Admission Requirements & Procedures

The Admissions Process

We appreciate your interest in the Doctor of Ministry program! Our purpose is to provide structured advanced training in ministry by equipping students with needed competencies and leadership skills. The program engages qualified people in an active learning environment so that they may reach advanced levels of ministry effectiveness.

When accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program you have all the privileges of other students at Andrews University. These services will help you complete your program sucessfully and include Internet access to library offerings throughout your program as well as use of the campus facilities when in Berrien Springs.

You will want to review the admission requirements (prerequisites):

There are three possible ways to meet the academic admission requirement:
a. Hold the Master of Divinity degree;
b. Meet the requirements for MDiv-equivalent education;
c. Some individuals may qualify to submit an admission portfolio (available only to those with a ministry-related graduate degree and a BTh-type undergraduate degree usually from outside the North American educational system). We will provide an individual analysis of your previous degrees during the application process to determine if the portfolio option is an acceptable alternative.
Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 for graduate work.
Demonstrate high professional and personal potential for the gospel ministry.
Have an equivalent of at least three years of experience in ministry subsequent to the first graduate theological degree.
Supply satisfactory recommendations from your conference president, a pastoral colleague, and a local elder (a total of three recommendations from specific individuals is required). The recommendation requests are initiated as part of your online application.
Submit your application using the online application forms.
Applicants from faiths other than Seventh-day Adventist are welcomed to apply to the program.

You should apply at least 6 months before you expect to begin course work. If you live outside North America you should begin the application process 12 months before you anticipate the intensive in your first module. No applications will be considered if begun less than 45 days prior to the first intensive.

You will have to follow certain procedures; fill out an application, submit an application fee, provide a "personal spiritual journey" essay, provide recommendations, and arrange for transcripts to be sent to Andrews University. If English is not your first language you will need to give proof of proficiency unless you are participating in a cohort using another language.(Cohorts using a language other than English may be available.) The English proficiency qualification may be met by prior education, examination, or ESL courses (see details).

Since the DMin program is a 32-credit program generally offered in a cohort format, we do not usually offer guest student registration status. Apply early!

A program participant enters the Doctor of Ministry program to pursue a degree in a specific concentration together with a group of colleagues. These groups are called "cohorts." Each concentration is assigned a coordinator by the Doctor of Ministry Committee who communicates with the Doctor of Ministry office, helps form curriculum content and schedules, selects appropriate faculty for the concentration, and guides cohort participants through their program journey within the selected concentration.

Here are the steps you need to take:

Contact the DMin office if you have any questions about admission requirements, the cohort schedule, or for information about concentrations.
Complete the online application form. Contact Andrews University Graduate Enrollment Services at 1-800-253-2874, 1-269-471-6321, or graduate@andrews.edu if you have any questions or need assistance with the application process.
Wait for notification of acceptance. You may not register for coursework until you are accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program.
The Doctor of Ministry Committee will vote on applications when your online application is complete and the Graduate Enrollment office provides the completed documentation to the Doctor of Ministry office.
The Graduate Enrollment office will inform you of your academic acceptance.
You may consult with the Doctor of Ministry office for advice about your program plan. The program office will notify you when online registration is open as each new semester approaches.
Andrews University has several options available to you for paying your bill. Read the Doctor of Ministry Program Guidelines on Student Financial Plans carefully, then contact the Student Financial Services office. You may go online at www.andrews.edu/SF/ to contact the Student Financial Services office and determine which option is best for you, or contact them directly at 1-800-253-2874, ext. 3334. You must have financial clearance to register for academic credits.

Application of program policy time limits:

A maximum of six years is allowed to complete the program, starting from the term in which the first course is registered. An extension of one additional year may be considered upon submission of a petition to the DMin Committee. Registration stops at the end of the six-year limit and will not be continued without an approved extension. Three consecutive semesters without registration results in withdrawal by default.

Tuition for DMin project continuation during an approved year of extension will be charged at the extension rate for each semester you remain in the program.

Applicable course module credits (grade of B or better) will be maintained for those participants who have left the program and are re-admitted, with the understanding that standard University policy considers any credits more than ten years old at the time of graduation to be expired. Such credits may have to be repeated or refreshed; any exceptions may be considered by special petition. Re-applicants will be accepted for a specific time period voted by the program committee. A participant who is re-admitted may be required to repeat any earned project and/or project seminar credits. Re-applicants may need to submit a new project proposal for approval.

Participants in the program may expect to receive a letter in their fifth and sixth years, reminding them of these policies and clarifying that no further letters are to be sent. When a petition for a one-year extension is granted by the program committee, the project must be ready for assessment at the end of the one-year extension, with such an assessment scheduled. In the case that it is not, the participant may dropped without further communication.

We have an important admissions policy we want you to read:

Admission to the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary is granted irrespective of race, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, or disability. The Seminary is owned and financed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is a community of committed Christians who collectively confess the Christian faith and seek to experience its meaning in worship and practical life. Most of its students are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church; however, no declaration of confessional allegiance is required for admission. Students who meet academic requirements, whose lifestyle and character are in harmony with the purposes of the Seminary, and who express willingness to cooperate with general university policies may be admitted. Admission to the university, however, is a privilege rather than a right and may be withheld or withdrawn by the university at its discretion.

Students are expected to maintain the religious, social, and cultural atmosphere of the Seminary and to order their lives in harmony with its mission and purposes. The seminary community endeavors to maintain an atmosphere of mutual support and acceptance that is congenial to personal adjustment and social development. In the course of their preparation for the ministry, students are called upon to participate in the lives and worship of the surrounding churches. Because of this role, students are expected to be sensitive to the values of others and exemplary in appearance and actions.

Are you concerned with finances? If you are employed as a pastor or other denominational leader by the Seventh-day Adventist church you will be able to afford it! Doctoral tuition is reduced by 56% for DMin participants. Talk to your ministerial director or other conference leader about any sponsorship assistance that might be available, request a financial information package from Andrews University Student Financial Services, or go online at www.andrews.edu/SF/.

We look forward to seeing you soon at Andrews or one of our teaching sites!

1/21/2020