Admissions and Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Ministry degree program, please submit the following items.

Application for admission form

$25 Application fee (non-refundable)

Applicants will be required to submit confidential recommendations ** from a previous teacher/faculty member, a ministry colleague, and a recommendation from the church *** where they are presently serving. A total of these three specific recommendations are required. ** Confidential Recommendation Form *** Church Recommendation Form

An essay describing why you are seeking doctoral-level preparation in ministry and the impact you believe such training will make in your own life and ministry.

Applicants will be required to submit a sample sermon from their ministry. The sermon should be submitted via DVD. (If video recording is unavailable, audio will suffice.) The sermon should display the student’s working knowledge of expositional preaching.

Applicants will be required to submit official copies of transcripts from previous institutions of higher education, including those relating to all baccalaureate and graduate degrees.

Official Transcripts verifying the basic theological degree (Master of Ministry, Master of Divinity, or its equivalent) from an accredited seminary or graduate school of ministry. A minimum of 42 hours of theological graduate study beyond the baccalaureate degree is required. This study should also include at least six hours of preaching and /or communication. If a student has not taken these courses, they are available through the Master of Ministry program at Anderson University. A GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale will be required for normal admission to the Doctor of Ministry program; in the event an applicant has a GPA slightly below that level, the Admissions Committee will reserve the right to admit the student on a probationary standing, pending receipt of additional evidence of capacity to successfully complete studies at the doctoral level.

Applicants for the Doctor of Ministry should have a minimum of three years of full-time experience in a ministry vocation.

The DMin Admission Committee (consisting of the Dean of the College of Christian Studies and all faculty involved in the DMin program) will make all decisions on acceptance of students, and may ask for additional information or, in some cases, for a personal interview prior to a decision.

Transfer of Credit

The Doctor of Ministry program will accept up to six transfer hours from an accredited Doctor of Ministry program. Only transfer hours directly related to the field of preaching will be accepted. Additionally, the transfer hours can only substitute for up to two event seminars, with one 3-5 hour seminar considered the equivalent of one AU event seminar. Transfer hours cannot substitute for any of three residency seminars or project methodology workshop. The following excerpt is from the 2011-2012 Catalog, Graduate Studies Section on Academic Policies (page 268):

Transfer Policy

Students may transfer up to six semester hours (or nine semester hours for the Master of Ministry) from a regionally or nationally accredited institution of higher learning. Credit may be given for graduate level courses that are completed with a grade of B (3.0) or higher at an accredited college or university. Students will need to provide a syllabus and /or a course description of the course(s) for evaluation and an official transcript. Transferability of hours will be determined by the Dean of the program in consultation with the University Registrar. Graduate students in the College of Education who wish to transfer a course must complete and submit a “Request for Transfer of Graduate Course Credit” form, which is available from the Office of the Coordinator of Graduate Programs.

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