Academic Program
PROGRAM DESIGN
Northeastern’s D.Min. program is an in-service curriculum that allows participants to complete the program while remaining in full-time ministry. Classes are offered in one-week intensives in January and June, with extensive pre- and post-seminar assignments and online interaction that allow students to apply class materials to the local setting.
Earning the Doctor of Ministry degree requires completion of 34 credit hours: 8 three-credit classes, 4 one-credit research courses, plus a 6-credit dissertation. The following courses are required:
- Advanced Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching (residence week in January of even years)
- Spirituality for Ministry (residence week in January of odd years)
- Transformational Leadership (residence week in June of odd years)
- Four one-credit research methodology courses:
- Introduction to D.Min. Research
- Literature Review
- Foundations in Biblical and Theological Research Methods
- Qualitative Methods in Research
The D.Min. curriculum is completed with five additional support courses of the students choosing. These courses include Conference on Ministry courses as well as special topics courses complementing the overall focus on Scripture, spirituality, and Christian leadership. Independent studies are available for students who wish to pursue areas of interest not represented in current course offerings.
The program culminates in the writing of a doctoral-level dissertation. This dissertation is intended to make a major contribution to the student’s own understanding of ministry and to the body of knowledge in the field of pastoral ministry.
The following features enrich the Northeastern Seminary D.Min. program:
- Retreat experiences: Even in the midst of the academic rigor of the D.Min. degree, the intent is to provide students with the gift of time and space for the renewal of their soul. Every first week of each residency begins with a day-long spiritual retreat. Formative experiences are then also added to the second week. In addition, D.Min. students are invited to attend (at no charge) the annual All-Seminary Retreat where the entire Northeastern community gathers for worship, learning, and community.
- Online collaboration: Each one-week residency is preceded and followed by opportunities for online interaction with the faculty member and/or fellow students. This online interaction helps to create the collegial learning environment that characterizes the Northeastern Seminary D.Min. program, and also allows students to integrate and apply classroom material.
- Exposure to nationally known scholars and practitioners: In addition to the outstanding Northeastern faculty, the D.Min. program is intentional about providing students with access to some of the leading scholars and practitioners of our day. Students may take electives that are built around Northeastern’s Conferences on Ministry and receive focused time with the keynote presenters.
- Peer interaction and reflection: Learning at the doctoral-level is enhanced by the opportunity to be part of a small, highly selective group of peers in ministry. Small class size ensures that the learning environment is highly collegial. Students form meaningful friendships with one another and develop long-term mentoring relationships with the faculty members who guide the class. Intensive residencies held on the Northeastern Seminary campus further strenghten this relational aspect of the program.