Program Overview

Introduction to the Doctor of Ministry Program

The Doctor of Ministry degree program is designed with a focus on congregational renewal and enhancing leadership roles as pastors or church leaders. Based within local congregations, the approach offers concrete leadership tools and strategies for pastors while remaining rooted in classical theological disciplines.

Program Structure

• The program consists of three one-week seminars, online interaction in spring and fall semesters equivalent to a second residential week, and a doctoral project.
• Both pre- and post-residential work is required for the seminars.
• Courses are normally held in late May on the UDTS campus in Dubuque, IA.
• Some cohorts may occasionally meet at alternative times and/or locations.

Degree Distinctives

Faculty-Led Cohort Groups

• Two faculty members design the curriculum, provide the majority of teaching, create the reading list, and evaluate seminar papers.
• The seminars presume faculty and students each bring knowledge and wisdom to the dialogue.

Pre- and Post-Seminar Online Interaction and Self-Directed Learning

• Pre-residency work consists of readings or special projects completed prior to the on-site residency.
• Post-residency work includes specific written projects that integrate reading, work done in residence, and the experience of ministry in the student's ministry setting.

Peer Learning

• The cohort group structure creates a unique and consistent support community that continues throughout the program.
• Peer learning creates an added dimension of community support and fellowship that often continues well beyond the program.

Congregational Resource Team

• The congregational resource team offers representatives from the student's ministry context a vital connection to the program.
• This team agrees to engage, support, and encourage the student for the duration of the DMin program.

Faculty Resource Team

• The intent is to create a learning environment characterized by nurture, study, devotion, and discipline, one that encourages the student to become a more faithful and effective pastor.

Doctoral Project

• The capstone of the DMin program is the doctoral project.
• The purpose of the doctoral project is to provide students with the opportunity to address a particular issue in ministry and offer new insights that contribute to pastoral effectiveness.
• The two possible options for the doctoral project are a ministry focus paper or a DMin thesis.

Project Colloquy

• All students are required to participate in the annual Doctor of Ministry colloquy before receiving their degree.
• The colloquy is an opportunity to present the ministry focus paper or DMin thesis to faculty, students, and guests of the seminary community, and to discuss the implications of the project.

Admission to the Doctor of Ministry Program

• The seminary seeks individuals who show great potential for service to Christ and the church.
• The strongest applicants are those who demonstrate a love of God and neighbor, keen intellectual ability, good communication skills, and the potential for Christian leadership.
• Applicants to the DMin program must demonstrate:
  • A Master of Divinity degree with a 3.00 GPA or above from an ATS accredited seminary.
  • Experience: Ordinarily, students must have been in full-time, but no less than half-time, ministry for a minimum of three years following the completion of their MDiv.
  • Currently in ministry: Students must be employed in a ministry setting and remain in ministry throughout their DMin program.
  • Prospects for success: Students must give evidence of the possibility of successful completion of the program through demonstrated success and recommendations.

Residency Requirements

• The three-year program consists of three one-week seminars, online interaction in the spring and fall semesters equivalent to a second residential week, and a doctoral project.
• Both pre- and post-residential work is required for the seminars.
• Courses are normally held in late May on the UDTS campus in Dubuque, IA.

Curriculum Requirements

• Each entering class becomes a cohort group that will remain together throughout the duration of the program.
• Normally, two faculty members organize and provide the leadership for the three years of seminar work.
• Additional resource persons may be invited to share as appropriate.
• The three-year program consists of three one-week seminars, online interaction in the spring and fall semesters equivalent to a second residential week, and a doctoral project.
• Both pre- and post-residential work is required for the seminars.
• Courses are normally held in late May on the UDTS campus.
• Some cohorts, whether by prior arrangement or due to unforeseen circumstances, may occasionally meet at alternative times and/or locations.
• Students must maintain continuous registration in the DMin program until completion of the degree, ordinarily in four or five years.
• The maximum time allowed for completion of the program is six years.
• The DMin program requires the completion of 40 credit hours for graduation: 30 credit hours of course work and 10 credit hours for the doctoral project.
• Only work receiving a grade of B or higher will count toward graduation requirements.
• The DMin program is always part-time, since it is assumed that most DMin students in the cohort will be engaged in other full-time ministry, and the cohort model provides for all students to progress through the three-year seminar phase of the program together.
• The normal course load is five credits per term.

Required Courses

• Year 1: DM 815/DM 816: Seminar I (10 credits)
• Year 2: DM 825/DM 826: Seminar II (10 credits)
• Year 3: DM 835/DM 836: Seminar III (10 credits)
• Year 4: DM 865/DM 866: Project Phase (10 credits)
• Beyond (only if needed): Project Phase Continuation (1 credit/term)

Student Learning Outcomes

• Define "congregational revitalization" and show evidence of renewal within their particular ministry setting.
• Think theologically by integrating learning from the classical disciplines (Bible, history, theology, and ministry) into the life of the local congregations.
• Identify and address significant theological and social issues in their congregations as well as within the church catholic.
• Develop lay congregational leaders by identifying and nurturing leadership gifts and skills within the congregation and by demonstrating the function of these lay gifts/skills in congregational revitalization.

Upcoming Cohort Topics

• January 2026 Cohort: In the Service of the Preaching Christ.
  • The Mystery, History, Theology, Practice, and Pedagogy of Biblical Preaching.
  • Curriculum:
    • Year 1 (2026): The Mystery, History, and Theology of Biblical Preaching.
    • Year 2 (2027): Modern Homiletical Theory and Practice.
    • Year 3 (2028): Collaboration with the Coming Christ: Preaching and Homiletical Pedagogy.
  • Program Information:
    • 40 Credit - Residential and Online.
    • Residential component - Dubuque, Iowa in May (Year 1: May 15-22, 2026).
    • Online coursework - before and after residential instruction.
    • Cost: $5,500 - Annual Tuition (Years 1-3), $1,600 - One Time Project Fee, $710 - Annual Continuation (Years 4+ if necessary).
• January 2025 Cohort: Belonging to Christ - Nurturing Christian Identity after Christendom.
  • Analyze the current state of the church in America and listen deeply to Scripture and the tradition of the church as we discern ways to nurture authentic Christian identity in the church and live as faithful messengers of God in the decades ahead.
  • Cohort Leaders: Bradley J. Longfield, Professor of Church History and Co-Director of the Master of Arts in Reformed Theology, and James D. Gunn, Dean of Chapel and Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplain.
  • Program Information:
    • 40 Credit - Residential and Online.
    • Residential component - Dubuque, Iowa in May (Year 1: May 14-21, 2025).
    • Online coursework - before and after residential instruction.
    • Tuition and Costs: $5,039 - Annual Tuition (Years 1-3), $645 - Annual Continuation Fee (Years 4 and, if necessary 5), $1,600 - One-time Project Fee (Assessed at the end of Year 3).