Doctor of Ministry

Rooted in commitment to preparing pastoral leaders for larger roles in our multicultural, religiously diverse and increasingly secular world, the Doctor of Ministry degree offers student-practitioners the opportunity to explore areas of contribution in which a person’s deep calling meets the needs of the public square. Practitioners accepted into this degree begin with peers in a summer residency related to Pastoral Leadership. They identify an area of growth that helps them develop expertise and create specific responses to the evolving global, culturally and religiously diverse, spiritually hungry, economically marginalized, and increasingly polarized people of our world. The combination of advanced study in specific areas, deepened leadership focus, and completion of a research project designed to advance theological reflection in multiple contemporary contexts offers the minister and leader an opportunity to explore areas of interest toward becoming an expert in a specific area of ministerial leadership.

School of Theology and Ministry faculty are known both nationally and internationally for their entrepreneurial, interdisciplinary, and integrative approaches to the challenges facing church communities today. The School is one of eight colleges at Seattle University, an exemplary institution of higher learning that U.S. News and World Report ranks sixth among universities located west of the Mississippi River.

The School has an international reputation for its ecumenical efforts at promoting Christian unity and cooperation. It is also known for pastoral leadership, interreligious encounter, dialogue, and collaboration, as well as bringing religious and spiritual values into the public square around issues impacting the common good. Immersed in these charisms, student-practitioners in the Doctor of Ministry program deepen their own religious identity, celebrate the gifts of other traditions, and expand their capacity for leading congregations and religiously affiliated organizations.

Degree Requirements

I. Leadership Core

STMD 5090 - Envisioning Leadership 2 credit hours (2 credits)
STMD 5110 - Healthy Systems in Ministry I 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5111 - Healthy Systems in Ministry II 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5120 - Leading from Spiritual Depth I 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5121 - Leading from Spiritual Depth II 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5122 - Leading from Spiritual Depth III 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5130 - Sustaining Pastoral Excellence I 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5131 - Sustaining Pastoral Excellence II 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5132 - Sustaining Pastoral Excellence III 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5133 - Sustaining Pastoral Excellence IV 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5160 - Engaging Society with Gospel Values I 1 credit hour (1 credit)

II. Research

STMD 6800 - Qualitative Research Methods 3 credit hours
STMD 6810 - Doctoral Project Seminar I 3 credit hours
STMD 6811 - Doctoral Project Seminar II 3 credit hours
STMD 5850 - Social Analysis: Skills for Unpacking Society’s Problems I 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5851 - Social Analysis: Skills for Unpacking Society’s Problems II 1 credit hour (1 credit)
STMD 5852 - Social Analysis: Skills for Unpacking Society’s Problems III 1 credit hour (1 credit)

III. Area of Exploration and Specialization (21 to 24 credits)

This area of discovery allows the student-practitioner to specialize in specific areas of ministry that deepen his/her understanding and contribution to pastoral ministry. In the beginning, the student-practitioner may choose to begin with curriculum the School of Theology and Ministry already offers and is known for in theological circles: ecumenical and interreligious leadership; leadership from spiritual depth; chaplaincy; and transformational pastoral leadership. In addition student-practitioners may choose from a variety of fields available within Seattle University to build a specialized or interdisciplinary focus of expertise.

IV. Doctoral Project (6 to 9 credits)

Once a doctoral candidate’s project proposal is approved, the student-practitioner registers for STMD 6990 and begins research and writing under the direction of the student’s doctoral committee chair. In the following quarters, the student continues to register for STMD 6990 until the doctoral project is complete and course credits are exhausted. No more than 9 credits can be earned through the doctoral project. Doctoral candidates may register for them in consecutive quarters or intersperse them with other coursework throughout the entire length of the degree following approval of the proposal.