Master of Divinity
The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) curriculum of the School of Theology is designed to provide students with the spiritual formation, knowledge, and skills required to become committed, effective ordained clergy. To this end, the curriculum includes study of Scripture, the Christian tradition, ministerial skills, and modern cultural contexts, with a view to the reasoned practice of the ministry of Word and Sacrament in both its historical context and its contemporary setting.
Spiritual Formation
Christian ministry requires leaders who are sensitive to the presence of God in their own lives and in the lives of those with whom they are called to serve. Through daily worship, prayer, study, spiritual direction, and quiet days, the School of Theology seeks to develop in its students such an awareness and pattern of life.
Worship Life
The community is grounded in worship. Morning Prayer, the Holy Eucharist, and Evening Prayer are celebrated in the Chapel of the Apostles. Students and faculty take part in at least one of those offices daily, including a weekly community Eucharist. Attendance at the School’s Triduum liturgies (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil) is expected of seminary students. Those in field placements are released from obligations to their fieldwork parishes in order to participate fully in the Triduum at the School. Through participation in the church’s liturgical life, students deepen their awareness of the meaning of worship and are provided opportunities to develop their skills in the ordering and conducting of a variety of Prayer Book rites. Students and faculty participate in planning liturgy, leading worship, and preaching.
The dean has responsibility for the spiritual and community life of the School of Theology. He or she is the ordinary of the Chapel of the Apostles.
Curriculum
The Master of Divinity program is designed to educate a critically informed clergy for ministry in a changing world. The School of Theology is committed to the task of integrating the various areas of theological study within a basic core curriculum.
Electives allow students to focus their attention and advance their learning in selected areas of academic and practical interest. Lectures, seminars, and small group discussions all contribute to the ongoing task of critical and practical integration of the traditions of theological learning with life in the contemporary world.
Requirements for the Degree
The curriculum for the M.Div. degree requires seventy-four credit hours, sixty-six of which are core hours for graduation. To retain the status of regular (full-time) student, at least twelve credit hours must be taken for credit each semester.
Core courses are listed indicating when each is normally taken. Circumstances, such as sabbaticals, may dictate changes in when a course is offered. Students, such as those participating in an exchange program or those transferring credits from another school, may find that their sequence must differ from the paradigm below. In such cases, the student should be mindful of course prerequisites and should consult with his or her advisor (and, when appropriate, the associate dean for academic affairs).
Graduation from the School of Theology follows the successful completion of all requirements for the specified program of study and the approval of the degree by the Senate of the University upon nomination by the faculty of the School of Theology.
A Master of Divinity (M.Div.) student, who has successfully completed all prescribed work, has fulfilled the clinical pastoral education and field education requirements, has completed all non-credit degree requirements, has submitted a complete portfolio, and who has a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.33, is eligible for the award of the degree of Master of Divinity. Work toward the M.Div. degree is to be concluded within five consecutive years from the date of matriculation.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| JUNIOR CURRICULUM | ||
| Advent Semester | ||
| BIBL 501 | Old Testament: Foundations I | 3 |
| BIBL 511 | New Testament: Foundations I | 3 |
| CHHT 511 | Church History I: From the Formation of the Church to the Reformation | 3 |
| THBR 531 | Bibliography, Research, and Writing | 1 |
| THEO 503 | Foundations of Christian Spirituality | 3 |
| Easter Semester | ||
| BIBL 502 | Old Testament: Foundations II | 3 |
| BIBL 512 | New Testament: Foundations II | 3 |
| CHHT 512 | Church History II: From the Reformation to the Present | 3 |
| LTCM 507 | Singing the Word | 1 |
| WREL 501 | World Religions | 3 |
| Summer Term | ||
| Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is ordinarily taken in the summer after the junior year, if it was not taken before matriculation. | ||
| MIDDLER CURRICULUM | ||
| Advent Semester | ||
| HOML 530 | Fundamentals of Preaching | 3 |
| MNST 511 | Pastoral Theology I: Theology and Practice of Pastoral Care | 3 |
| THEO 511 | Systematic Theology I | 3 |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Easter Semester | ||
| CEMT 511 | Introduction to Moral Theology | 3 |
| LTCM 511 | History of Christian Worship | 3 |
| MNST 521 | Contextual Education I | 3 |
| THEO 521 | Systematic Theology II | 3 |
| SENIOR CURRICULUM | ||
| Advent Semester | ||
| CEMT 522 | Contemporary Moral Issues | 3 |
| LTCM 521 | Pastoral Liturgics: The Prayer Book of the Episcopal Church | 3 |
| MNST 522 | Contextual Education II | 3 |
| WREL 502 | Missiology | 1 |
| Elective 1 | 2 | |
| Easter Semester | ||
| HOML 510 | Advanced Preaching | 3 |
| MNST 512 | Pastoral Theology II: Pastoral and Parish Leadership | 3 |
| MNST 525 | Introduction to Christian Education and Formation | 3 |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 74 | |
| 1 | Elective hours must include at least one three credit-hour course in church history, taken after the CHHT 511/CHHT 512 sequence. Eligible electives are identified each year. Students must take one elective course to maintain full-time status of twelve credit hours per semester. |
Non-credit Degree Requirements1
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Pastoral Education | ||
| Constitution and Canons (Title IV) Workshop | ||
| Safeguarding God's People Workshop | ||
| Safeguarding God's Children Workshop | ||
| Cultural Diversity Workshop | ||
| Education for Ministry Experience | ||
| Chapel participation, as scheduled | ||
| 1 | For details on these workshops, see the Non-credit Degree Requirements for Graduation section. |
Portfolio
Each M.Div. student will maintain a portfolio, filed with the coordinator of academic affairs in the School of Theology. A completed portfolio is a degree requirement. Portfolios are used for program assessment. A complete portfolio includes:1
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | ||
A take-home exam from THEO 511 | ||
A take-home exam from THEO 521 | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
The Prophets paper from BIBL 502 | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
WREL 502 assignment | ||
The Prophets paper from BIBL 502 | ||
The issues paper from BIBL 502 | ||
| One mid-term exam or paper from either CHHT 511 or CHHT 512 | ||
| The final exam from LTCM 521 | ||
| The final exam from WREL 501 | ||
| The middler evaluation | ||
| One exam from MNST 511 or MNST 512 | ||
| One sermon text, plus a DVD of the delivery of the sermon, preferably from HOML 510 or HOML 530 | ||
| Field education final evaluation | ||
| 1 | Exams and papers are to be scanned and submitted electronically to preserve faculty grades and comments. Each item should be labeled by the student, so that it may be easily identified according to the contents list above. |