✵ Fall —Feb 1 for PhD, June 30 for DMin ✵ Winter —October 15 for DMin ✵ Spring —November 30 for DMin ✵ Summer —March 15 for DMin
Program Details
36 Credit Hours
3-5 Years
The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) advances the professional competency of experienced ministers in today’s Church who seek to serve the ecclesial community while remaining attentive to the signs of the times. The program is intended for experienced ministers with a Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent who are ready to take their practice of ministry to the next level. The program can be taken in two forms: either on a semester basis (for residential or commuter students) or on an intensive basis (for students at a distance) with different concentrations including Spirituality and Ministry, Spiritual Formation in the Local Community, U.S. Hispanic/Latino Ministry, African American Pastoral Leadership, and Pastoral Leadership.
Program Goals / Student Learning Outcomes
+
Enhance the understanding and practice of ministry through doctoral level pastoral theological education.
The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Concentration in Spirituality and Ministry is a degree in practical theology with a concentration in spirituality and ministry. The doctoral-level courses focus on enhancing the understanding and practice of ministry through exploration of traditional and contemporary movements in Christian spirituality. This program can be taken in two forms:
On a semester + intensive basis for residential or commuter students;
On an intensive basis, for distance education students.
Curriculum & Degree Requirements
+
30 Credit Hours Required/36 for Spirituality and Ministry Concentration (The second digit of the course number designates the number of credit hours.)
PTC 8301 Use of Social Sciences in Practical Theology
PTC 8302 Practical Theology as Critical Reflection on Particular Contexts ‣ PTC 8303 Hermeneutics of Scripture in Ministry ‣ PTC 8304 Theological Integration for Ministry Seminar ‣ PSC 9601 Doctoral Project I ‣ PSC 9602 Doctoral Project II ‣ PSC 9001 Proposal Writing
Spiritual Formation in the Local Community
‣ PTF 8305 Faith Development ‣ PTF 8306 Spirituality and Culture
‣ PTA 8305 Contemporary Issues in African American Ministry ‣ PTA 8306 Contemporary African American Spiritualities
Spirituality and Ministry
‣ PTS 8305/DSC 7301 History of Christian Spirituality
Doctoral-Level Spirituality Elective
Pastoral Leadership
In this concentration, the student completes the core curriculum and any two concentration-specific courses as listed above.
Academic Requirements
The candidate must successfully complete thirty doctoral hours of coursework. A maximum of six applicable doctoral hours, earned within the last ten years, may be transferred into the DMin Program at the discretion of the Program Director.
A student must pass each course. Incomplete or insufficient work for a course or other curricular component may be grounds for probation or dismissal.
Professional ethical conduct required by a student’s denomination is presumed throughout the DMin Program. Violation of these principles may be grounds for probation or dismissal.
The minimum time for degree completion is three years; the normal maximum time for completion is six years after matriculation. The expected time of completion is 5 years.
Upon acceptance of the student’s Doctoral Project by the Doctoral Project Committee and with the assistance of the DMin Administration, a student makes arrangements for an oral presentation to the OST faculty, students, and invited guests. The oral presentation normally requires a student’s presence on campus. Satisfactory completion of this presentation is one of the final requirements before conferral of the degree.
Tuition / Fees
+
Fee Type
Cost
Notes
Credit
$885 per credit hour
Graduate Course Challenge Fee 20% of applicable
tuition rate per credit hour
Audit/Non-Credit
$445 per credit hour
Mandatory Fees (Per Semester)
Registration Fee
$60
Per semester
Comprehensive Semester Fee (1-5 credit hours)
$325
Includes Activity, Library, and Tech fees
Comprehensive Semester Fee (more than 5 credit hours)
See the Admissions & Registrations section of the OST Catalog or visit the Apply page for a full outline of Admission Requirements.
Application for Candidacy
Acceptance into the Doctor of Ministry Program does not imply acceptance to Candidacy for the degree. Upon admission, the administrators of the DMin program guide a student through the program requirements. Normally, once a student completes all course work (except Doctoral Project I and II), the DMin Administration assists the student with the creation of his/her Doctoral Project Committee (DPC) and the student writes his/her doctoral proposal under the DPC’s guidance. Candidacy status is conferred upon the student whose doctoral project proposal has been accepted by his/her DPC. A student must petition in writing for doctoral candidacy in conjunction with the DPC’s approval of the proposal. (Additional information and policies regarding doctoral candidacy and the Doctoral Project Committee will be made available in the DMin Handbook, which is presented at orientation.)
Additional Admission Requirements for Doctor of Ministry (DMin) include:
Essay
A six to ten-page essay in which the applicant describes:
The applicant’s understanding of ministry in light of a given faith tradition
Reasons for undertaking the DMin program and how it relates to that understanding of ministry
Projected area of specialized competency
A specific challenge to applicant’s particular ministry which the applicant hopes to address in a future pastoral project
Letter of Endorsement Ecclesiastical approbation/denominational endorsement is required when appropriate. If married, spousal approval (checked off on doctoral application)
Specialization requirements:
Spiritual Formation Annotated bibliography of works that have been read in the past three years that are germane to this area 21
Hispanic/Latino Ministry Spanish competency with the ability to comprehend, speak, read, and write. Also, experience in Hispanic ministry.
DMin Admission Standards
For those with theology or ministry-related MA Degrees (MAPS, MAPM, MATH, MATS, etc.) Applicants are eligible to apply for the DMin Degree if all the following criteria are met:
Earned a ministry-related master’s degree from an ATS accredited graduate school or international equivalent.
You have had at least 3 years of full-time or significant ministry experience after degree completion
You will continue in full-time or significant ministry during the time of your doctoral studies.
Click here to view and download the current Doctor of Ministry Handbook.
