The Doctor of Ministry program is a modular program designed for those who are successfully engaged in ministry. Building upon the M.Div. degree or its equivalent, this program integrates active ministry, academic endeavor, and disciplined reflection.

Program Objectives

The Doctor of Ministry program prepares the student for a life as a Christian servant and leader. The program has a fourfold purpose:

to complement the work of the student currently successfully engaged in ministry by exposing him to fresh ideas and lively interchange of ministry concepts with others in active service;
to provide high-quality training in practical application of his knowledge of the Word of God;
to give him a proper understanding of and appreciation for the Scriptures as the inerrant, infallible, and authoritative Word of God; and
to give him a proper understanding of himself in relation to Almighty God and God’s Word as a redeemed sinner who has become a son. The graduate will be able to “rightly divide the Word of Truth” and make his knowledge productive in evangelizing the lost and edifying the saints.

Requirements for the D.Min.

The successful doctoral student must be a mature and responsible individual, able to act on his own initiative. Doctoral programs are more flexible and varied than those leading to other graduate degrees and are designed to build upon the individual’s previous academic preparation. All doctoral programs must be approved by the Seminary Doctoral Committee. A minimum of 30 credit hours beyond the M.Div. degree or its equivalent is required for the D.Min. degree, including 21 credits of courses with a DM prefix (which may include BI 506 and BI 538), 3 credits for BI 640, and 6 credits of research (DM 791–792).

Residence Requirements

All D.Min. courses, except Research Study (major project), are taken in one-week modules offered in January, May, and August; distance learning; and at other times to be determined. All courses to be applied to the D.Min. degree must be taken from Pensacola Theological Seminary. All D.Min. students are required to attend one full Sunday of services at Campus Church by their fourth module. All work including the major project must be completed within five consecutive years. The five years begins with the first course taken in the doctoral program. For example, if a student takes his first course in May 2008, he must complete all his requirements by May 2013.

A Continuation Fee is paid by D.Min. Students who are unable to complete their degree in five years. If the student obtains permission for an extension, the charge is $100 for the first six-month extension, $200 for the second six-month extension, $300 for the third, and so on.

See one-week modules offered 2008-2009.

Plan of Study

Students in the Doctor of Ministry program complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of course work. A maximum of three modules (nine credit hours) can be completed during each year unless permission is granted by the Seminary Committee. This schedule allows the student sufficient time for application of course material in his home ministry as well as sufficient time for the completion of precourse and postcourse work.

Written and oral comprehensive examinations are not required for the Doctor of Ministry degree. Defense of the major project will be scheduled after the major project has been acknowledged by the Seminary Doctoral Committee and primary reader as worthy of the formal defense procedures.

Major Project

Every candidate for a doctoral degree is required to prepare and present a major project that is acceptable in form and content to the student’s Doctoral Committee and the Seminary. The major project differs from the standard doctoral dissertation, which is generally more theoretical in nature. The project is more practical in orientation focusing on the application of knowledge to the individual’s ministry.

The student must register for DM 791–792 Research Study I and II when his major project proposal is approved. The $840 tuition is due at this time whether or not the student is residing in Pensacola while doing his work. If the final copy is not acceptable and not presented for binding within 30 days after the defense, a $150 final copy extension fee will be charged for each additional 45 days.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the General Admission Requirements, the student must have completed three years of post-M.Div. vocational ministry experience. A significant portion should be after the completion of the M.Div. Please contact the Seminary Office for further details.

Transfer of Credits

Up to three credit hours of work completed prior to beginning the D.Min. program will be considered for transfer.

Candidacy

A Doctor of Ministry student is required to maintain a 3.00 grade point average (based on a 4.00 scale) while completing his seminary studies. A student will not be considered for candidacy for a D.Min. degree until he has completed all his course work and received the Seminary Doctoral Committee’s approval of his major project topic.

Graduation Requirements

The Doctor of Ministry degree is conferred on students who satisfactorily complete the following requirements.

Complete at least 30 credit hours, including all courses required for this program of study and 6 credit hours of major project research.
Earn a 3.00 grade point average (on a 4.00 scale) at Pensacola Theological Seminary and receive at least a “C” in all courses. (A student is permitted to repeat up to two courses in which he has already received a grade of “C-” or above to improve his grade point average. With the approval of the Seminary Doctoral Committee, a student lacking grade points may take additional courses to make up the grade point deficiency.)
Complete the residence requirements at Pensacola Theological Seminary.
Successfully complete, defend, and present an acceptable major project.
Complete a Petition for Graduation form in the Records Office upon successful defense of major project. (Graduation fees are assessed based on stated anticipated graduation date.)
Settle all financial obligations to the Seminary.

All graduation requirements must be completed prior to participation in convocation. If a student has completed the graduation requirements and is on campus, he must participate in convocation.