Duke Divinity School is committed to the highest standards of student learning, as defined by the goals of the Association of Theological Schools and demonstrated by the excellent achievement rate of its graduates.
One way Duke Divinity measures educational effectiveness is through student portfolios. Students are invited to compile portfolios that include materials from key courses, feedback from field education placements and other program mentors, and student reflection on learning objectives. Faculty members review the student portfolios and provide feedback regarding the students’ progress.
Results of the 2011/2012 portfolio submissions are as follows:
2012 M.Div. Graduates
- 99.3% of students have a strong or promising ability in the area of Religious Heritage*
- 99.6% of students have a strong or promising ability in the area of Cultural Context+
- 97.82% of students have strong or promising habits of Spiritual Formation^
- 99.66% of students have a strong or promising understanding of their Christian Vocation
- 100% of students have a strong or promising Capacity for Ministerial and Public Leadership++
2012 M.T.S. Graduates
- 100% of students have a strong or promising ability in the area of Religious Heritage*
- 100% of students have a strong or promising ability in the area of Cultural Context+
2012 M.A.C.S. Graduates
- 100% of students have a strong or promising ability in the area of Religious Heritage*
- 100% of students have a strong or promising ability in the area of Cultural Context+
- 100% of students have strong or promising ability to Reflect Theologically upon and draw from Interdisciplinary Resources
- 100% of students have a strong or promising understanding of their Christian Vocation
- 100% of students have a strong or promising ability to Reflect Theologically upon Practice
2012 Th.M. Graduates
The Th.M. degree provides graduates of accredited theological schools the opportunity to continue their theological education by focusing on a particular area of study.
- 100% percent of students completing the degree demonstrate an enhanced ability in select areas of study to think theologically about significant texts, doctrines and/or practices of the church and about the world in which the church finds itself through the successful completion of comprehensive exams or a research project.
2012 Th.D. Graduates
The Th.D. degree provides academically rigorous training, comparable to the demands of the Ph.D. degree, focused on ministries and practices of Christian communities.
- 100% of students completing the program demonstrate competence for scholarly research and teaching with an interdisciplinary focus that attends to the ministries and practices of Christian communities.
The M.A.C.P. and D.Min. degrees matriculated their first cohorts in Fall 2011. As these degrees progress, assessment for educational effectiveness is occurring.
* Religious Heritage means the ability to read and exegete Scripture and the great texts of the Christian tradition for the purpose of preaching and teaching the gospel with clarity, power, and reverence.
+Cultural Context means the ability to think theologically about the doctrines and practices of the church and about the world in which the church finds itself, in a way that is both faithful historically to the tradition and responsive to the challenges of our time.
^ Cultivate habits of spiritual disciplines to sustain a Christian life ordered toward holiness, justice, peace, and reconciliation.
++ Act with compassion and effectiveness in leading the church’s ministries of worship and preaching, education and formation, service and transformation in the world.