DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

TAKE YOUR MINISTRY TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Increase your capacity to minister in our globalized and multifaith world. The Doctor of Ministry offers specialized, focused training designed to enhance the ministry of people who have substantial experience in a ministerial leadership role.

How many credits is this program, and how long will it take?

This 36-credit degree program can be reasonably completed in four years if you maintain a full-time course load (12 credits per year) and complete your dissertation in a little over a year.

You will complete eight courses at 4 credits each, followed by a 4-credit dissertation.

The DMin dissertation, once completed, is read and evaluated by a dissertation committee comprised of your dissertation advisor and other qualified evaluators (usually other professors). You then will be required to “defend” the dissertation in an oral examination with your committee.

can i complete the dmin via distance learning?

Yes–mostly. Following ATS expectations regarding some degree of on-site learning and research, three of the nine courses are formatted as hybrid courses with a residential intensive. The other five courses can be taken either as live, synchronous classes or completely online with no live classroom requirements. The fully distance (“asynchronous”) option for these five courses is designed for students for whom daily work commitments require maximum flexibility. For students who prefer to take some or all of their courses with a live classroom component, that is also possible

What can I expect from a DMin degree?

United’s Doctor of Ministry degree program will prepare you to:

• Exhibit continued growth in spiritual, personal and moral maturity necessary for grounding professional ethics and conduct in the practice of ministerial leadership
• Effectively practice ministerial leadership through competent and productive engagement with diverse contexts, as defined by culture, religion, or global location
• Demonstrate an advanced competency in the praxis of ministerial leadership that combines critical and contextual understanding with reflective theological/religious practice
• Acquire new knowledge of the praxis of ministerial leadership through analytic and practical research that engages with various theological and other related disciplines

What concentrations are available?

United’s D.Min. degree offers four concentration options:

• Interreligious Chaplaincy
• Public Theology
• Theology and the Arts
• Directed Study

The “Directed Study” concentration is open-ended, allowing you to design your own experience in conversation with your advisor and the Director of Advanced Studies.