Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

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PSR, in cooperation with the Church Divinity School of the Pacific offers an opportunity for creative, focused, and advanced professional studies in its cluster Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree. Unlike the PhD or ThD, the DMin is not a degree in a specialized academic discipline, but rather is a professional degree in ministry that brings together theory and praxis rooted in the academy and the community of faith.

PSR's DMin program is interdisciplinary in design, cross-cultural in content, and ecumenical in intention. The program attracts and encourages interaction among an especially multicultural and multinational group of students. The DMin provides an opportunity for you to:

  • Reflect on the day-to-day practice of ministry.
  • Define critical issues facing faith communities.
  • Discover ways to increase competency in contextual ministry.
  • Deepen your understanding of ministry through systematic study and reflection.
  • Analyze and design a research project that focuses on a critical issue in your context of ministry.

Course Requirements for the DMin

The DMin program requires a minimum of 24 credits, 6 of which are thesis credits (DM 6011), and 18 of which are in courses (the equivalent of one year of full time study). The DMin Seminar (DM 6012), offered jointly by PSR and CDSP, is a requirement for all DMin students. You may select remaining course work, in consultation with your committee chair, in order to deepen and enrich your understanding of your ministry and provide an academic foundation for your research project. These courses must be at the 4000 level or higher and be taken for a letter grade.

 

Other Degree Requirements

Course work, an integrative review, and a research project comprise the components of the DMin degree. The DMin degree requires you to take semester-long courses. Students are expected to complete the degree.  
Integrative Review
After you complete course work, your DMin committee chair will convene an integrative review. The integrative review is designed to evaluate your progress according to these criteria:
-Your ability to identify a critical issue in your ministry context.
-Your skills in selecting appropriate study resources.
-Your capacity to translate study into professional practice in a community setting.
-Your willingness to formulate a document useful for ministry in a multi-cultural world.
Research Project
Following the completion of your course work and satisfactory performance on the integrative review, you may begin your 6-credit research project. You should register for DM 6011 during the last 2 semesters of your program. During this phase of the program, you should be involved in a full-time position of leadership in ministry. You will carry out your research project in that ministry setting. Normally this project is completed in one calendar year. Fulfillment of the research project requirement is certified by your DMin committee upon approval of the final research document.

Academic Program Manual for the DMin

 

Other DMin forms

Other Resources

Additional Doctoral Programs

For information about Doctor of Theology (ThD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees administered by the Graduate Theological Union, see GTU.

For more information on how to apply for the DMin, consult the Admissions Information and Requirements chart and contact Admissions.