Part IV · No. 21
The degree certifies academic competence. Any office, mandate or ordination is a separate act.
Divinity & Ministry·Level 8 · Third Cycle·Ecclesiastical degree · no suffix
D.Min.
Doctor of Ministry
The highest professional degree for the development of pastoral practice, ecclesiastical leadership, and ministry through applied research.
| CHEQF Level | 8 |
| Qualification type | Third cycle, professional pastoral |
| Admission requirements | M.Div., M.Min., M.Th., or equivalent, plus at least three years of substantial ministry following basic professional formation, unless the Academic Council approves an exception. |
| 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
- advanced ministry theory
- leadership and organizational change
- pastoral/contextual research
- ethics and safeguarding
- peer learning and supervision
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.
- implements and evaluates an original ministry intervention/project
Final · Progression
Final capstone work and dissertations may not be transferred from elsewhere.
03 Final assessment
How the programme closes
A doctoral ministry project/dissertation with a research component, outcome evaluation, and oral defence. Typical duration: 3–5 years.
04 Academic progression
Where it leads
Advanced pastoral leadership; this is not an ordination qualification.
Status
Black is what the degree certifies. This is what it does not.
05 Status and professional limitation
D.Min. does not replace the decision of Church authority concerning ordination, appointment, or admission to a particular ministry.
“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