Doctor of Ministry Program (D.Min.)
Purpose
The Doctor of Ministry degree is a distinctive, practical, seminar-based degree in a university setting designed to bring experienced ministers, Truett Seminary faculty, and recognized ministry authorities together in experiences of rigorous scholarship, courageous application, and innovative leadership to enhance the practice of ministry.
Primary Goals
The Doctor of Ministry degree program is designed to provide an atmosphere and curriculum that will build on the candidate’s past and continuing experience in ministry by directing the candidate toward expanded and enhanced competencies in pastoral response and leadership as well as specific ministerial skills, by enhancing the candidate’s ability to integrate life and ministry theologically, and by guiding the candidate in disciplined, continuing spiritual growth.
Admission
Admission to the Doctor of Ministry program requires an earned M.Div. or its educational equivalent from an accredited seminary or theological school. Applicants should have achieved at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average on a 4.00 scale and have completed a minimum of three years of experience in full-time ministry since completion of the M.Div. or equivalent degree to the satisfaction of the Doctor of Ministry Committee.
Applicants must submit the following documents:
- an “Entering Essay” will be based on a case study to demonstrate the ability to write effectively and think theologically in context;
- a “Personal Summary” consisting of time use habits, reading habits, theological understanding of ministry and appropriateness of vocational goals in relation to the doctoral program;
- a written account of a pastoral care counseling experience and
- a writing sample in theology or biblical exegesis.
Applicants must present four letters of recommendation, including one from a former professor during M.Div. study, and a letter of endorsement from their current church.
Applicants must have a personal interview with the D.Min. Director and selected faculty. If the candidate is married, this interview shall include the spouse.
Transfer Policy
Transfer credit toward the Truett Seminary D.Min. degree will be considered on an individual basis. Only coursework completed in accredited doctoral programs will be considered. It must be comparable to that required of Truett D.Min. students in subject matter and in quality. A maximum of six hours directed study coursework and six hours of seminar or class work will be considered, and no more than 12 hours credit will be granted.
Student Responsibility
It is the student’s responsibility to become informed of and to observe all regulations and procedures for degree completion required by Truett Seminary. This includes strict attention to all internal deadlines, such as application, degree completion, registration, and graduation as well as satisfying all requirements leading to degree completion.
Admission Information
Applications for admission and additional information concerning admission are available from:
Doctor of Ministry Program
George W. Truett Theological Seminary
Baylor University
One Bear Place #97126
Waco, TX 76798-7126
Telephone: 254-710-6096
Web: www.baylor.edu/truett
Academic Regulations
Residency
Required on-campus residency at Baylor University for the D.Min. occurs in four special seminars over a two-year period (fall, spring, and summer). It is intended that each two-week seminar will be led by a Truett faculty member and a recognized ministry expert. Students will also participate in an extensive program of individual guided study and involvement with peers in ministry. Doctor of Ministry students will have full access to the academic facilities and resources of Baylor University.
Academic Progress
Students must repeat any seminar in which they receive less than a “B” as their final grade. Students will be placed on Probationary Status until the seminar is completed with a satisfactory final grade. The student shall be allowed to repeat a seminar only once.
Qualifying Examinations
An oral qualifying examination will be given following the final seminar and after completion of individual guided study.
Upon completion of the Core Seminar Hours (with at least a 3.00 GPA in those seminars), each candidate will take the qualifying exam. “Qualifying” in this context means to show sufficient performance and promise to stay enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry degree program. The D.Min. Director and/or the chair of the candidate’s Doctoral committee will administer the exam. Results of the exam will be recorded in writing with the D.Min. Program Director.
Doctoral Committees
Each D.Min. student will have a Doctoral Committee consisting of his/her faculty supervisor and field supervisor (see Doctor of Ministry Handbook).
Doctor of Ministry Academic Concentrations
Work on the candidate’s concentration and the core seminar hours will run concurrently.
Immediately upon admission confirmation, the candidate will begin to negotiate with his/her Doctoral Committee and the D.Min. Program Director a program of Individual Guided Study, which is learning tasks designed to facilitate achievement of the goals and requirements of the program. The program of Individual Guided Study represents an agreement between the candidate and Truett Seminary and is how the Concentration Hours requirement is to be met. It includes, but is not limited to: (1) commitment to reading an extensive selected bibliography and (2) activities such as continuing education seminars, academic courses at Truett Seminary, Baylor University, and/or elsewhere, and independent consultation with resource persons related to the particular concentration (see list below) of a candidate’s program. The program of Individual Guided Study will provide ways for the candidate to be accountable for his/her progress and will include submission of various written reports related to Guided Study activities.
All of the required Guided Studies activities are to be in the candidate’s one selected concentration.
- Biblical Exegesis and the Communication of Scripture
- Theological and Spiritual Formation/ Discipleship
- Nurture and Care of Souls/ Pastoral Care
- Worship
- Church and Ministerial Leadership
- Evangelism, Church Planting, and World Witness
- Christian Faith and Contemporary Culture
Please see the Doctor of Ministry Handbook for the guidelines that will ensure equity and consistency in reading requirements, learning activities, and grading in the program of Individual Guided Study across the various concentrations.
In summary, a satisfactorily completed Individual Guided Study Program will have produced four documents in a candidate’s permanent file:
- a collection of reports detailing academic and spiritual progress (one per quarter beginning after the first seminar);
- an annotated bibliography covering each book studied and
- detailed reports covering each event undertaken; and
- an integrative biblical and theological paper judged satisfactory by the candidate’s Doctoral Committee.
Satisfactory completion of the Individual Guided Study Program and the fourth seminar marks entry into the Culminating Project phase of the D.Min. program.
Culminating Project
The culmination of the D.Min. program is the research for and written report of a major ministry project within the candidate’s area of concentration. Required format and structure of the written report are described in the Doctor of Ministry Handbook. The candidate’s doctoral committee supervises the project. All culminating projects are to exhibit a clearly articulated theological rationale and a connection to the context in which ministry occurs. Undertaking the culminating project requires (1) the recommendation by the candidate’s doctoral committee including its endorsement of a submitted project proposal as well as (2) the approval of the project proposal by the Truett Seminary D.Min. Committee.
Each candidate will undergo an oral defense of their culminating project written report. The Chair of the candidate’s Doctoral Committee will notify the D.Min. Program Director that the written report is ready to be defended and will provide a copy of the report to the director at that time. A meeting will then be scheduled of the candidate, the candidate’s Doctoral Committee, the D.Min Program Director, and outside readers. This group will point out needed corrections and/or accept the report as sufficient and complete. The candidate will have two weeks to make any corrections and submit the report for binding.
Completion of the Doctor of Ministry Program
Progress through the stages of the program is to be regularly evaluated and monitored by the candidate’s Doctoral Committee and the D.Min. Program Director. Additional working papers or projects may, from time to time, be required as the basis for evaluation. The student must have an overall grade point average of 3.00 in his/her D.Min. program in order to graduate. Completion of each phase of the program (Core Hours, Concentration Hours, and Culminating Project) is to be certified by the candidate’s Doctoral Committee. The D.Min. degree program is designed to be completed not more than four years after the date of admission. The Culminating Project is to be completed within two years following approval of the Project Proposal. Any extension of these provisions will require the written and filed approval of the D.Min. Program Director, and the D.Min. Committee. Each student is allowed six years from the date of first enrollment to complete program requirements. A student may apply for an extension of time, which must meet extension requirements and must be approved by the D.Min. Committee.
Doctor of Ministry Course Sequence
Sequence for Cohorts Beginning in the Fall
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| DMIN 7310 | Proclaiming the Kingdom | 3 |
| DMIN 7V90 | Directed Study | 1-4 |
| Hours | 4-7 | |
| Spring | ||
| DMIN 7320 | Living the Kingdom | 3 |
| DMIN 7V90 | Directed Study | 1-4 |
| Hours | 4-7 | |
| Summer | ||
| DMIN 7V92 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| Hours | 1-3 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| DMIN 7330 | Leading the Kingdom | 3 |
| DMIN 7V92 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| Hours | 4-6 | |
| Spring | ||
| DMIN 7V92 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| DMIN 7340 | Sharing the Kingdom | 3 |
| Hours | 4-6 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| DMIN 7V99 | Doctor of Ministry Project | 1-3 |
| Hours | 1-3 | |
| Spring | ||
| DMIN 7V99 | Doctor of Ministry Project | 1-3 |
| Hours | 1-3 | |
| Total Hours | 19-35 | |
Sequence for Cohorts Beginning in the Spring
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Hours | |
| DMIN 7310 | Proclaiming the Kingdom | 3 |
| DMIN 7V90 | Directed Study | 1-4 |
| Hours | 4-7 | |
| Fall | ||
| DMIN 7320 | Living the Kingdom | 3 |
| DMIN 7V90 | Directed Study | 1-4 |
| Hours | 4-7 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Spring | ||
| DMIN 7330 | Leading the Kingdom | 3 |
| DMIN 7V92 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| Hours | 4-6 | |
| Summer | ||
| DMIN 7340 | Sharing the Kingdom | 3 |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Fall | ||
| DMIN 7V92 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| Hours | 1-3 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Spring | ||
| DMIN 7V99 | Doctor of Ministry Project | 1-3 |
| DMIN 7V92 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| Hours | 2-6 | |
| Fall | ||
| DMIN 7V99 | Doctor of Ministry Project | 1-3 |
| DMIN 7V92 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| Hours | 2-6 | |
| Total Hours | 20-38 | |