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MASTER OF DIVINITY

The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) is the degree closely tied to a call toward ordained leadership within most mainline Christian denominations. Wesley’s M.Div. will help you prepare for a lifetime of fruitful leadership whether you are called to pastor a church, a specialized chaplaincy or a ministry beyond the local church. Our specialized M.Div. programs allow you to focus on Youth Ministry, Urban Ministries, Emerging Ministries or as a United Methodist Student Pastor.

Length of Program

M.Div. candidates must successfully complete 90 semester hours of coursework in the regular curriculum, including supervised Practice in Ministry and Mission (PMM) and an Immersion experience. In keeping with Wesley’s philosophy of integrating academic work and spiritual development, you will participate in a Covenant Discipleship group during your first year of studies. Additionally, all first-year students will complete the Spiritual Formation for the Practice of Ministry course sequence, as a precursor to beginning the field experience required of PMM in subsequent years.

The M.Div. program may be completed in a minimum of three years of full-time study and must be completed within seven years from the date of admission.

Students in the M.Div. program are strongly encouraged to follow one of the three-, four-, or five-year plans outlined in the Catalog. Completion of the M.Div. in conjunction with the M.A. or M.T.S. degree requires a minimum of 120 semester hours and completion of both degree program requirements.

Requirements

Required Courses
To be taken during the first 30 credit hours of study:

  • Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (4 credit hours) BI-101 and -102 or BI-105
  • Introduction to the New Testament (4 credit hours) BI-171 and -172 or BI-175
  • The Church in History (6 credit hours) CH-101 and -102
  • Spiritual Formation for the Practice of Ministry (3 credit hours) MM-101 and -102
  • Introduction to Corporate Worship (3 credit hours) PW-101

To be taken after the first 30 credit hours of study are completed:

  • Practicum in Biblical Interpretation (2 credit hours) BI-341
  • Systematic Theology (6 credit hours) ST-305 and -306
  • Christian Ethics (3 credit hours) Any 300-level ES course
  • Ministry and the Social Sciences (2 credit hours) CM-268 or ES-251
  • Practice in Ministry and Mission: Contextual Education (8 credit hours)
  • Foundations of Preaching (3 credit hours) PW-325
  • Pastoral Liturgics Practicum (2 credit hours) PW-301
  • Preaching Practicum (2 credit hours) Any 300 level PW course higher than PW-325
  • Practice in Ministry and Mission: Intercultural Immersion (2 credit hours) MM-350

To be taken whenever offered (check course listings for prerequisites):

  • Christian Teaching and Formation (3 credit hours) Any 100-level CF course
  • Practices of Leadership in Ministry/Church Administration (3 credit hours) Any combination of 100-level and 300-level CM courses
  • Pastoral Care and Counseling (3 credit hours) Any 100-level PC course
  • Religion and the Arts (2 credit hours) Any 100-level RA course
  • The Church in an Interreligious World (2 credit hours) As listed in each semester's course schedule
  • Consortium Course (2 or 3 credit hours) Students must take at least one course in one of the other member seminaries of the Washington Theological Consortium.
  • Philosophy – Students with no undergraduate philosophy course (graded "B-" or above) must complete ST-180 Philosophy for Theology, ST-181 Philosophical Backgrounds, or an equivalent before they may register for ST-305.

Electives Courses

Courses beyond those required for all M.Div. candidates are taken as electives. There are approximately 25 hours of electives in the M.Div. degree. Students may use their electives to sample a broad range of curricular offerings or they may choose to concentrate their electives within a certain Specialization, such as the Urban Ministry Program, Emerging Ministry Program, or Youth Ministry Program. Those who choose to concentrate their electives may request the assignment of an advisor in that discipline to help guide their selection of electives. This is particularly beneficial for students who are considering further graduate study. Students are advised to review their denominational ordination requirements in order to satisfy them through elective courses. Please see the course listing Catalog for a comprehensive look at all elective options.

Denominational Requirements

To be ordained as an elder or deacon in the United Methodist Church, an M.Div. student must take the three additional courses below. These are church requirements for ordination and not a Seminary requirement for the Master's degree. They can be taken as electives, or at some point apart from the degree work.

  • History and Doctrine in Methodist Traditions (4 credit hours) ST-460 and -461, ST-462, or ST-463 and -464
  • Polity of the United Methodist Church (2 credit hours) CM-251
  • Evangelism (2 or 3 credit hours) CM-270 or other courses as offered
DEGREES