Master of Divinity (M.Div.)

Program Length:  72 Credit Hours

Graduation Document:  M.Div.. Diploma

Potential Entry Level Occupations:

The M.Div. is a professional degree which prepares graduates for employment as church ministers/pastors, religious educators, church administrators, missionaries or pastoral counselors.

Program Description:

The M.Div. program at Andrew University helps prepare students for ministry with multicultural sensitivity in response to needs of churches within the plurality of cultures that increasingly comprise society today.

The Andrew University M.Div. meets the ordination requirements of most major Protestant denominations.

Program Objectives:

  • Exhibit an introductory graduate-level understanding of the Bible's content, contexts, structure, and message; and demonstrate the ability to conduct solid research with a goal of properly applying the Bible to modern life.

  • Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the historical, theological, and ethical frameworks commonly held in the believers' church tradition to sustain ministerial leadership.

  • Affirm and explore areas of spiritual formation and self-awareness appropriate for ministry leadership.

  • Demonstrate basic comprehension of the theology and theory and develop competence in the practice of pastoral care, counseling and worship leadership.

  • Understand theory and develop practical skills to be effective in communicating and living in ecclesiological, missional, and intercultural contexts.

  • Demonstrate comprehension of effective leadership principles and teaching skills in education ministries.

Admission Requirements:

The M.Div. Program is designed for persons who have completed an accredited undergraduate Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.

Students desiring admission to graduate programs at Andrew University are not eligible for prior experiential learning credits.

In addition to the following specific program requirements, applicants must satisfy the General Admission Requirements for all programs. See Admissions Policies and Procedures: General Admission Requirements Pertaining to ALL Programs.

 

Program Prerequisites:

There are no program prerequisites.  

Program Completion Requirements:

  • The M.Div. degree requires completion of 72 units of core courses chosen for their immediate relevance to pastoral ministry. These units are distributed by subject matter as follows:
    • Biblical Studies: 24 units
    • Literature: 18 units
    • Theology & Culture: 18 units
      Total: 60 units
  • Another 12 units of electives from the field of Philosophy and Religion are also required.
  • General students may transfer up to 36 units from other institutions. Students who transfer from accredited seminaries, however, may apply up to 45 units from the former school.
  • Applicants for whom English is a second language must complete a three credit-hour course for no credit in advanced English composition during the first year of course work if they have not already done so during the course of undergraduate studies.
  • There is a program completion time limit of five years from the date of admission.
  • All individual course requirements must be completed with a minimum grade point average of B (3.0), and with no grade below C counting toward the degree. If a student is unable for whatever reason to satisfy the prescribed requirements of an individual course or the program as a whole, then an excellence/tutoring plan may be initiated by the individual instructor or by the Office of Academic Affairs.
  • Andrew University does not require a cumulative final test or examination for the completion of this program.
  • Fill out a Program Completion Questionnaire at program conclusion.
  • Students are allowed to miss a certain limited number of hours per course. (See Academic Policies: Satisfactory Progress: Attendance.)
  • This program requires the completion of one year of field education (pastoral internship) under the supervision of a seasoned pastor. This is conducted usually in the third year of the program.
  • The M.Div. also requires the research, writing, and approval of a final project.