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 four-year period.

Administration

The DMin degree is structured on a cohort model that organizes learning around short-term (generally one-week) intensive 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 intensives and sustained through online communication. The five terms of coursework span approximately two academic years; tuition payments are distributed across six terms. With one exception (Thesis Seminar), 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 will review in the student’s fourth semester. 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 Intensive Week. Student may only register with permission of the instructor. 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

Term 1 (Fall)	Term 2 (Spring)
OLDTEST 901 (Old Testament)	NEWTEST 901 (New Testament)
Cohort Course	Cohort Course
DMNISTRY 900 (Formation Seminar)	DMNISTRY 900 (Formation Seminar)
Term 3 (Summer)	Term 4 (Fall)
CHURHST 903 (Church History)	XTIANTHE 904 (Christian Theology)
Cohort Course	Cohort Course
DMNISTRY 900 (Formation Seminar)	DMNISTRY 900 (Formation Seminar)
Term 5 (Spring)	Term 6 (Summer)
DMNISTRY 901 (Thesis Seminar)	DMNISTRY 907 (Thesis Writing Phase)
Cohort Course
DMNISTRY 900 (Formation Seminar)

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 will be administratively withdrawn from the doctoral program. A student may request to have the ThM awarded within one year of the withdrawal term.

D-DIV-DMN - Doctor of Ministry

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