The Doctor of Ministry degree will be awarded, upon the recommendation of the faculty, to persons who have demonstrated (1) continuing general fitness for ministry, (2) maturing gifts in ministry, and (3) who have completed a comprehensive and integrated program of study including the specific requirements listed below.
The Doctor of Ministry degree requires, a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years to complete the thirty-six semester hours of work beyond the Master of Divinity. The student must complete the six courses/seminars in residence. The six courses (six semester hours of credit each, with credit for the initial colloquium given with the final document when it is completed) constitute the thirty-six hours required in course work. No more than two courses may be taken in one calendar year. Two courses per year are considered to be a full-time equivalency.
A grade of "B" is required in any course/seminar for it to apply toward the Doctor of Ministry degree. The student may request permission from the Teacher of Record to resubmit the project required for a course in which the grade is lower than "B." If the grade in more than two courses/seminars is lower than "B", the student will not be allowed to continue in the program.
A student may apply for candidacy status after the satisfactory completion of two courses, the completion of any admissions deficiencies, and the approval of a Ministry Project. Students initiate the process of advancement by submitting the final document of the ministry project to the Doctor of Ministry office. Formal notification of advancement to candidacy status for the degree is made by the Director of the Doctor of Ministry program when all requirements have been satisfied and the Doctor of Ministry Committee has given approval. Further information on the candidacy status processes and the oral examination (described below) is provided in the Doctor of Ministry Handbook.
The candidate will have an oral examination after the approval of the Ministry project. The Examining Committee will be composed of the faculty advisor and the Doctor of Ministry Committee.
The Doctor of Ministry term consists of a two-month period in which advance reading is done from a prescribed reading list, an intensive week-long seminar, and a three-month (ninety-day) period in which the student completes a seminar project. Successful completion of this experience earns six semester hours of credit. The student normally completes the seminar project in connection with his or her professional setting. The normal limit is two seminars per year. During the term or semester when the student is enrolled for the seminar and completes the seminar project, the enrollment for six semester hours of credit is considered full-time enrollment. There is no part time enrollment in the Doctor of Ministry degree program.
The Doctor of Ministry Program seminars are intensive, week-long seminar sessions preceded by a two-month period of advanced reading from a prescribed reading list. The seminar session is followed by a three-month period (ninety days) within which the student completes a seminar project. Grade reports for the term and seminar are mailed to students within two weeks of the end of this three-month period.
When a grade of I (Incomplete) is received for a Doctor of Ministry Seminar for a valid reason, the student has thirty additional calendar days from the end of the three-month period to complete the seminar project. Normally grades not completed within the indicated time period will be converted to F and counted as hours attempted in computing the grade point average.
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