Part IV · No. 23
The degree certifies academic competence. Any office, mandate or ordination is a separate act.
Ecclesiastical Administration·Level 8 · Third Cycle·Ecclesiastical degree · no suffix
D.E.A.
Doctor of Ecclesiastical Administration
The highest professional qualification for researching and transforming the governance and administration of complex Church organisations.
| CHEQF Level | 8 |
| Qualification type | Third cycle, ecclesiastical-professional |
| Admission requirements | M.E.A., MBA.C., M.Th. with a management specialisation, or equivalent, plus substantial management experience. |
| Normative volume | Research doctorates: at least three years of full-time equivalent study after Level 7; professional doctorates typically 3–5 years. The precise structure is established in the Degree Programme Specification. |
Content · Outcomes
Content is what is taught. Outcomes are what is verified.
01 Required content areas
What the programme must contain
- ecclesiastical governance
- strategic leadership
- institutional finance
- risk/compliance
- organizational research
- comparative church administration
02 Graduate learning outcomes
What the graduate must demonstrate
- demonstrates expert knowledge of the field and its research methodology
- designs and carries out independent original research or a doctoral professional project
- creates new knowledge, a method, model, or demonstrable professional innovation
- publicly defends the results before qualified experts
- is capable of publishing, teaching, providing expert leadership, and upholding standards of academic integrity.
- designs, implements, and evaluates an original model of ecclesiastical administration
Final · Progression
Final capstone work and dissertations may not be transferred from elsewhere.
03 Final assessment
How the programme closes
A doctoral institutional project/dissertation with independent review and oral defence. Typical duration: 3–5 years.
04 Academic progression
Where it leads
The highest level of ecclesiastical administrative expertise; appointment to a specific office requires a separate act of appointment.
Reached from
M.E.A.Master of Ecclesiastical AdministrationStatus
Black is what the degree certifies. This is what it does not.
05 Status and professional limitation
Appointment to a specific office requires a separate act of appointment.
“This is an ecclesiastical academic qualification awarded within the Church system of higher education. It is not represented as a state-awarded or state-accredited academic degree unless such recognition has been separately granted by the competent authority of the relevant jurisdiction.”
Recommended status statement on every diploma, Article 17