps section below.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Semester
    • General: April 1
    • International Students: April 1
  • Spring Semester
    • General: October 15
    • International Students: October 1

Visit Biola

Explore our sunny Southern California campus in person or virtually. Learn more about your program of interest and the admissions process by scheduling an appointment with an admissions counselor.

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Meet Your Admissions Counselor

If you have more questions about the program, admissions process or Biola in general, schedule a phone call or send an email to your admissions counselor.

Graduate Admissions Counselor

Photo of Arianna Kokol
Arianna Kokol

Email: arianna.kokol@biola.edu
Text or Call: (562) 564-6688
Book a Phone or Virtual Appointment

International Graduate Admissions Counselor

The Office of International Admissions serves students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

Email: grad.international@biola.edu
Book a Phone or Virtual Appointment

Application Steps

  1. Complete and submit the online application

  2. Submit a non-refundable $65 application fee

  3. Submit supplemental application materials through your online application portal:

  4. Official Transcripts

    • Submit all official transcripts from previous academic institutions.
      • Request official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
      • If enrolled at the time the application is filed, be sure to request transcripts of work finished to date and final transcripts upon completion of your course of study.
      • Transcripts will be considered official only when a) mailed directly from the institution to Biola, b) sent electronically through an approved vendor or c) physically delivered in an untampered envelope sealed by the institution. Final approval for admission is contingent on receiving an official transcript.
        • Mail transcripts to:
          Biola University Office of Graduate Admissions
          13800 Biola Avenue, La Mirada, CA 90639
    • Note for International Students: All international transcripts need U.S. grade equivalencies noted (i.e. GPA on a 4.0 scale). If your transcripts do not show U.S. grade equivalencies, you must have them evaluated by a credential evaluation agency like SpanTran (Biola Discount), World Education Services (WES) or Foundation for International Services (FIS). Be sure to choose "course by course report" and have SpanTran/WES/FIS send them directly to Biola University via online portal or post (13800 Biola Ave, La Mirada, CA 90639) in order to be considered official.

    Three Reference Letters

    • Pastoral reference
    • Character reference (someone in a leadership role in your life)
    • Reference form relating to your personal spiritual formation from the same pastor or character reference above
    • Note: Additional instructions can be found in the online application.

    Four Essays

    • Christian testimony
    • Essay demonstrating understanding of spiritual formation and goal of graduate study
    • Personal essay addressing how studying spiritual formation will impact your life
    • Biography of your personal spiritual development
    • Note: The essay prompts can be found in the online application.

    English Proficiency (required for non-native English speakers)

    • Evidence of English proficiency is required for all students to support student success. Proficiency must be shown through one of the methods described below:
      • Minimum test score on a qualifying standardized test
        • TOEFL: minimum score of 100 iBT
        • IELTS: minimum score of 7.5
        • Duolingo: minimum score of 125
      • A degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral) issued by an institution where English is the medium of instruction.
        • Official written communication from the institution (Registrar, Controller of Examinations Office, or Undergraduate College)
        • Official degree statements or transcripts may be accepted given English is stated as the medium of instruction
        • Official catalog verification
        • Note: For universities from non-Anglophone countries, further language assessment may be required.
      • Completion of the English Language Scholars (ELS) with passing status on the ELS's final exit exam, which must be approved by the ELS Director in collaboration with the academic program committee. An updated TOEFL or IELTS score may be used at the end of a term to test directly into the graduate program for the following term.
      • Qualify for English Language Scholars (ELS), which allows students who do not meet the minimum TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores to still enroll in their graduate degree program. Students would be taking academic English courses concurrently with the graduate degree program courses. 
        • Students eligible for ELS will be assessed by the ELS Director to determine the total number of academic English courses to take while enrolled in their graduate program courses. The following are the scores needed to qualify for ELS: TOEFL iBT 90 / IELTS 7.0 / Duolingo 110–124.
        • Note: Students must be admitted to the graduate program first to be considered for ELS.
  5. Successful candidates are required to participate in a personal interview following the submission of their initial application

  6.  

    Additional Forms

     

    Things to Note

    • Track your application status at any time. You do not have to complete the application in one sitting. You can complete a portion and finish at a later time. Your information will be saved. When you apply, to guarantee confidentiality, you will be asked to create a user name and a password, and will receive a personalized identification number. Track your application status by logging in to the online application.
    • Official documents presented for admission or evaluation become part of the student’s academic file and normally cannot be returned or copied for distribution.
    • International students who will be studying on campus are required to apply for an F-1 student visa. For more information, visit biola.edu/international/admitted-students.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Biola is committed to help make your studies affordable — each school offers different scholarship, grant and loan opportunities to help finance your education.

Cost Per Credit (2025‑26) $730
Full-time Tuition Per Term (Estimated) Based on 9 credit courseload$6,570
Part-time Tuition Per Term (Estimated) Based on 3 credit courseload$2,190
Total Program Tuition (Estimated) Based on total program credits and 2025‑26 cost per credit$57,670

Faculty


Format

On Campus: You'll study in person at Biola University's campus in Southern California.

Hybrid (On Campus and Online): This program includes a blend of course formats, including online and in person at Biola University's Southern California campus.

Total Credits

Every program at Biola University features rigorous academics, biblically integrated curriculum and vocational preparation.

Cost per Credit

This is the cost per credit; total tuition costs for each term will differ for part-time and full-time students.

Standard Completion Time

This indicates the standard duration of this program. Completion time may vary depending on transferred coursework and preferred courseload.

Accreditation

Biola University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Additional accreditations may apply to specific programs.