MASTER OF ARTS, PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
We Believe That Philosophy Involves the Passionate Pursuit of Truth, Along with Goodness and Beauty, for the Sake of Christ.
At Palm Beach Atlantic University, the rigorous study of philosophy therefore moves us to pursue wisdom and knowledge for human flourishing. If you are also captivated by this vision for the pursuit of truth, then we invite you to join our dynamic community at PBA. Fueled by the conviction that all truth finds its source in Christ, the Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion degree (MAPR) aims to prepare you for making an impact in His kingdom in three ways:
An Innovative Degree for the 21st Century Christian Leader
• Strong emphasis on public philosophy that engages thoughtfully with culture
• Vibrant learning community with small, in- person classes throughout the program
• Rigorous philosophical training, exploring a wide variety of topics in religion, theology, ethics, science, culture and art from a Christian perspective
• Affordable tuition, with scholarships and graduate student worker opportunities
• Cutting-edge education from top-tier Christian philosophers with strong ministry experience
• Solid foundation for further postgraduate studies in leading research universities
Learn from leading Christian philosophers who are dynamic teachers and caring mentors with a strong record of academic publishing.
Take classes such as:
- Philosophy of Religion
- Philosophical Theology
- Metaphysics
- Public Philosophy
- Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy and Literature
MASTER OF ARTS, PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION FACULTY
Full-time Faculty
Dr. Paul Gould
Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Director of the M.A. Philosophy of Religion program
Dr. Gould is the author or editor of ten scholarly and popular-level books including Cultural Apologetics, Philosophy: A Christian Introduction (Zondervan, 2019) and The Story of the Cosmos (Harvest House, 2019). He has been a visiting scholar at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School’s Henry Center, working on the intersection of science and faith, and is the founder and president of the Two Tasks Institute. He is a widely sought after speaker in apologetics and philosophy. He speaks regularly at universities, churches, and ministries around the country, including Summit Ministries, the C.S. Lewis Institute, and the Evangelical Philosophical Society’s annual apologetics conference. You can find out more about Dr. Gould and his work at www.paul–gould.com and https://www.twotasksinstitute.
EDUCATION: B.A., Miami University (Ohio); M.A., Talbot School of Theology; Ph.D., Purdue University.
Dr. Paul Copan
Professor of Philosophy and Ethics; Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics
Paul Copan is the author and editor of over 30 books, including True for You, But Not for Me (Bethany House); That’s Just Your Interpretation; How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong?; When God Goes to Starbucks and Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God (all with Baker); Loving Wisdom: Christian Philosophy of Religion (Chalice Press); and A Little Book for New Philosophers (IVP Academic).
He has co-authored Creation Out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (Baker Academic), An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom (IVP Academic), The Gospel in the Marketplace of Ideas (IVP Academic), and Did God Really Command Genocide? (Baker). He has co-edited three books on the historical Jesus and three other books in the philosophy of religion, The Rationality of Theism (Routledge), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion (Routledge), and Philosophy of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Issues (Blackwell). He has co-edited (with William Craig) Passionate Conviction and Contending with Christianity’s Critics, and Come Let Us Reason (all with B&H Academic), and he is coeditor of The Zondervan Dictionary of Christianity and Science. He has contributed to over 30 books, and he has written many articles and book reviews for various professional and popular journals.
For six years he served as the president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, he has been a visiting scholar at Oxford University, and he regularly speaks on university campuses, at conferences, and to church groups. Paul and his wife, Jacqueline, have six children, and they reside in West Palm Beach, Florida.
EDUCATION: B.A., Columbia International University; M.A., M.Div., Trinity International University; Ph.D., Marquette University.
Dr. Brandon Rickabaugh
Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Research Scholar on Public Philosophy, Palm Beach Atlantic University
Dr. Rickabaugh has publications in various academic journals and books with Oxford University Press and Willey-Blackwell. He has been a Research Fellow at Baylor University for the Accountability as a Relational Virtue Project, a Graduate Fellow in neuroscience for the SCP Science Cross-Training Grant with the John Templeton Foundation. He is currently the Franz Brentano Fellow in the Metaphysics of Mind at The Martin Institute.
Dr. Rickabaugh’s dissertation, The Conscious Mind Unified (co-directed by Alexander Pruss and Timothy O’Connor) received the philosophy department’s Outstanding Dissertation of the Year award. He was named Top 40 Most Impactful Faculty at Baylor University (2018-2019) by the student body. He has given talks at universities in the US and UK, including Oxford, Durham, UC Davis, UT Austin, CU Boulder, and Yale.
Dr. Rickabaugh’s academic work focuses on the nature of consciousness and how it informs our understanding of human nature, the nature and activity of God, and human flourishing. In the broadest sense, his work seeks to understand what unifies ultimate reality and human persons. He also engages public-facing philosophy exploring how the nature of consciousness and human persons relate to emerging technologies in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and neuroscience.
Dr. Rickabaugh is the recipient of a generous $200,000 research grant to further his work in public-facing philosophy and to finish three book projects over the next two years. Brandon and his wife, Laura, have three children.
Find out more about Dr. Rickabaugh and his work at more at www.brandonrickabaugh.com
EDUCATION: BA, University of California, Irvine; MA, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; PhD., Baylor University.
Visiting Faculty
Dr. R.T Mullins
Visiting Professor of Philosophy of Religion, Palm Beach Atlantic University
Dr. R.T. Mullins has published over 40 essays on various topics in philosophical theology related to models of God, philosophy of time, personal identity, the problem of evil, disability theology, the Trinity, and the incarnation. He has published three books, The End of the Timeless God (Oxford University Press, 2016), God and Emotion (Cambridge University Press, 2020), and Dios, las Escrituras y las Emociones (Universidad Peruana Union Press, 2021). He is also the co-editor for the Cascade series Studies in the Doctrine of God. Mullins has held research and teaching fellowships at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Cambridge, the University of St Andrews, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Helsinki, and the University of Lucerne. He is a member of different research groups across the UK and Europe such as the Society for the Philosophy of Time, and Emotion and Religion. He is a regularly invited speaker on different YouTube channels and podcasts. He even hosts his own podcast called The Reluctant Theologian. When not engaging in philosophical theology, he is often found at a metal show. You can find out more about his work at rtmullins.com.
Education: B.S., Point University; MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; PhD, University of St Andrews.
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CAREER OUTCOMES
- Professor or teacher in philosophy, theology, or related fields
- Minister in church or parachurch setting
- Leader in public sector or non-profit ministries
SCHOLARSHIPS
Various need-based scholarships available
Graduate student worker opportunities
PROGRAM DETAILS
The Master of Arts, Philosophy of Religion is a 36 credit-hour degree. Residential students can complete this degree in as few as two years. Non- residential students (requiring separate approval and periodic study weeks on campus) can complete the degree in as few as three years.
Estimated tuition for the Master of Arts, Philosophy of Religion is $22,072. The cost of tuition is based on 36 credit hours needed to complete the degree at $580 per credit and a resource fee of $298 per semester.
Financial aid may include work study programs and student loans. Students must apply for financial aid each year at www.fafsa.ed.gov to determine eligibility. Contact finaid@pba.edu with all financial questions.
Classes are available on-campus in West Palm Beach and also as a hybrid platform, combining synchronous online with periodic study weeks in West Palm Beach.
OUR STUDENTS
Raul Andrés Castañeda Aguilar
Student
Degrees: BSc in Economics, BSc in Finance and International Trade, M.Sc in Economics-Universidad del Rosario (Bogota, Colombia), M.A. Apologetics – Biola University
Interests: Ethics, Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy
Tripp Almon
Student
Degrees: B.S. Education – University of Georgia
Interests: Philosophy, Apologetics, Worldview
Austin Avery
Student
Degrees: B.A.- Humanities w/ minor in Philosophy—Scarborough College
Interests: Apologetics, ethics, philosophy of mind, Aesthetics
Joseph Bradley
Student
Degrees: B.S. in Business Administration – Middle Georgia State University, Master of Theological Studies and M.A. in Christian Apologetics – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Interests: Transcendental Arguments, Philosophy and Culture, and Philosophical Theology
Christian Breud
Student
Degrees: B.S. Ministry Leadership – Southeastern University (Lakeland), M.A. Christian Studies (PBA, in progress)
Interests: Analytical Theology, Logic, Apologetics
Thomas Doane
Student
Degrees: B.A. Theological Studies-Wayland Baptist University
Interests: Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
Website: https://pba.academia.edu/ThomasDoane
Andrew Drinkard
Student
Degrees: B.S. in Criminal Justice – Pensacola Christian College, M.A. in Christian Apologetics – Liberty University
Interests: Philosophical Theology, Ethics, Apologetics
Timothy Fisher
Student
Degrees: B.A. Theology – The Baptist College of Florida
Interests: Cultural Apologetics, Philosophy of Mind, Integration of Philosophy/Apologetics with Pastoral Ministry
Courtney Gray
Student
Degrees: MDiv-Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, ThM Philosophy- SWBTS
Interests: Philosophy of Beauty, Philosophical Theology,
Jeremy Huntington
Student
Degrees: B.A. in Liberal Arts, with concentrations in Theology and Philosophy, University of St. Thomas (Houston, TX)
Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Philosophical Theology
Zackary Kralik
Student
Degrees: B.A. Biblical and Theological Studies – Palm Beach Atlantic University, MDIv- Palm Beach Atlantic University
Interests: Philosophy of language, Ethics, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Action, Philosophical Theology
Kevin Lawson
Student
Degrees: B.S.E. Electrical Engineering- University of Michigan, M.S.E. Electrical Engineering- University of Michigan, M.Ed. Mathematics Education- Wayne State University, M.A. Theological Studies- Ashland Theological Seminary, Ph.D. Applied Statistics, Evaluation, and Research- Wayne State University
Interests: African American Secularism, Urban Apologetics, Philosophy of Religion, Theology, and Spiritual Formation, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity
Francois Meek
Student
Degrees: Bachelor of Theology- Bethel Bible College of the Caribbean, M.A. Apologetics- Luther Rice College & Seminary
Interests: History of philosophy, philosophy of history, philosophy of science, philosophical theology, philosophy of mathematics
Andrew Mercantini
Student
Degrees: B.A. Politics, Philosophy, and Economics-Palm Beach Atlantic University
Interests: Aesthetics, Logic
Lucas Merritt
Student
Degrees: B.S. Biology- University of Texas at Dallas
Interests: Philosophy of Biology, History and Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics
Matthew Mittelberg
Student
Degrees: B.A. Entrepreneurial Business-Grand Canyon University, Certificate of Theological Studies -Oxford University
Interests: Apologetics, Free will, Miracles
Micah Neighbors
Student
Degrees: B.A. Public and Nonprofit Administration – Florida Atlantic University
Interests: Metaphysics, Apologetics, Philosophy in Literature
Gabriel Pagel
Student
Degrees: B.A. Media Studies- Azusa Pacific University, M.A. Christian Apologetics- Biola University
Interests: Apologetics, Metaphysics
Giovanni Pantaleo
Student
Degrees: B.A. Philosophy- Tyndale University
Interests: Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mind, Bioethics
Elli Patterson
Student
Degrees: BS-Integrated Ministry Studies–The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago
Interests: Philosophical Theology, Logic, History, Apologetics, & Worldview
Juan Reyes-Zayas
Student
Degrees: B.A. Philosophy-University of Puerto Rico, B.S. Information Technology-University of Puerto Rico, M.A. Christian Apologetics- Biola University
Interests: Philosophy of Religion, Free Will
Ibby Rios
Student
Degrees: B.A. Elementary Education- University of Valley Forge, M.Ed. Educational Leadership- Temple University, M.Ed. Instructional Technology- Loyola University of Maryland
Interests: Christian philosophy, Logic, Apologetics, Education
Anna Ruth
Student
Degrees: B.A. in Biblical Studies and TESOL – Huntington University
Interests: Philosophy of Religion, Theology, and Culture
Travis Satterfield
Student
Degrees: B.A. Biblical Studies and History- The Crown College of the Bible, M.S. Educational Leadership- Pensacola Christian College
Interests: History of Philosophy, Transcendental Arguments for the Existence of God (TAG), Culture
Parker Settecase
Student
Degrees: B.S. Kinesiology- Northern Illinois University, M.A. Theological Studies- Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, M.A. Systematic Theology- Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language, The Simulation Hypothesis
Websites: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYbTRurpFP5q4TpDD_P2JDA