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The Doctor of Ministry at Hartford Seminary
The Doctor of Ministry Degree
New Brochure
What makes the degree special? Read what students say:
I appreciate the Doctor of Ministry Program at Hartford Seminary, both for the way the schedule is arranged, as well as for the faculty’s flexibility and engagement in helping guide and support me as I honed my areas of interest. The schedule of five full days per semester, about three weeks apart, makes it a manageable commitment, and the time in between Colleague Seminars is helpful for maintai...ning a rhythm of reading and writing. Courses offered in January and June, in addition to on-line, make distance learning a viable option. The Seminary’s interfaith/multifaith aspect is rich, but for me the basic degree structure has been key to my being able to balance DMin studies with a very full ministry load. -- The Rev. Kate Heichler
The Rev. Marjorie Nunes says the decision to enroll at Hartford Seminary changed her life and her church. She named her thesis, “To dream again: A new dream of a new community for new times.” The DMIN project, she said, is what kept her on track as she continued to help the congregation transform. “It fueled me. It kept me focused. God uses many tools to get us to where God wants us to be. You have to be open to all those tools and Hartford Seminary was one of the tools that God was going to use to revitalize this church,” Nunes said. Through classes, academic readings, a supportive Hartford Seminary faculty and ministry colleagues Nunes got to see her project come to fruition, she said.
The Doctor of Ministry degree program at Hartford Seminary stresses the reflective practice of ministry, that is, ministry grounded in both practical theology and congregational studies. Our DMIN program seeks to provide opportunities for broadening ones perspective on ministry no matter what your ministry setting is.
The Doctor of Ministry degree allows for peer learning in a collegial context. The D.Min program draws on the shared wisdom of diverse colleagues and faculty and provides flexible opportunities to study in a variety of disciplines. This progressive doctoral program is enriched by the knowledge and insight gained from multiple national studies of American religious life and the long tradition of "congregational studies," a field pioneered by Hartford Institute for Religion Research. The DMIN program invites students who work in many different ministry settings – such as denominational agencies, faith-based social service agencies, chaplaincy, churches and other religious communities – to explore the theological, social and cultural dynamics of ministry.
Recognizing that all ministry happens in a contemporary multifaith world, the program also provides the opportunity to engage in study with the faculty of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations as well as other faculty members and programs in Abrahamic Partnerships and Interfaith Chaplaincy.
Since the D.Min degree is grounded in practical leadership reflection on a particular ministry setting, candidates for the degree are expected to remain in that ministry setting for the duration of the program.
The three major components of the D.Min. are:
Colleague Seminar - Meeting ten times a year for two years (see schedule below), the Colleague Seminar provides supportive clergy-peer learning that allows clergy to explore their ministry and its challenges analytically and theologically in an atmosphere of personal and professional sharing.
Ministry Project - In the Ministry Project, religious leaders will design and implement an action plan to effect change in their ministry setting as well as evaluate and reflect on the plan's process and outcomes. The Seminary's DMIN projects are relevant to the wider faith community and contribute to the body of literature about leadership in the practice of ministry.
Course Electives - As part of the Doctor of Ministry program, students have the opportunity to study in diverse fields by enrolling in six three-credit electives taken from the broad spectrum of courses offered at the seminary in summer intensives, online or in Hartford Seminary’s traditional semester schedule.
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