Degree Programs - Doctor of Ministry - Program Details

• Introductory Seminar (6 credit hours), required at the outset of the program. Students take part in an intensive seminar to explore interdisciplinary perspectives around contemporary issues of ministry and professional development. In this seminar students begin interdisciplinary integration and clarify their views of ministry to guide their development of a study plan.
  Seminar and Course Schedule



• Elective Courses (18 credit hours). The program requires a plan of study involving the integration of three dimensions: the biblical and theological norms of Christian faith; critical attention to the contemporary human situation; and the practices of ministry and church mission. In consultation with the faculty adviser, each student draws up a course of study to achieve the aims of both the student and the DMin program.



• Practicum (6 credit hours), a supervised activity in ministry. This practicum, often done in clinical pastoral education or in the congregation, may also take place in settings as diverse as business, governmental, community, or church agencies, where appropriate supervision and learning opportunities with peers are available.



• Development and Design Workshop (non-credit). Toward the end of the program coursework, each student participates in a research project development and design seminar to foster integration and to prepare for qualifying examinations and subsequent project proposal development and writing.



• Research Project (6 credit hours). Elements of the course of study converge in the Doctor of Ministry Research Project. The student must complete a research project and a written report that interprets this project to the seminary community and the larger church. So that the project can be an integrating focus for the entire course of study, students should start thinking about the proposal for the project early in the program. Students who successfully complete a qualifying examination with the first faculty reader are permitted to proceed on the project. Ordinarily, students conduct the project in their usual ministerial setting. February 1 is the deadline for provisional approval of the written draft by the project committee; March 1 is the deadline for final completion of the project.

Students normally complete the program within four years. Extensions require the permission of the director and the Advanced Degrees Committee.

Requirements for the Degree

To be eligible for graduation with the D.Min. degree, students are required to meet all the following requirements:

1. Have on file with the seminary a complete and official transcript of credits showing graduation with the M.Div. degree (or its equivalent) from an ATS accredited institution, a completed health form, and standardized test results.



2. Satisfactorily complete all the requirements of the degree with a total of 36 credit hours within four years of the date of matriculation, 30 of which must be completed at Columbia.



3. Complete the Research Project Workshop.



4. Pass the D.Min. Qualifying Exam.



5. Complete the D.Min. Research Project.



6. Maintain a minimum overall grade point average of 3.00.



7. Demonstrate to the faculty that they have sustained a sound moral and religious character in seminary life and give promise of useful service in the ministry or other church vocations.



8. Pay all bills to the seminary and give assurance that all open accounts in the community and elsewhere have been satisfied; students with education loans must agree to make prompt and regular payments.

More information
advancedstudies@ctsnet.edu