30 Semester Credit Hours
Program in Development
The Master of Eddic Studies (M.E.S.) is a planned 30-semester-credit-hour graduate religious and theological degree preparing students for advanced religious scholarship, theological interpretation, teaching, ministry, and leadership within the Old Norse religious tradition through graduate study of Eddic sources, theology, ritual, ethics, religious formation, and the responsible transmission of the tradition.
The M.E.S. advances beyond undergraduate study through sustained graduate-level engagement with primary sources and scholarship, constructive theological reasoning, responsible historical and theological reconstruction, applied religious ethics and formation, ministry and teaching, and culminating graduate research.
Interpretation → Theology → Reconstruction → Formation → Ministry → Graduate Research
• Total Degree: 30 semester credit hours
• Program Structure: 6 courses × 5 credits
• HIES Residency: 30 semester credit hours / 100%
• Transfer Credit: None accepted
• Minimum Passing Course Grade: 80%
• Maximum Completion: 4 years
5 credits
Advanced graduate study of selected texts from the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and related Old Norse sources with emphasis on theological interpretation, textual transmission, translation, historical context, and religious meaning. Students critically engage primary sources and relevant scholarship while examining competing interpretations and the methodological challenges involved in deriving theological understanding from historically transmitted texts. Particular attention is given to distinguishing textual evidence, scholarly interpretation, theological reasoning, and contemporary religious application within the HIES/Hákonarætt tradition.
5 credits
Advanced graduate study of theological concepts and sacred cosmology within the Old Norse religious tradition. Students examine the Gods and divine relationships, creation and cosmic order, fate and mortality, sacred space, ancestors, landvættir, ritual and reciprocity, death and the afterlife, and the relationships among divine powers, human communities, and the ordered world. Drawing upon Eddic and related sources, students critically examine how theological understanding may be developed from historically transmitted materials while recognizing the limits, tensions, and ambiguities of the surviving evidence. Particular attention is given to the responsible articulation of theology within the contemporary HIES/Hákonarætt tradition.
5 credits
Advanced graduate study of the sources, methods, and limitations involved in the historical and theological reconstruction of the Old Norse religious tradition. Students critically examine Eddic and saga literature, historical accounts, law and custom, linguistic evidence, archaeology, material culture, and comparative evidence as sources for understanding religious belief and practice. Particular attention is given to source dating, transmission, genre, Christian-era preservation, regional and chronological variation, evidentiary limitations, and competing scholarly interpretations. Students develop methods for integrating diverse forms of evidence while maintaining clear distinctions among historical evidence, scholarly interpretation, theological reconstruction, and contemporary religious application.
5 credits
Advanced graduate study of Eddic wisdom, religious ethics, and the formation of character within the Old Norse religious tradition. Students examine honor, frith, hospitality, reciprocity, oath and obligation, courage and restraint, wisdom, reputation, responsibility, mortality, conflict, reconciliation, and communal belonging as dimensions of religious and ethical life. Particular attention is given to the application of Eddic wisdom and theological principles to religious formation, counsel, care, leadership, and responsibility within contemporary religious communities. Students critically consider the responsibilities and limits of religious leadership while distinguishing pastoral care and spiritual counsel from professional services requiring specialized licensure or clinical expertise.
5 credits
Advanced graduate study of ministry, religious education, teaching, and leadership within contemporary Old Norse religious communities. Students examine the responsibilities of religious leaders in communicating tradition, preparing and leading religious instruction, supporting ritual and seasonal observance, cultivating community life, exercising institutional stewardship, and serving individuals and families within a religious community. Particular attention is given to teaching methods, leadership ethics, communication, hospitality, conflict management, organizational responsibility, religious authority, and the responsible transmission of tradition across generations. Students integrate Eddic wisdom, theological understanding, and principles of religious formation in developing approaches to ministry and leadership appropriate to contemporary religious community life.
5 credits
Culminating graduate research course requiring sustained theological and religious scholarship in an approved area of Eddic study. Students develop an approved research question, evaluate primary and secondary sources, construct a coherent scholarly argument, and produce a 6,000–8,000-word Graduate Research Paper using Chicago Notes and Bibliography. The project must demonstrate advanced research, theological interpretation, source evaluation, and clear distinctions among historical evidence, scholarly interpretation, theological reconstruction, and contemporary religious application.
MES 501 through MES 505 each contain five graded assessments: three graduate examinations and two graduate papers. Each assessment represents 20% of the final course grade.
Graduate paper requirements:
MES 501–502: approximately 1,500–2,000 words per paper
MES 503–504: approximately 2,000–2,500 words per paper
MES 505: approximately 2,500–3,000 words per paper
Graduate examinations are ordinarily 50 questions, open-book, and limited to 90 minutes. A minimum final course grade of 80% is required to successfully complete each M.E.S. course and advance to the next course.
Formal graduate writing uses Chicago Notes and Bibliography unless otherwise directed.
Upon successful completion of the Master of Eddic Studies, graduates will demonstrate competency in:
1. Advanced Eddic Interpretation — Interpret Eddic texts using appropriate historical, literary, theological, and comparative methods.
2. Old Norse Theology — Articulate major theological themes within the Old Norse religious tradition, including cosmology, divine-human relationships, sacred order, fate, and religious obligation.
3. Historical-Theological Integration — Integrate historical evidence, primary sources, and modern scholarship while distinguishing historical reconstruction from theological interpretation and contemporary application.
4. Religious Ethics & Formation — Apply Eddic and Old Norse religious teachings to questions of ethics, character, responsibility, community, and religious formation.
5. Teaching, Ministry & Religious Leadership — Communicate and apply advanced Eddic and theological knowledge in religious education, ministry, pastoral responsibility, and leadership contexts.
6. Graduate Research & Theological Scholarship — Conduct independent graduate-level research using appropriate primary and secondary sources, scholarly methods, and formal academic writing.
Weighted assessments:
Research Proposal & Question — 10%
Annotated Bibliography & Source Review — 15%
Research Outline & Argument Development — 15%
Final Graduate Research Paper — 60%
The 6,000–8,000-word Final Graduate Research Paper must independently earn at least 80% for successful completion of MES 506. There is no oral defense requirement.
Admission to the M.E.S. requires an earned bachelor's degree from an appropriately accredited or recognized institution together with sufficient preparation for graduate Eddic theological study.
HIES B.E.S. graduates with a minimum cumulative HIES average of 80% qualify for direct M.E.S. admission. Applicants holding a recognized bachelor's degree from another institution receive an academic review. Applicants whose prior preparation is unrelated, insufficient, or uncertain may be required to successfully complete the noncredit HIES Graduate Foundations Examination before beginning MES 501.
Sequential Course Completion:
MES 501 → MES 502 → MES 503 → MES 504 → MES 505 → MES 506
Students must successfully complete each course before advancing to the next course.
• Complete all 30 semester credit hours
• Complete all 30 credits through HIES
• No transfer credit
• Successfully complete each required M.E.S. course
• Meet the 80% graduate passing standard in each course
• Successfully complete MES 506 and its required Graduate Research Paper
• Satisfy applicable academic-integrity and institutional requirements
• Complete the degree within the four-year maximum completion period
• Resolve outstanding institutional and financial obligations before degree conferral
Completion of the Master of Eddic Studies does not constitute ordination, confer the religious office of Gothi, or guarantee recognition for religious leadership within Hákonarætt Fellowship. Religious office and ordination are governed separately by Hákonarætt Fellowship.