211 Graduate Ashley Carlton Bradon Bass Gabriel Braghetto Otero Jessica Davis Kinley Schnell Maddie Adams Marlee Schaife Mason Spivy Graduate students Malachi Brown and Aidan Broome complete the Masters of Divinity (M.Div) graduate program the Harding School of Theology in Memphis. An advantage of being a student at Harding University meant you had access to some of the best graduate programs in specific fields. Harding’s graduate programs include tracts in education, nursing and Bible. The Masters of Divinity (M.Div) was a newer graduate program that intrigued many undergraduate Bible majors. Students Malachi Brown and Aidan Broome join the M.Div program while still completing their bachelor's degrees. Both students spent their senior year participating in the master’s program, meaning they traveled to Harding’s School of Theology in Memphis, which was the campus where the master classes took place, multiple times a week. Even with the challenging schedule, Broome and Brown voiced how the master’s has bettered them as Christians and students. “It has stretched my capacity to focus both on reading and problem-solving,” Brown said. “With the increased attention to detail and the nearconstant reading, it is also much more difficult to keep my studies and my faith separate.” The rigorous change of pace and the depth of material brought challenges, but it also brought growth and a desire to learn for Broome. He stated that he was able to explore faith in a way he hadn’t gotten to before. The classes prepared him for big questions and gave him a foundation of knowledge for his future plans to teach. “So far, many of the classes I've taken have forced me to look at pieces of my faith that I hadn't before,” Broome said. “For example, last semester I wrote a paper on ancient Muslim-Christian interactions. I also got to write a personal history of my home congregation.” The M.Div program provided both Brown and Broome with extensive opportunities to grow and a very unique experience for their final years at Harding. Dr. Steve McLeod, a professor at Harding School of Theology, shared the benefits and purpose of one obtaining a M.Div degree. “I think the program is great for students who know that they want to major in Bible and go on to do master's work,” McLeod said. “It helps to accelerate them toward their goals so that they can enter the ministry more quickly. The program should be a blessing to them and to the churches that they serve.” McLeod said that this master’s program helped students prepare for a life of ministry in varying capacities. Broome and Brown both had distinctive plans for after graduating with their two degrees. “I hope to do hospital chaplaincy, and then at some point, get a higher degree and teach at the university level,” Brown said. “It is difficult to plan for things in the field of ministry, so don't be surprised if I am a youth minister, preacher or English teacher on my way to those, if chaplaincy and teaching are indeed what God wants me to do with this degree.” Brown planned to become a university teacher or a hospital chaplain. He thought that the M.Div would set him on a good path to accomplishing those desires, but also understood that it was going to be God’s plan. Similar to Brown, Broome had a distinct idea of the route he wanted to take his masters. “Right now I am looking at jobs as a high school Bible teacher,” Broome said. “I'd love to get a PhD once my M.Div is over, but we'll see what life has in store.” Both students were excited for what the future held, and more importantly, excited for the opportunity to share God’s word. Both students were honored that they were able to participate in the M.Div program. They loved how it challenged them to think beyond the confines of the undergraduate classes and provided them an experience they couldn’t get anywhere else. Written by Hallie Davis “It has stretched my capacity to focus both on reading and problem-solving. With the increased attention to detail and the near-constant reading, it is also much more difficult to keep my studies and my faith separate.” – Malachi Brown
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