Doctor of Ministry

Program Code: D-DIV-DMN
Degree Designation: Doctor of Ministry
Department: Divinity School
Website: divinity.duke.edu/academics/dmin

Program Summary

The DMin offers theological education on scripture, engagement with the living Christian tradition, and attention to and reflection on contemporary contexts in order to provide formation for leaders of faithful Christian ministries. Because the degree is designed to promote rigorous and imaginative reflection on the practice of ministry and to enhance the critical skills of persons engaged in the leadership of congregations or church-related institutions, a central feature of the degree is its integration of practical ministerial experience with structured theological reflection.

Through study and engagement within this program, students will be able to:

• Read and exegete Scripture and the great texts of the Christian tradition for the purpose of preaching and teaching the gospel with clarity, power, and reverence.

• Think theologically and critically about the doctrines and practices of the church and about the world in which the church finds itself, in ways that are both faithful to the historic ecclesial traditions and responsive to the challenges of our time.

• Act with compassion and effectiveness in leading Christian ministries of worship, preaching, education, and formation in service to and transformation of the world.

• Cultivate personal and spiritual maturity for the purpose of strengthening vocational clarity.

Academic Requirements

• DMNISTRY 901 (Introduction to Christian Leadership)

• NEWTEST 901 (The New Testament and Christian Leadership)

• DMNISTRY 903 (Strategy: Forming and Implementing Vision)

• XTIANTHE 904 (Theology of Christian Leadership)

• DMNISTRY 907 (Thesis Project Writing Phase)

• Cohort Courses (complete one)

  • Missional Innovation: Take at least 6 courses from the following subject codes: PARISH, WXTIAN

  • Leadership (complete all)

    • CHURHST 903 (Ecclesial Leadership: An Historical Perspective)

    • DMNISTRY 902 (Preaching: Understanding and Interpreting Context)

    • DMNISTRY 904 (Communication: Inspiring and Guiding Change)

    • DMNISTRY 905 (Integration: Sustaining and Strengthening Mission)

    • DMNISTRY 906 (The Doctor of Ministry Thesis Seminar)

    • OLDTEST 901 (Old Testament and Leadership)

• Spiritual Formation: Repeat DMNISTRY 900 at least 5 times

• Portfolio

• Thesis

• CGPA greater than or equal to 3.0

The requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry are:

• fifteen courses completed in no less than two academic years (the DMin degree is not eligible for credit transfer);

• the completion and committee approval of a substantial written thesis;

• compilation of a portfolio to be reviewed by an academic advisor;

• the maintenance of a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0; and

• completion of all requirements for the degree within a maximum six-year period.

Administration

The DMin degree is structured on a cohort model that organizes learning around short-term (generally one-week) immersive residential seminars in conjunction with ongoing group interaction facilitated by online tools. Each residential seminar will be followed by a period utilizing structured synchronous and asynchronous classrooms during which students will engage one another and faculty on a weekly basis. The structured character of the synchronous and asynchronous classrooms includes assignments that require students both to integrate course material with the ecclesial practices that are part of their daily work and to do so in conversation with the community of peers formed during the residential immersive weeks and sustained through online communication. The five terms of coursework span approximately two academic years; tuition payments are distributed across six terms. With the exception of the Thesis Seminar and Formation courses, DMin students will take all courses for a letter grade. DMin study concludes with a period of independent research and writing, one to two years in length, culminating in the production of a substantial written thesis. As a means to exhibit growth and understanding of theological reflection, every DMin student will compile a student portfolio that a faculty member or member of the DMIN Oversight Committee will review in the student’s fifth term. Both the portfolio and the faculty member’s final evaluation are submitted to the academic dean.

After their first year of study, Doctor of Ministry students may elect to substitute one directed study class for a cohort course. This may be an enhanced class within the Duke Divinity School Curriculum or a directed study with a regular rank faculty member. Students must apply to the Director of the Program for permission no later than two months before the upcoming immersive week. Electives are expected to involve reading and study that are congruent with the level of study required by other courses in the Doctor of Ministry Program. This course cannot replace the required Formation Seminar (DMNISTRY 900).

Recommended DMin Curricular Paradigm

Continuation Requirements

The progress of all students is reviewed at the end of every semester by the Academic Policies Committee. The following are the continuation requirements for the DMin degree program:

• The student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. A student who falls below this level is dismissed.

• The student must demonstrate progress in the program by completing courses. A student who has three or more unresolved incompletes or a pattern of multiple withdrawals may, at the discretion of the academic dean, be dismissed, placed on an involuntary leave of absence until the incomplete work is resolved, or asked to participate in a limited program.

• DMin students who have registered for the required courses and have completed all coursework except the thesis must register for Thesis Continuation (CONTDIV 503) each term until they complete all the requirements for the program.

• Except for extenuating circumstances, students who have completed the course requirements but have failed to complete the thesis by the end of the fourth year of writing will be administratively withdrawn from the doctoral program. A student may request to have the ThM awarded within one year of the withdrawal term.