Doctor of Ministry
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
I’m having trouble deciding between a D.Min. and a Ph.D. What are the differences and how can I tell which is for me?
Sometimes there may be an overlap, but in general a Ph.D. is a research degree based on mastery of an academic discipline or subject and equipping its holders for teaching or research vocations, while the D.Min. is a professional degree oriented toward increasing competence in the understanding and practice of ministry equipping its holders both for increased effectiveness in ministry work or perhaps for peer leadership roles within ministry. One test question that has proved useful to help people sort out which they want is the following: If your real interest is in a particular subject matter (such as might be found in a seminary M.Div. curriculum, for instance) you are probably wanting an academic degree like the Ph.D. or a masters degree. If your real interest is in the dynamics, process, and theological understanding of ministry experience in one respect or another, you belong in the D.Min.
I’ve only had my M.Div. degree for a year but I was pastoring a church for several years before going to seminary. Does that count toward the requirement of three years experience before the D.Min.?
The Association of Theological Schools' accreditation requirement can be confusing. It calls for three years full-time ministry experience following the basic theological degree. Experience logged before that does not count, because the requirement is an educational rather than an experiential one: wanting to insure that the theoretical preparation of the basic theological degree has had a chance to percolate through actual ministry experience. If, however, what in your tradition, geography, and ecclesial culture was the "basic theological degree" was not an M.Div. then the experience rule remains in effect but whatever additional work is required to bring the work up to M.Div. equivalency can have been completed more recently, even immediately before applying to the D.Min. Keep in mind, though, that experience alone is not the measuring stick.
I’ve got a nice sabbatical leave of several months coming up; can I use that in the D.Min. program?
Maybe, maybe not–it depends on how long it is and when you take it. Since the D.Min. work itself uses actual current ministry experience as its basic "data," you have to be on the job to generate it and reflect on it. A year’s or six months’ sabbatical, for instance, would actually prevent you from doing the necessary D.Min. work during most phases of the program. There are times in the program, though, when a sabbatical time of a few weeks or even months would be ideal–for instance, during the time of writing a Final Project report after the field research is done, or perhaps for a shorter interval during the workshop phase for some concentrated reading and reflection.
Is financial aid available for the D.Min.?
Due to unforeseen budget restrictions because of the economic downturn, we regret to inform you that financial aid for the Doctor of Ministry Program has been temporarily suspended.
Yes, financial aid is available on a demonstrated need basis. The criterion for receiving aid will be that "due diligence" has been exercised in exhausting other appropriate sources of funding (one’s congregation or judicatory, for instance). If even with those other sources (including a realistic personal contribution) you still fall short, Princeton financial aid will make up the difference in either a grant or a loan. We also offer a tuition payment plan to spread expenses out over a two year period. Good information is also available on private educational loans available for a D.Min. program–see the "Financing the D.Min." section of our web site. We will also be glad to consult with you about possible sources of aid from denominational judicatories or ecumenical agencies.
What does "M.Div. equivalent" mean? I can’t tell whether I’ve got one or not.
It means accumulated academic theological educational study which when added up in terms of credit hours and subjects covered would give you essentially the same educational experience as if you had completed our own Master of Divinity degree. That means 90 semester hours distributed through a traditional theological curriculum covering biblical studies, church history, theology, and practical theology. If you’ve got that, whether in pieces or in a single degree by some other name, you have an "M.Div. equivalent."
How long does it take to complete the D.Min.?
Four or five years, with the possibility of extensions by petition if exceptional circumstances not under your control justify it.
I really want to do a D.Min. concentrating in a certain kind of ministry work–preaching or youth ministry or evangelism, for instance. Can I do that at Princeton?
There are D.Min. programs that specialize in one ministry activity or another, but ours is not one of them. When you come to the Final Project stage, of course, you focus on whatever ministry research issue most concerns you, but before that the intention of the program is to look at ministry dynamics and theology across the board in all its "Dimensions" as we call them. Notice that the Agenda of Concerns is written in terms of ministry issues rather than ministry functions or activities. That is deliberate. Since our D.Min. is not intended to be a "skill-building" program we concentrate on ministry processes, dynamics, and issues in whatever activity or function of ministry they occur.
How many of the faculty are involved in the D.Min. and how many would I be working with during the program?
Most of the Princeton faculty are involved in one way or another, either as workshop leaders, Final Project advisers, consultants, or D.Min. Studies Committee members. As to how many you will encounter, each workshop has two faculty leaders, and the third workshop calls in yet another two for methodology. Your Final Project is normally advised by two faculty members, one of whom will most likely have been one of your workshop leaders. A variety of additional lectures, faculty panels, and presentations augment the workshops and these are provided by still more faculty members. All told, then, you would expect to be working closely with somewhere between eight and a dozen faculty members.
I would really like to work with a particular professor. Can I do that in the D.Min.?
There are two ways you could do that. One is just to arrange consultation times and opportunities with that person, since all faculty are available to all students and most enjoy being called on. The other is to find out whether that person might be willing to serve as one adviser to your Final Project, assuming the subject matter of project and professor meshed.
I don’t see preaching (or Christian education or pastoral care, etc.) on the Agenda of Concerns list but that’s what I’m interested in. Where would that fit in?
We deliberately built the Agenda of Concerns around what the faculty believe are important areas of ministry issues rather than around traditional ministry activities. That’s why you don’t see things like preaching or Christian education on the list. We believe that any of the items on the Agenda might be addressed in and through any of the minister’s activities or functions, and we want to give the concerns themselves top priority on a theological and ecclesiological basis. There is plenty of room in both ministry experience reports and the Final Project for you to work with whatever ministry activity you prefer as the vehicle or occasion for addressing a chosen ministry concern.
Is a computer necessary for doing the D.Min.?
Yes, a computer has long been a helpful tool but now we are calling it "necessary". The restricted D.Min. web for candidates and faculty only is a primary educational tool for communicating with fellow D.Min. candidates and faculty, tapping into educational resources, and sending/receiving e-mail communication. The web serves the crucial purpose of maintaining the sense of being part of a learning community. Please note that you can use the D.Min. web from any computer with an Internet connection. Most schools and public libraries have them, even if you don't own one personally. The D.Min. Studies Office will be glad to advise you on both minimum and ideal computer configurations for taking best advantage of the D.Min. web and other Internet educational resources.
How is the Internet used in your D.Min.? Does it take the place of any actual campus work?
Long before the Internet or the term "distance learning" became popular, the D.Min. was in fact typically a "distance" program whose candidates spent relatively little time on campus. The arrival of the World Wide Web simply provided an important new tool for us to maintain linkages among candidates and faculty. No actual campus work has been replaced by the Web. In addition to this public D.Min. web site which you are now using, there is a restricted "D.Min. Academic Web" accessible only to candidates, D.Min. alumni, and Princeton faculty. It is an important tool for D.Min. work, and is increasingly a primary channel of communication among candidates and faculty. It is a large and growing site, with bulletin boards, chat rooms for candidate peer groups, a "reserve desk" of scholarly materials, multiple links to other relevant Internet sites, the ability to post and send papers and other materials, e-mail, and much more. At admission each candidate is given a login name and e-mail account which remain active throughout the program. We recommend that candidates check the site, especially their e-mail and workshop or peer group bulletin boards, every few days at least.
I don’t understand how a doctoral degree can be done with so little time spent in class on campus. What is the real meat of the program anyway?
Like most good doctoral programs, this one puts a premium on independent study and research. It happens that most of that in the D.Min. is carried on in your "back home" situation. You stay in touch with a small peer group on at least a quarterly basis between workshops, more often if you choose. Keep in mind, too, that appearances can be deceiving: those three on-campus workshops each involve between 60 and 90 contact hours of intense work, which is about the same actual time as three regular doctoral seminars or courses in another type of program. The difference is that D.Min. workshops are more compressed and intense.
How much actual working time during the program does it take to do a D.Min.?
It varies with different stages of the program, but one rough rule of thumb we use is to say one day a week, week in and week out, devoted to the D.Min. Keep in mind, though, two important wrinkles in that rule: (1) Working on the D.Min. is still doing ministry in an immediate and direct way; it’s not as though you had turned away from your ministry duties to study something unrelated. (2) During some periods you will be spending far more time than that on D.Min. work, while during others you may be spending less. It’s especially important to "budget" bigger blocks of time for D.Min. work during the Final Project phase of the program.
My congregation is opposed to a D.Min. because they’ve heard that ministers get them and then relocate to a better church. Is that true?
Sometimes yes, but not always for the reasons some congregations think. The average minister these days stays in one location about five years. If you figure that most ministers will wait until they have settled into a new location before starting a D.Min., then take four years to complete it, in a statistical sense they are then "ready" to move on–the D.Min. having nothing to do with it! What worries us more, frankly, is some evidence that in searching for a pastor congregations themselves are using the D.Min. as a criterion for candidacy, a practice that might become misleading and even unfair.
I’ve always thought that someday I might like to teach. I can’t pull up stakes and do a Ph.D., but would the D.Min. be a useful teaching credential in the future?
No. The D.Min. is quite explicitly described in the national accreditation standards as not appropriate for a teaching credential. Schools that accept it as such are on thin ice. The possible exception might be for some quasi-academic positions which mostly involve working with ministers or students in field education, spiritual formation, supervision, or the like but not academic classroom teaching.
I want to do a training program to become certified in pastoral counseling. Can a D.Min. be a part of that and how would I structure it?
The D.Min. can indeed be a very helpful part of such an overall preparation program, but there would be no formal or structural connection (such as exchange of credits or substitution of learning events). Many clinical preparation programs for pastoral counseling require an advanced theological degree, and with its case-study approach, emphasis on self-critical reflection, and integration of theology and human experience, the D.Min. (Prin.) is an ideal choice.
What does "full-time active ministry" mean in your materials? I think of what I do as ministry, but it’s not the typical serving-a-congregation-full-time type. How do I know whether I qualify?
We take such situations individually, because in the end it is up to you to "make the case" that what you do is full-time active ministry. A lot may depend on how you yourself interpret your work and "frame" it theologically. For guidance, however, we ask three key questions: (1) Does this work involve you in all four "Dimensions of Ministry" regardless of their institutional setting? (2) Is ministry your primary vocational identification and does your work setting recognize and support that? (3) Can you yourself provide a convincing theological interpretation of this work with you in it as full-time ministry?
I’m a military veteran. Do V.A. or other government educational benefits apply to the D.Min.?
Sometimes, depending on your exact status and which benefits are being sought. We handle each case individually in coordination with the Registrar’s office. Generally speaking, the D.Min. is considered a one-half time program for such benefits, except for active duty military chaplains who sometimes receive nearly 100% subsidy.
How much does a complete D.Min. cost, with everything figured in addition to the tuition?
Adding up room and board, probable transportation costs, and books in addition to tuition, the total for the entire program is $13,000 to $16,000 for domestic and relatively near international students. If transportation is from the other side of the globe, that figure needs to go up.
Can I bring my family with me to the workshops so we can combine it with our vacation time?
Sorry, but the answer is no. We have only limited campus housing for entire families, but even if you arranged housing elsewhere it’s still a bad idea. The workshops are so intense and full that it doesn’t work well for either the families or the candidate to try to mix them. What we do suggest, though, is for your family to join you right at the end of the workshop, and then perhaps take off from here on a well-deserved vacation!
I started a D.Min. at another seminary. Can I transfer any of those credits into Princeton’s?
Unfortunately, no. We do not operate on a credit-hour system in the D.Min. The workshops and other parts of the program are unique to it and fit together into a total design.
I got an M.Div. and work in a position I consider full-time ministry, but I was never ordained. Does that make me inelligible for the D.Min.?
Not at all. Ordination is not a requirement. If you have the M.Div. or its academic equivalent and work in full-time ministry, you are eligible to apply.
I live within commuting distance of Princeton (or have friends in town). Can I commute to the workshop sessions or stay elsewhere rather than live on campus?
Based on lots of experience, we have to say no. There is something important about the total workshop group experience that gets lost when a member leaves campus at the end of the day. Nobody who has tried it has been satisfied with the experience. It’s far better to stay here and go home on weekends if you like.
What weekend activities do workshops involve? Could I return home and preach, for instance?
Officially, the weekend is part of the workshop and can be used for that purpose. Practically speaking, though, the weekend activities are usually informal among workshop groups. Part of the learning experience is some needed recreation and time to explore a rich part of the country. So yes, you can usually return home, but not to preach or do pastoral work. We’ve found that trying to intersperse work with the intense concentration of D.Min. workshops just does not work well, and the rule, therefore, is no non-D.Min. work during workshops!
How many women and minorities are in the program?
Increasing numbers, we are happy to say. In a workshop of ten or twelve members, on average 40 to 60% will be women and minorities.
I’m a Roman Catholic priest; are there any other priests in the program?
Yes; it would be rare for an entering class not to include one or more Roman Catholic priests.
What’s the denominational mixture of the program? Is it mainly Presbyterian?
It is a completely ecumenical program, with Presbyterians (Reformed cousins!) making up about 50%. Virtually every other denomination is represented, including both Reformed and Conservative Judaism.
I’m a rabbi, but few of our Jewish seminaries have programs like the D.Min. Could I do your program?
Certainly. Several rabbis have completed the D.Min. (Prin.) and all have been enthusiastic about their experience. It simply requires "translating" the Christian language structure into an appropriate Jewish equivalent. The educational dynamic of the program and its concern for ministry of any kind remains unchanged. The only slight hitch is that our Latin diploma refers to a graduate as a person of "blameless life and Christian faith," but if you don’t mind being "adopted" in this way, you’re more than welcome.
When do the workshops meet?
Currently, the pattern is that the first workshop meets for two weeks in September, the second for three weeks the following June, and the third for three weeks the next June. Dates now established are:
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September 22 - October 3, 2003 (first workshop)
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June 1 - June 18, 2004 (second/third workshop)
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September 20 - October 1, 2004 (first workshop)
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May 31 - June 17, 2005 (second/third workshop)
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September 19-30, 2005 (first workshop)
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May 30 - June 16, 2006 (second/third workshop)
Aside from tuition, what is the room and board cost for the workshops?
With slight variations for different days and cost changes, the first workshop (two weeks) is approximately $750, and the second and third (three weeks) approximately $1,000. Housing is in single hotel-type rooms with private bath in the Center of Continuing Education on campus, and board covers meals in the Campus Center Refectory except for Sundays in the fall and weekends in the summer.
What is the course credit equivalent of the various parts of the D.Min.? Are there credit hours, for instance?
No, we do not operate with course credit equivalents or credit hours. If necessary for some particular purpose (financial assistance, for instance, or accreditation) individual interpretations of time spent in the program’s activities can be made by the Director to the inquiring source. We usually interpret that one owrkshop is 10 hours, but that is not an "offical" equivalence.
What are admissions decisions based on primarily?
Applications require the traditional academic credentials (transcripts, references) plus several essays directly related to the program’s purpose, and a representative work sample (usually a sermon). (Please see the application page for details.) The essay calling for theological self-reflection and assessment is particularly important to the Admissions Committee, and should be prepared with great thoughtfulness and care.
Someone told me Princeton’s is the hardest D.Min. to get admitted to. Is that true? What are my chances?
They are probably right. Relatively few D.Min. programs are now competitive for admission, but ours remains so. We accept a maximum of two workshop groups of 10 candidates each academic year, and for those 20 places we typically receive between 60 and 100 applications.
What does "ecclesiastical endorsement" mean on the application form? Do I need somebody’s permission to apply?
No, nothing needs to be done about the ecclesiastical endorsement until after admission to the program. At that time we secure an endorsement of your participation from whatever board, body, or person is immediately responsible for your ministry work (a Session, Board of Deacons, or Bishop, for instance) in order to have as supportive and collegial a context as possible for you to work in. The candidate is sent interpretative materials and a certification form to be given to whomever you have named on your application to give the endorsement. Applicants may, of course, find it advisable to consult personally and unofficially with the endorsement source in advance, particularly if there is any question of their support.
A friend of mine told his congregation that he was going to do a D.Min. at Princeton and then didn’t get admitted, to his major embarrassment! I want my congregation to know my plans, but what’s the best way to handle that?
Since ours is a highly competitive admissions process, it is probably best to limit your consultations about D.Min. plans to people who will understand and be supportive if you don’t get admitted. It’s also good insurance to apply to more than one program, and perhaps tell people in a more general way that you are making plans to do some kind of D.Min. work, though the details are not yet worked out.
Do you admit people to the program several times a year, and when can I start work?
No, we have one annual admissions process for which applications are due by March 15 with announcements of admission sent about May 1. Your first workshop is then in September of that year. There are no other starting times for the program.
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