Program Structure
The DMin program is based on a collaborative learning model that places great emphasis on building relationships with and among students and faculty to create formational learning communities. The program is built on the conviction that deep, transformative learning happens best when it is practical in focus, rooted in community, and connected to real needs in a specific ministry context. The goal of the program is to create reflective, spiritually formed, practically equipped ministry professionals who can more effectively “engage the needs of the world with the redemptive power of the gospel and the life-changing truth of Scripture.”
Students begin the program with three foundational courses followed by six required and elective courses the following two years. The capstone of the program is the doctoral-level project which focuses on an obstacle or opportunity in the student’s own ministry context. The program requires 34 semester credit hours and is designed to take four to six years to complete, depending on pace of study.
Foundational Courses
The three foundational courses serve as an introduction to the DMin program. These courses begin the process of building relationships among faculty and students, guide students in reflecting biblically and theologically on the nature of ministry and their own personal and professional lives and assist students in formulating the thesis topic.
Track Courses
Following completion of Foundational Courses, students take four specialized courses for their selected track.
The Doctoral Thesis
The doctoral program concludes with the completion of a professional doctoral-level thesis. Early in the doctoral program, students will identify a problem, challenge, opportunity, or topic that needs to be addressed in their ministry setting, determine what specifically needs to be changed or achieved, and then design and conduct a project to address that need.
The thesis demonstrates the student’s ability to design and conduct a project that is biblically and theologically grounded, supported by the literature, and relevant to the practice of ministry. Students write a five-chapter scholarly paper that introduces, develops, and assesses the effectiveness of the project. Chapters focus on:
- the need and rationale for the project
- the biblical and theological texts and theoretical foundations that undergird the project
- the details of the project, and
- the results of what they learned from completion of the project.
