Doctor of Ministry

Cultivate the tools necessary for lifelong theological and sociological reflection and to better serve your community as a religious leader in our complex, pluralist world.

Our Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a hybrid degree program that equips religious leaders working in ministry settings with the knowledge to respond to today's challenges.

The DMin emphasizes reflective ministry, that is, ministry grounded in practical theology and an understanding of its social context. You’ll engage in interdisciplinary, interreligious learning through a blend of online coursework and in-person experiences and build a community of peers–religious leaders from diverse backgrounds–who challenge you to think creatively and critically as you explore the social and cultural dynamics impacting religious life and organizations in the 21st century.

Program Structure

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a 36-credit advanced professional degree program designed for experienced ministry professionals who want to enhance their expertise with new skills to better respond to contemporary challenges and nurture leadership in service to their communities.

The hybrid program combines the flexibility of online learning with formative face-to-face experiences and culminates in a written project that explores an area of ministry related to each student’s vocational setting, or calling, and generates new knowledge for the broader practice of ministry.

Our DMin program offers the following tracks:

  • Chaplaincy
  • Ecology and Religion: Leadership for Life on Earth
  • Africana and Black Church Leadership
  • Interreligious Leadership
  • Civic Interreligious Leadership
  • Personalized: Tailored to individual interests in collaboration with an advisor
View Program Curriculum

4 Colleague Seminar Courses (12 credits)


Seminar I: The Changing American Religious Landscape

Explore the social and contextual challenges within American religious life through readings, guest presentations, and field trips. You’ll offer creative solutions to local congregations and reflect on your own belief system and tradition’s theological framework.

Seminar II: Exploring and Understanding the Local Religious Context

Explore contextual and organizational realities and their theological significance through personal and professional sharing and the reflective practice of ministry. You’ll also build field research tools and reflect theologically on insights to produce analytical and theological essays.

Seminar III: Transformative Leadership and Practice

Deepen your ability to think, imagine, and evaluate contextually through differentiated instruction for individual students to gain tools that are core elements of religious leadership and excellence, including mastery of the practice of action-reflection.

Seminar IV: Action Research Methods for Religious Leaders

Prepare and share a literature review in your anticipated project area, using the basics of action research design and evaluating the theological foundations of your project venture. You’ll produce, present, and defend your Ministry Project Proposal by the end of the Seminar.

6 Electives (18 credits):

Electives courses will draw from existing MAIRS and MAC course offerings aligned with each DMin student’s chosen track or areas of interest.

2 Project Writing Courses (6 credits)

DMin Project

Learn Through Experience

As a DMin student, you’ll complete a ministry project that analyzes the religious and social dimensions of real-world contexts and enables you to propose new approaches to religious leadership tailored to your specific area of ministry, chaplaincy, vocational setting, or calling.

Who Thrives Here

You’ll join leaders from diverse religious backgrounds and ministry settings – such as denominational agencies, religious orders, chaplaincies, congregations, educational institutions, and faith-based social service agencies – to deepen your capacity to serve as a religious leader.

What You Can Do With This Degree

Doctor of Ministry Career Paths

Serve as a Clergy Leader

Lead Faith & Community Groups

Start a Non-Profit

Teach at a University or School

Learning Through Shared Wisdom

Taught by Scholar-Practitioners. Enriched by Peer Discussions.

Learn from professors with decades of experience leading organizations across religious traditions and thoughtful discussions with your multifaith peers. You’ll explore contemporary issues and emerging trends in ministry using the latest resources and insights from scholar-practitioners and interfaith peer conversations to compare and analyze the topics and practices.

Meet Our Program’s Co-Directors

Dr. Allison Norton

Co-Director of the DMin Program

Dr. Allison Norton is HIU’s Associate Professor of Migration Studies and Congregational Life and Co-Director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Dr. Norton also directs the Pastoral Innovation Network of New England (PINNE), a Thriving in Ministry initiative that serves as an educational and innovation hub for mid-career Mainline Protestant clergy in New England.

Dr. Scott Thumma

Co-Director of the DMin Program

Dr. Scott Thumma is Professor of Sociology of Religion at HIU and Co-Director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. He is also the Principal Investigator for a Lilly Endowment Thriving in Ministry grant that funds a large five-year project to study the impact of the pandemic on churches in the U.S. He co-leads the Faith Communities Today national research project and is widely recognized as an expert on megachurches.

Admission FAQs

When is the application deadline?

Applications for the Doctor of Ministry program and all supporting materials should be submitted to the Admissions Office no later than July 10 for the fall semester.

What level of experience is required to apply?

The DMin is open to students with significant ministry experience—at least three years—who have earned a Master of Divinity degree at an ATS-accredited seminary, or its educational equivalent, or a master’s degree in a related field from an accredited institution.

What are the work requirements during the program?

As an MDiv student, you are required to continue working in your leadership position in your ministry or chaplaincy setting throughout the program. The ministry setting must be located in the United States or in service of the US military.

Are you ready to make a difference?

Take the next step.

Learn more about Hartford International University for Religion & Peace.