Wesley Theological Seminary

God's call is bold. Your seminary should be, too.

Menu
  • Study
    • What Wesley degree Is right for me?
    • Masters Degrees
      • Masters of Divinity
        • UMC Requirements
        • Close
      • Masters of Arts
      • Masters of Theological Studies
      • Close
    • Field Education: Practice in Ministry and Mission
    • Student Pastor Program
    • Doctor of Ministry
    • Non-degree
    • Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry & Advocacy (CYMA)
    • National Capital Experiences
    • Faith and Public Life Immersion for Undergraduates
    • Course of Study
    • Resources
      • My Wesley
      • Academic Catalog
      • Course Schedule
      • Library
      • Student Writing Center
      • Office of the Reigstrar
      • Local Churches
      • Close
    • Close
  • Discover
    • Welcome!
    • Admissions
    • Choose a Wesley degree as unique as your call…
    • Visit Us
    • About Us
    • Faculty
      • Faculty Directory
      • Adjunct Faculty
      • Department Directory
      • Close
    • Community Life
      • Wesley Safety and Regulatory Information
      • CARES Act Emergency Financial Aid for Students
      • Close
    • Chapel Worship
    • WTS Campus Master Plan
    • Current Openings
    • Community Engagement Institute
    • The Lewis Center
    • The Luce Center
    • Partners Schools and Programs
    • Close
  • Apply
    • Try a Class at Wesley
    • Office of the Registrar
      • Academic Catalog
      • Academic Calendar
      • Close
    • Student Information
      • Course of Study
      • International Students
      • Housing
      • Close
    • Financial Aid
    • Apply Now
    • Close
  • Request Info
  • Alumni
  • Give
  • My Wesley
Menu
  • Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) Program
    • Apply for Doctor of Ministry
    • Contact Us Doctor of Ministry
    • Estimating the Cost
    • Housing
    • Questions and Answers
    • Tuition and Financing
    • Close
  • Focus Areas
    • D.Min. in Cambridge
    • Leadership Excellence
    • Military Chaplaincy
    • Spiritual Leadership for the Global Church: The Asia Track
    • Spirituality and Story
    • Trauma, Moral Injury & Christian Life
    • Close

Earn your Doctor of Ministry at Wesley

The Doctor of Ministry program offers an advanced-level curriculum combining the experiences of ministry with the academic resources of the seminary. 

Wesley's Doctor of Ministry Program enables pastors to develop an integrated theology of ministry that embraces the total life and mission of the church. The program goals include:

  • Acquainting students with current theological trends and issues
  • Deepening the integration of discipline and ministry, and
  • Providing students with opportunities for establishing lasting collegial ties with other students.

The Doctor of Ministry degree is open to all clergy in active ministry who have:

  •  A Master of Divinity degree from an institution accredited by the Association of Theological Schools
  • A Master of Divinity GPA of 3.0 (B) or better
  • Three or more years of practice in ministry
  • A strong record of leadership and previous study
  • Applicants without a Master of Divinity may be conditionally admitted to the Doctor of Ministry program.  Visit the Apply page for more information.

To earn your Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, you will complete 30 credit hours. You must earn grades B-  or better. A project seminar is included in the 30 credit hours in which you will develop a project proposal. After receiving D.Min. committee approval, Wesley will assign a faculty reader who will provide counsel and support while you write the project paper. You will earn your D. Min. degree after successfully completing your project paper and all course work.


Download the 2023 Doctor of Ministry Program brochure


Explore the different focus areas/ministry tracks options Expand
Program Specifics Expand

Length of the Program: The 30 hours of course work are normally completed within three and a half years and are made up of at least seven required and elective courses plus electives. Up to six years are allowed for completion. Course work must be started within two years after admission into the program.

Design of Program: Two intensive residential terms are held each year in January and May consisting of two courses of 3 credits each. In addition required core courses and some electives will also be offered on-line in the summer and fall. Each track will have four core courses scheduled over the course of one academic year with space allowed for one of the two elective courses.

  • Residential courses run 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday (with the exception of the seminary graduation day in May).
  • Reading lists and preparatory assignments are made available to students two months before the program (November for January term and March for May term)  on Blackboard.  Students must be registered for classes to access the booklists and syllabi on Blackboard.
  • Students are allowed up to six weeks to complete post-course assignments.
  • Online courses will include both core and elective courses in the summer and fall semester.
  • In addition there are opportunities for study trips on a rotating basis each summer such as Alabama Civil Rights (Birmingham, AL) and the Leadership Institute at Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS).

Peer learning and ministerial setting are essential parts of Wesley Doctor of Ministry programs. Students are encouraged to engage people in their ministry settings in a variety of ways, from personal support and accountability to participation in the projects.

Project and Project Paper Expand

Each student will write a project proposal in the Project Seminar taken in the third year of study. When the proposal is approved by the seminar instructor, the proposal is forwarded to the Doctor of Ministry Committee for approval and assignment of a faculty reader. The faculty reader will serve as a consultant to the candidate for selection of the specialized elective courses as well as the development of the Project Paper.

The Project itself should be started as soon as possible following the approval of the proposal, advancement to candidacy, and assignment of a faculty reader. A first draft of the complete Project Paper is due in the Doctor of Ministry Office by January 15 preceding the year of graduation. During the month of March preceding graduation, each candidate will make an oral presentation and evaluation of the project. Proposed venues for this presentation should be cleared with the Doctor of Ministry Office. One copy of the Project Paper in final form, together with one copy of a 100-word abstract, and various forms must be submitted to the Library on-line via Blackboard no later than April 1 of the year of graduation

Electives Expand

Elective(s) are required for each of the tracks offered in the Doctor of Ministry Program at Wesley Theological Seminary. These three-credit courses may be taken either in class, online, or as a study trip created specifically for this program and sponsored by the seminary. Students may also take courses for other tracks with the permission of the instructor.

A list of possible electives is available to students already admitted to the Doctor of Ministry program on the DMin student portal in Blackboard.

Graduation Information Expand

Wesley holds commencement once a year usually on the second Monday in May.  Information for students anticipating graduation in will find current information here.  

All Wesley students need to apply for graduation by October 15 in the year before you anticipate graduating.

Please contact the DMin office with any additional questions.  202-885-8688

Contact Us

Meet our team!

JaNice Parks

Director of Enrollment
jparks@wesleyseminary.edu

Sara Sheppard

Associate Director, Doctor of Ministry Program
ssheppard@wesleyseminary.edu

Doug Tzan

Director, Doctor of Ministry Program
dtzan@wesleyseminary.edu


Get In Touch

Wesley Theological Seminary
Doctor of Ministry Office

4500 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20016

dmin@wesleyseminary.edu
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F

Spirituality and Story

Fine-tune the skills by which pastors participate in the demanding but rewarding work of weaving human stories into the fabric of God’s story.
Learn more
New Track beginning January 2023.
Application is closed.

Cambridge: Justice, Compassion & Witness: Ministry in a Turbulent World

This international cohort reflects today’s global church.
Learn more
New Track beginning  March 2023.
Application is closed.

Church Leadership Excellence

Practices for leading the church toward the vision of God’s reign
Learn more.
New Track beginning May 2023.
Application is open!

Curating Community through the Arts

Develop the conceptual and practical skills to utilize the arts in ministry in fresh ways, which can ripple outwards to communities in need of creative leadership.
Learn more
New Track beginning January 2024.

Military Chaplains

Grown in faith while enhancing your leadership skills and understanding.
Learn more
New Track beginning March 2023.
Application is closed.

Global Church Leadership

Equip pastors, professors, and missionaries in the US, Korea, and the world.
Learn more
New Track beginning June 2023.

Soul Care

The DMin in Soul Care for Pastors, Chaplains, and Clinicians will equip ministers with the theoretical and practical tools necessary for more effective and reflective ministry in care and counseling.
Learn more
New Track beginning May 2024.

Howard Thurman

Equipping pastors to be prophetic leaders in the church and society. Courses divided between Washington, D.C., and online.
Learn more
New Track beginning May 2024.

Trauma, Moral Injury & Christian Life

The imperative to remember and lament  the  brokenness  of  our  pasts— to move from silence to words and to work through our individual and collective traumas toward wholeness— so that we might live more fully in the present and work toward a more just and equitable future.
Learn more

New Track beginning May 2023.
Applications are now being accepted! 

Life Together

Lead congregations toward purposeful community, intentional mission, and prophetic practices.
Learn more

Spirituality and Story

Fine-tune the skills by which pastors participate in the demanding but rewarding work of weaving human stories into the fabric of God’s story.
Learn more
New Track beginning January 2023.
Application is open!

Cambridge: Justice, Compassion & Witness: Ministry in a Turbulent World

This international cohort reflects today’s global church.
Learn more
New Track beginning  March 2023.
Application is open!

Church Leadership Excellence

Practices for leading the church toward the vision of God’s reign
Learn more.
New Track beginning May 2023.
Application is open!

Curating Community through the Arts

Develop the conceptual and practical skills to utilize the arts in ministry in fresh ways, which can ripple outwards to communities in need of creative leadership.
Learn more
New Track beginning January 2024.

Military Chaplains

Grown in faith while enhancing your leadership skills and understanding.
Learn more
New Track beginning March 2023.

Global Church Leadership

Equip pastors, professors, and missionaries in the US, Korea, and the world.
Learn more
New Track beginning June 2022.

Soul Care

The DMin in Soul Care for Pastors, Chaplains, and Clinicians will equip ministers with the theoretical and practical tools necessary for more effective and reflective ministry in care and counseling.
Learn more
New Track beginning May 2024.

Howard Thurman

Equipping pastors to be prophetic leaders in the church and society. Courses divided between Washington, D.C., and online.
Learn more
New Track beginning May 2024.

Trauma, Moral Injury & Christian Life

The imperative to remember and lament  the  brokenness  of  our  pasts— to move from silence to words and to work through our individual and collective traumas toward wholeness— so that we might live more fully in the present and work toward a more just and equitable future.
Learn more

New Track beginning May 2023.
Applications are now being accepted! 

Life Together

Lead congregations toward purposeful community, intentional mission, and prophetic practices.
Learn more

Contact Us
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
p 202.885.8600
f 202.885.8605
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Apply
Who We Are
Support Wesley
Admissions
Academics
My Wesley
Resources
Alumni
Community Life
Consumer Information
Update Your Information

Wesley Logo

© 2023 Wesley Theological Seminary

Copyright © 2023 · Wesley Theological Seminary on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Read the latest information from Wesley regarding COVID-19 and the reopening of campus