Doctoral Degrees
Divinity Degrees
Doctor of Divinity D.D. (Earned) (45 hrs.)
Doctor of Divinity D.D. (Honorius Causa)
The applicant seeking the D.D. (Honorius Caus) degree must meet the following minimum requirements.
- Be not less than forty-five (45) years of age.
- Have earned an appropriate bachelor’s degree from an acceptable institution
- Currently hold licensure or ordination from a recognized denomination or an acceptable ecclesiastical body.
- Have served in an approved Christian ministry role for not less than twenty (20) years (does not have to be continuous and may be bi-vocational service).
- *Senior clergy having not earned a bachelor's degree, may otherwise qualify providing they are at least fifty-five (55) years of age, and have served not less than twenty-five (25) years in ministry. In such cases, a General Bible Knowledge exam will be required to validate the ecclesiastical equivalent of a bachelor's degree.
- Be able to provide official and verifiable documentation of all of the above.
Professional Degrees (30 hrs.)
Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Religious Administration
Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Biblical Homiletics
Academic Degrees (45 hrs.)
The following Degrees are allowed only by permission of the President:
Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) in Biblical Languages
Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) in Biblical Studies
Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) in Liturgical Studies
*See additional informationthis page regarding definitions for these Academic Degrees
*Definition:
The Thd. is an Academic Doctoral degree. The recipients are able to engage in thought experiments, reason about problems, and solve problems in sophisticated ways.
The ThD. degree is awarded in the selected disciplines, with Presidential approval. They requires 36 hours of study beyond the master’s degree, plus the disertation (9 hrs). The exact number of years varies by discipline and by student. Some students complete in 4 or more years of study depending on the field, the student's research topic, and the student's skills.
All Doctoral programs accept only applicants with master's degrees. All Doctor of Ministry and ThD. degrees require the completion of coursework, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation.
