Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) will begin offering an online Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree in Fall 2023. The DMin degree is a three-year, thirty-credit advanced program focusing on public ministry. CTS’s progressive Mission and Commitments will provide the philosophical and pedagogical framework for the program. The DMin curriculum will equip leaders for serious engagement with significant public issues from the perspective of diverse religious, spiritual, and ethical traditions.

Students in the DMin program will benefit from CTS’s pioneering work in Interreligious Engagement, the Study of Black Faith and Life, LGBTQ+ Studies, and Chaplaincy Studies. Additionally, CTS’s innovative partnership with Bayan Islamic Graduate School, which provides the opportunity for co-study at both institutions with CTS as the degree-conferring entity, will allow students to pursue a degree at CTS that prepares them for interreligious leadership. The DMin collaboration between CTS and Bayan will add to the Master of Divinity in Islamic Chaplaincy and the Master of Arts in Islamic Leadership currently offered.

“We are excited to launch the online Doctor of Ministry degree and partner with diverse leaders seeking to further their education in public ministry,” said Dr. Brad Braxton, President and Professor of Public Theology at Chicago Theological Seminary. “CTS is well-known for balancing rigorous academic work with relevant, real-world experience. The creative tension between rigor and relevance will characterize this new degree as well. If you are searching for a doctoral program that moves seamlessly between the seminary and the street, come to CTS.”

During the DMin admissions process, CTS will assign a faculty advisor who will work closely with each student to identify appropriate advanced courses and research questions that bring the school’s distinctive emphases to bear on specific issues in religious leadership. Such issues might involve traditional practices of ministry such as preaching, worship, pastoral care, or more specialized ministries such as those associated with social service agencies, community activism, or specific types of chaplaincy.

Since the DMin is solely online, students can matriculate without being in residence in Chicago, thereby furthering CTS’s longstanding dedication to online learning, which includes Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, and Master of Sacred Theology degrees that can be completed completely online.

“The DMin in Public Ministry is another opportunity for CTS to showcase its prowess in online education, while preparing leaders to courageously engage the public square,” said Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean at Chicago Theological Seminary.

Information about the application process is forthcoming. General inquiries can be addressed to Mr. Jason Frey, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Services.