Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)

The Doctor of Ministry degree is the highest professional degree of the pastor or church worker. It represents the best preparation possible for service in the local church.

The Doctor of Ministry program is a 32-hour program offered during one- and two week modules in the winter and summer of each year. This is a professional degree that ends with a dissertation. The program consists of required reading and writing prior to each one- and two-week module of classes. This is a way for one ministering to continue professional growth without having to leave the ministry. It is a wonderful mix of theory and practice.

Purpose

The purpose of the Doctor of Ministry program is to provide professional and academic preparation for the highest level of leadership in Christian ministry.

Aims

The aims of the Doctor of Ministry program as shown below are intended to help International Baptist College achieve its above stated purpose. The Doctor of Ministry student will

1. demonstrate an understanding of administrative leadership and ministry management,
2. demonstrate the ability to research and write, and to preach and counsel biblically,
3. demonstrate the ability to solve problems to aid in church health and growth, and
4. demonstrate a commitment to lead in Bible-based separation.

Entrance Requirements

One must have an M.Div. or its equivalent to be admitted to the Doctor of Ministry program. Equivalency is defined as at least 96 semester hours of Master's level work (exclusive of the Bachelor's degree) in the various fields of religious studies. The subjects studied should include systematic theology, approximately equal emphasis on New Testament and Old Testament studies, six hours of graduate Greek and six hours of graduate Hebrew, New Testament and Old Testament introductions, Bible exposition, church history or related studies, and courses in pastoral theology. Each applicant's program is examined individually, and any deficiencies must be made up before degree candidacy can be granted.

1. A student may be admitted to the D.Min. program with a 3.0 GPA.
2. A student may be provisionally admitted to the D.Min. program with a GPA of at least 2.66; however, this student will be admitted under academic probation.
3. A student admitted under academic probation would need to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress as judged by the Graduate School Administrator to remain enrolled.
4. A student admitted to the D.Min. program on academic probation would need to achieve a GPA of 3.0 to graduate.

The student must have served at least 2 years in the active ministry since receiving his graduate degree and continue in a ministry during the time of his formal study.

Program Requirements

There are three phases to the program: reading assignments to be completed prior to the class time, the actual class time during which there is interaction on the basis of the material read, and practicum following the completion of selected classes which apply the material learned to the student's ministry.

After the student has completed the class work, he will automatically be enrolled in the EN 730 Dissertation Project for which he will receive 4 hours of credit. If the dissertation project is not completed within one year, he will be billed an annual $100 continuation fee until the dissertation project is completed.

The D.Min. program consists of approved graduate work with a four-hour dissertation project, 14 elective hours, plus a core of 14 hours. For information about course requirements, please see the catalog.

Graduation Requirements

In addition to the standard requirements governing all graduates of IBC, the Doctor of Ministry student must have a GPA of 3.00 or better in order to graduate. He is required to produce a dissertation project of 150-250 pages that should be of publishable quality (for more information, see the IBC Guidebook for the Dissertation Project). No more than 12 hours may be transferred into the program from other graduate schools. No more than 8 hours may be taken by video recording unless specially approved by the administration.