Doctor of Educational Ministry (DEdMin)

DEdMin Process and Details

The heart of the DEdMin is flexibility and personalization. To begin, you will create an overall plan of study. This plan may emphasize one of several areas such as Advanced Academic Ministry, Educational Leadership, Marriage and Family Ministry, Spiritual Formation, or Women in Ministry. Students may also design a degree plan with a varied approach. That plan, which is evaluated annually, originates from individual goals and an assessment of the perceived strengths and limitations of each student.

Purpose

The Doctor of Educational Ministry degree program is designed to provide advanced training in the practice of biblically and theologically oriented educational ministry to those actively involved in vocational or bivocational educational ministry. The program concentrates on developing expertise in the biblical rationale, sociological strategy, and practical implementation of those ministries.

The Doctor of Educational Ministry degree is the highest professional degree for those engaged in local church and parachurch ministries, world missions, and similar educational ministries. (By contrast, the DMin degree focuses on advanced training in the practice of biblically and theologically oriented ministry primarily in the context of the local church, and the PhD degree purposes primarily to equip students to engage in scholarly research and teaching.) The DEdMin program is offered “in ministry” rather than “in residence,” as it assumes students will remain in ministry throughout the program and does not require them to relocate to Dallas. It normally requires a minimum of three years of meaningful ministry experience prior to admission to the program. Each course assumes this ministry experience and endeavors to integrate learning with the student’s present context of ministry as well as future goals.

One of the most inviting features of the DEdMin at DTS is that the curriculum is designed with a high degree of flexibility. Of the 39 hours of coursework required for the degree, at least 15 hours are provided for students to customize their programs to their own ministry goals. Three hours are granted for the student’s applied research project and 3 hours are given to directed reading leading to a literature review the student reports in the dissertation project.

Goals

Students in the DEdMin will be able to:

• evaluate their own personal, spiritual, and professional development;
• assess and construct biblical, educational ministries in a variety of contemporary contexts;
• conduct biblically and theologically integrated professional applied research within their chosen field of study;
• manifest a maturing and Spirit-filled character;
• enhance identified ministerial skills such as teaching, leadership, administration, counseling, spiritual formation, educational programming, and communication; and
• contribute to the practice of educational ministry for greater local church and parachurch effectiveness.

Admission Requirements

The DEdMin program admits men and women who show evidence that they (1) are born again; (2) are of proven Christian character; (3) are endowed with appropriate spiritual gifts; and (4) adhere 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.

In addition, the following prerequisites apply to DEdMin applicants. All applicants must:

• normally have at least three years of vocational or bivocational Christian ministry experience;
• give evidence of growth and competence in educational ministerial skills and leadership;
• be involved in an ongoing educational ministry (including lay ministry);
• have an academic record that demonstrates superior ability and shows promise of success in doctoral studies; and
• hold a Dallas Theological Seminary’s Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACE) or its equivalent, Master of Divinity (MDiv), Master of Theology (ThM), or a Master of Arts (MA) degree plus leveling courses as necessary to provide DTS MACE equivalence.

Courses needed to meet the DTS MACE equivalence requirements must cover the breadth and scope of DTS’s curriculum and commitment to Scripture as prescribed by the DMin/DEdMin office and the Registrar’s office. Courses required for MACE equivalence may be earned at DTS, its extension sites, through external studies programs, or other accredited institutions. For more information on MACE equivalence, please contact the Doctor of Ministry office or the registrar’s office

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 deadline for the summer seminar is February 15, and for the winter seminar, August 15. Further details on admission requirements and procedures are available from the Admissions office

Course Requirements

The DEdMin program requires 39 semester hours, 36 of which are coursework (including 30 to 33 hours of prescribed and elective courses and from 3 to 6 hours of independent study courses) plus a 3-hour applied research project related to the student’s ministry. The program normally requires at least four years of study.

Normally, seven prescribed courses must be taken by all DEdMin students: EML102 History and Philosophy of Christian Education (this is a master’s- level course; additional work at the doctoral level will be required for the DEdMin), DE101 The Educational Ministry Leader, DM102 Applied Research Project Development Seminar, DM103 The Applied Research Project Seminar, DM205 Selected Topics of Biblical Issues in Today’s Educational Ministry, DE310 Instructional and Learning Theories, DM705 Selected Theological Issues for Today’s Educational Ministry, and ID201 Computer Tools for Biblical Exegesis. Some cohorts fuse the leadership and/or research components into the selected cohort. In addition, students normally complete at least one independent study course, DM901 Independent Study, designed in consultation with the director of the program. Course descriptions for these and other DEdMin courses may be found in the Course Descriptions section of this catalog.

All courses are six months in length and include one or two weeks of residence in either January or July. During the preresident months, students read and interact with course material. After the course meets for the resident week, students complete assignments that are appropriate for their ministry. 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 minimal grade of B- must be received in every course credited toward graduation and also on the applied research project.

Transfer of Credit

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 DMin/DEdMin studies. Plans to take other courses for transfer credit must be approved by the DMin/DEdMin committee prior to taking the course.

Admission to Candidacy

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 DM103 The Applied Research Project. Three of the 6 hours that remain for completion of the degree can be taken concurrently with DM103 (3 hours).

Applied Research Requirements

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 eld 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 DM103, then the student will be required to register for DM105 Applied Research Continuation each summer and winter term until project completion.

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

Graduation Requirements

Candidates for the DEdMin degree must have completed 36 semester hours of coursework and the 3-hour applied research project along with any other requirements that may have been assigned. The completion of minimum requirements does not automatically qualify a student for the degree. The candidate must evidence, to the satisfaction of the faculty, proven Christian character, ability, and acceptability in Christian ministry, and adherence to the doctrines stated in the previous Admission to Candidacy section.

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.