Doctor of Ministry  

The Doctor of Ministry is the highest degree for those in vocational ministry and is the ultimate step for those called to ministry to develop their divine design to serve Christ and the world through Spirit-empowered life, learning, and leadership, which is very much in line with the mission of Southeastern University.

The program is intended to enhance the competency and understanding of those in ministry.  It is designed to provide advanced and innovative training in the practice of biblically sound, theologically based, and spiritually motivated ministry to leaders actively involved in ministry. The primary target audience includes those in church and parachurch ministry who seek to advance their knowledge, research ability, and leadership skills.

Students engaged in this program will:

• Grow in spiritual and relational health and maintain the practice of spiritual disciplines.
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the nature and purposes of ministry and the minister.
• Develop the ability to integrate the biblical and theological foundations for ministry into the practice of ministry.
• Develop the knowledge and skills needed for pastoral research and self-directed learning.
• Fulfill the responsibilities of ministry with a greater level of professional competence in the skills and practice of ministry.

Total Credits

• The DMin program requires a total of 30 semester hours consisting of
• Doctoral Core (12 credit hours)
• Leadership Track (12 credit hours)
• Individualized Instruction ( 6 credit hours)

Program Length

• 3-6 years
• Full-time students (6 credit hours per term)
• Part-time student (3 credit hours per term)

Program Delivery

The SEU DMin program is delivered both in a hybrid cohort-intensive delivery and a fully online delivery.  The hybrid cohort-intensive model requires students to participate in a week-long lecture intensive setting every semester of their program sequence (requires travel and accommodations to the intensive location). The fully online delivery does not require any travel or any intensive participation.  All courses for both delivery models are situated in a full 16-week semester. 

The cohort intensive delivery consists of a pre-session set of assignments where students prepare work in advance of their scheduled week-long intensive experience each semester of their program.  This includes reviewing assigned readings, developing theological perspectives, and identifying key questions to engage during the week-long intensive. The pre-session work prepares students to be ready for their week-long intensive gathering.  After the week-long cohort intensive gathering…students then complete the remainder of their course assignments online.

The cohort program at Southeastern utilizes one of the emerging trends that has proven most useful, the “cohort system”, whereby professionals from diverse geographic, ethnic and ministry backgrounds come together in personal, academic and spiritual engagement as a learning community. Students within the cohort commit themselves to the interactive process of support and challenge necessary for them to achieve their academic goals. The members of the cohort are expected to become resources to one another. This expectation respects the past experiences of ministers, uses the cohort to enrich the learning process, and models a healthy community dynamic which is valuable for the life of the local church. Graduates of the cohort system often cite the learning that occurs among cohort peers to be a most valuable part of the experience. 

The fully online delivery consists of students completing all assignments for each course in every semester through our virtual classroom system.  Each online course is designed to be a “piece of the puzzle” toward completing one’s dissertation.   All homework is “real work,” highly practical and ministry-application based. Every assignment is usable toward the completion of the DMIN dissertation.  Formation and community are intentional elements of the fully online delivery and utilize emerging technologies to bring students together with their online peers and professors.   

Doctoral Mentorship

Both the cohort intensive delivery and the fully online delivery have as a highlight of the program the opportunity to work closely with a doctoral mentor to assess a goal or challenge in the student’s own ministry. Faculty and successful ministry professionals who are recognized experts in their field will be assigned to each student. This mentorship will progress throughout the student’s journey in the program, and culminate with the right dissertation chair and committee members for the dissertation process.

Entrance Requirements

Southeastern University has established qualitative and quantitative requirements for the admission of graduate students whose educational preparation evidences the potential for a high level of performance. To be considered for admission, applicants must submit an Application for Graduate Admission. Applicants for the DMin program should review the following requirements and process for admission:

1. Possession of an earned Master of Divinity degree, or its equivalent, from a regionally accredited institution/program that maintains academic standards similar to those of SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY.

2. Students who do not possess an earned Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent will be considered after a review of the following engaged artifacts by the DMin program:

• Applicants will submit an exegetical paper or sermon video recording with accompanying outline demonstrating the ability to exegete a passage of scripture. This artifact should also include demonstration regarding the usage of exegetical tools and resources such as, but not limited to: commentaries, lexicons, biblical encyclopedias, and contextual considerations surrounding the scripture passage. Lastly, this artifact should give treatment to the ministry context of one’s theological tradition.

  • Artifact will be evaluated for competency via a standardized rubric by the SEU School of Divinity chair and/or the Dean of the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology, and/or DMIN Program Director.

• Applicants will submit an essay or participate in an interview whereby he or she will demonstrate competency in contextualizing one’s ministry within the cultural context of the applicant’s context.

  • Artifact or interview will be conducted and evaluated via a standardized rubric by the SEU School of Divinity chair and/or the Dean of the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology, and/or DMIN Program Director.

• Applicants will submit an essay or participate in an interview whereby he or she will demonstrate competency in self-awareness regarding their ministry vocational calling.

  • Artifact or interview will be conducted and evaluated via a standardized rubric by the SEU School of Divinity chair, and/or the Dean of the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology, and/or DMIN Program Director.

• Applicants will submit a spiritual formation plan or engage in one with one of SEU’s certified spiritual directors with the aim of demonstrating an understanding of sustainability (start strong, stay strong, finish strong) in ministry in the areas of spiritual formation, self-awareness, family, relationships, and overall mental and emotional health.

  • Artifact or interview will be conducted and evaluated via a standardized rubric by the SEU School of Divinity chair, and/or the Dean of the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology, and/or DMIN Program Director, and/or a SEU approved Spiritual Director.

• Applicants submit official transcripts of any accredited earned master degree in the admissions process.

  • Said transcript(s) will be evaluated by the SEU School of Divinity chair, and/or the Dean of the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology, and/or DMIN Program Director to determine if the degree earned is sufficient to demonstrate a relationship between one’s ministry context or vocational calling.

• Applicants will submit a ministry resume or participate in an interview to demonstrate sufficient experience related to one’s ability to engage with ministry peers in the Doctor of Ministry program.

  • Artifact or interview will be conducted and evaluated via a standardized rubric by the SEU School of Divinity chair, and/or the Dean of the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology, and/or DMIN Program Director.​

    3. Achievement of a GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale for all graduate course work.

    4. Evidence of at least three years of consistent vocational ministry experience after receiving the MDiv degree or its equivalent prior to the commencement of the doctoral  studies.

    5. Submission of the Christian Character Reference and the Professional Reference forms.

    6. Submission of a 10-page application essay and initial dissertation proposal that covers the following areas: personal experience, motivation/ministry goals, research focus, research questions, compatibility, significance, discussions/development regarding Doctor of Ministry program/potential dissertation topic, and influential resources related to potential dissertation topic. 

    7. Submission of all official transcripts from post-secondary schools attended.

    8. Submission of a curriculum vita. The vita should include the following:

• Personal Information; full name, address, phone number, and email

• Professional Work, Research & Ministerial Experiences (describe courses & ministries)

• Education (degrees, institutions and degree dates)

• Publications/Presentations/Accomplishments/Grants

• Professional & Academic Awards/Recognitions

• Professional Memberships/Associations/Licensures/Certifications

• Professional References

   9. A personal interview with the Director of the DMin program or designated representative may be required.

Transfer Credits

A maximum of 66% of the total credit hours required for the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree may be accepted in transfer, upon the approval of the Dean, and applied toward the DMin degree if those hours constitute equivalent work. Only courses taken after receiving an MA, MATS, MDiv., or equivalent degree can be credited toward the DMin degree.  Doctoral-level credits may be accepted from an accredited institution if the credits are not part of any other earned degree. Transfer courses must correspond with courses within the student’s DMin degree at SEU. Transfer credits must have earned a grade of B or higher in order to qualify for transfer.

Only those credits earned in the seven years prior to admission will be eligible to be applied in transfer to the DMin program. The courses accepted in transfer are recorded as credit. Applicants with transfer credits must complete the total number of hours required in his/her program to meet graduation requirements. The Registrar, in conjunction with the Director of the DMin program, will prepare a tentative evaluation of credit for each transfer applicant. An official evaluation will be issued after the applicant selects and registers in a degree program.

Southeastern University requires all university-level work to be represented on an officially approved transcript from the originating institution with the transcript sent directly from the originating institution to the Office of the Registrar.

Ministry Engagement

It is incumbent upon all Doctor of Ministry students to remain engaged in consistent vocational ministry throughout the duration of the program.  Any interruption (temporary or permanent) of vocational ministry must be communicated to the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. Such notice must include a request and rationale for continuance within the program.

Program Sequence

The course schedule lists all the courses offered/required within the SEU DMin program:

The minimum GPA requirement is 3.0. Grades of less than C- will not be counted toward degree completion.