Doctor of Educational Ministry

In addition to the common admissions requirements for all degree programs (please refer to the Admission section of this catalog), specific prerequisites apply to DEdMin applicants depending on the applicant’s prior master’s-level preparation. Applicants with a theological master’s degree (MACE or its equivalent) are eligible to enroll in the traditional 39-hour DEdMin program. Applicants with a non-theological master’s degree in education or a related field are eligible to enroll in the two-stage DEdMin program.

Applicants must supply the requisite written admission materials and must have a personal or phone interview with members of the faculty. Prospective DEdMin students may apply for admission at any time. The application deadline for the summer seminar is March 1, and the deadline for the winter seminar is August 1. Further details on admission requirements and procedures are available from the Admissions office.

All courses are six months in length and include one or two weeks of residence in either January or July. During the pre-resident months, students read and interact with course material. After the course meets for the resident week, students complete assignments that are appropriate for their ministries. (DTS alumni are allowed to audit the resident portion of a course as space permits.) Registration for summer DEdMin courses must be completed by March 15, and registration for winter DEdMin courses must be completed by September 15. Electives in the various areas of concentration are listed in the Course Descriptions section of this catalog.

All work leading to the Doctor of Educational Ministry degree must be completed in no less than three and no more than six years from the time of matriculation. A minimum grade of B- must be received in every course credited toward graduation and also on the applied research project.

Additional information on DEdMin policies and procedures is provided in the Doctor of Ministry Handbook.

Transfer of up to 10 hours of doctoral-level credit may be applied toward the DEdMin degree if those hours constitute equivalent work. Normally only courses taken after receiving an MA, MDiv, ThM, STM, or equivalent degree can be credited toward the DEdMin degree. Requests for transfer of credit should be sent to the director of DEdMin studies. Plans to take other courses for transfer credit must be approved by the DEdMin committee prior to taking the course.

Students may be admitted to candidacy for the DEdMin degree by action of the faculty only after these requirements have been met: (1) completion of all residency requirements leading to the degree; (2) the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 21 semester hours of coursework; (3) evidence of proven Christian character; (4) effectiveness in Christian ministry; and (5) adherence to the following doctrines: the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Christ, the spiritual lostness of the human race, the substitutionary atonement and bodily resurrection of Christ, salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, and the physical return of Christ.

Students applying to candidacy for the DEdMin degree must also provide a written letter of reference from the local church or organization where the student is serving, endorsing the student’s ministry.

Students must be admitted to candidacy before they can register for DM7103 The Applied Research Project. Three of the 6 hours that remain for completion of the degree can be taken concurrently with DM7103 (3 hours).

The applied research project is the student’s major research project in the degree program. It must be directly related to his or her ministry and must make a significant contribution to the field of professional ministry as well as to the student’s personal life. The project normally should deal with some aspect of educational ministry related to communication, administration, nurture, or program leadership. The length is to be appropriate for the subject as judged by the student’s advisors.

If the applied research project is not completed within the first year after enrolling in DE7103, then the student will be required to register for DE7105 Applied Research Continuation each summer and winter term until the project is completed.

Details on the procedures and deadlines for topic approval and proposal and for first and final drafts of the applied research project are available in the Doctor of Educational Ministry office and in the DEdMin Handbook.

Candidates for the DEdMin degree must have completed 36 credit hours of coursework (or 79 credit hours for the two-stage DEdMin) and the 3-hour applied research project, along with any other requirements that may have been assigned. A minimum grade of B- must be received in every course credited toward graduation and on the applied research project. The completion of minimum requirements does not automatically qualify a student for the degree.

Diplomas will not be awarded, transcripts issued, or placement assistance provided unless all financial obligations to the seminary and/or the student loan program are current.