Complete D.Min in Less than 1.5 Years - No MDiv or Ministry Experience Required

Almost every D.Min program I've come across requires a few years of ministry experience and an MDiv or master's degree with at least 72 credits. This program requires a 36-credit or 54 quarter hour master's degree related to theology and no work experience. If you only have a bachelor's degree, you can complete an MA in Ministry at South College on the way to the doctorate. If you completed a master's degree with fewer than 36 credits, you'll need to take additional masters-level courses. Full-time students can complete the program in four quarters. It looks like they might accept degrees from NA schools.

The following items are required for consideration of admission:
completed online South College application,
official transcripts from each regionally or approved accredited institution of higher education attended for earned bachelor’s and graduate degrees,
evidence of earning a M.Div. or MA degree in biblical, theological, and ministry studies with at least 54 quarter hour credits (36 semester hour credits) from an accepted accredited institution,
evidence of a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 earned in the bachelor’s degree and 3.00 for a graduate degree, and
interview with the program director.

Online Doctor of Ministry Degree - Online D.Min. Program (south.edu)

These are last year's tuition rates.

21Tuition-Revised-November-2020-Revised-June-2021_Online.pdf (south.edu)

 

They have a first responder grant, but it cannot be combined with the military grant within the same term.

Provide proof of current employment or retirement from service as a first responder, including police officer, detective, deputy sheriff, state trooper, highway patrol officer, investigator, inspector, correctional officer, parole or probation officer, park ranger, fire fighter, paramedic, or emergency medical technician.

Award per term:

Full-time
$1,000

Half-time
$500

Less than half-time
$250

https://www.south.edu/admissions/financial-aid/first-responder-grant/

 

How is this program viewed by various denominations?

 

Not sure of this program, but they’re a privately owned for-profit.. would be peculiar if they had a great reputation for a religious doctoral program.

 

It depends on what you're using it for and what your denomination requires.

 

As pointed out in the other forum, this could potentially be paired with a NationsU Master's degree if you need an inexpensive M.Div.

 

Its an interesting option at first glance, but requires an awful amount of work (i.e., 96 credits-hours on the "standard track") as compared to a standard 30-40 credit-hour DMin. It is unlikely that the program will drop to 30-40 credit-hours for students with an MDiv or equivalency ("advance track") but is worth considering (IMO a DMin in a year and a half apart from a transfer is unheard of). Especially if one has no graduate degree and is interested in CPE.

 

South College is on the quarter hour system. Forty-five quarter hours are required if you have a 54 quarter hour master's degree.

45 quarter hours = 30 semester hours

Those other 30 to 40-credit DMin programs are typically structured to be completed over a 3-year period. There's no way to go faster.

If you don't have a graduate degree, the program cannot be completed in four quarters. It will take 11 quarters to finish.

 

So I am trying to understand this here.. If you have a masters degree (does it matter which major?) you can apply it towards the DMin by taking a few additional masters courses related plus finishing the doctoral work?

 

Ahh, thanks. I didn't notice that they were using quarter hours. It seemed excessive. So it looks like if some were to possess a graduate degree in a theological discipline with at least sixty semester credits, that person would only be required to complete forty quarter hours or about twenty-seven semester hours and somewhere south of $15k. That is very interesting and I've never seen that before.

 

The way I understand it is that a theology-related master's degree will give you advanced standing. Not having a theology-related master's degree is the equivalent of having no master's degree, so they'll require you to earn the MA in Ministry. If you have a theology-related master's degree with fewer than 36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours, then you'll just make up the difference.

 

I'm not sure they would apply that many master's credits toward the DMin. The DMin requires 99 quarter hours (66 semester hours) past the bachelor's degree. Having a 36 semester hour master's degree takes the DMin down to 30 semester hours.

 

Do they even offer any ministry / divinity / theology / religion degrees below the D.Min. level?

 

https://catalog.south.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=6&poid=1044&returnto=188

 

The reason you see that so often is that that is part of the ATS accreditation standard for the D.Min. degree.

 

Last year's catalog entry says the program is six quarters, and it can be completed in 1.5 years. I don't see a capstone, dissertation, or research project in the program. Sometimes, capstones are hidden in a course, like at EVMS, and you have to read the course descriptions to figure out which one. These course descriptions don't point to there being a culminating project unless the practicum is meant to be the culmination.

 

The South program requires either a dissertation, ministry project, or supervised CPE. See here. This program seems to be tied to a generic theological position that is likely more in line with mainline Protestantism.

 

Of course, this program is not to be confused with the D.Min. program at the University of the South (Sewanee).

https://theology.sewanee.edu/doctor-of-ministry/

 

That's South University. This thread is about South College.

 

Again, my mistake. I just got off the phone with the admissions team there at South College. Tuition is about $4k every ten weeks. Advance standing students w/ a theological graduate degree and at least a 3.0 are permitted to complete the program in five quarters ($19,875). There is no dissertation or major project. Rather, the program requires a set of four papers mainly related to a personal ministry philosophy, ministry context profile, and the like (basically a capstone). So, a year and a half is certainly possible but there are better schools for cheaper IMO (i.e., SBTS).