Duke Divinity School seeks to equip students 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 (M.Div., M.T.S., M.A.C.S., M.A.C.P., D.Min.)
- 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 (M.Div., M.T.S., M.A.C.S., M.A.C.P., D.Min.)
- Cultivate habits of spiritual discipline to sustain a Christian life ordered toward holiness, justice, peace, and reconciliation (M.Div.)
- Act with effectiveness and compassion in leading the church’s ministries of worship and preaching, education and formation, and service and transformation in the world (M.Div.)
- Clarify a sense of vocation and gain critical skills for sustaining that vocation through theologically reflective service in the church and the world. (M.A.C.S., M.A.C.P., D.Min.)
As a means to exhibit growth and understanding in these areas, every student will compile a student portfolio that a faculty member will review. Portfolios are a requirement of completing degree programs at Duke Divinity School. M.Div. students will submit a portfolio for review twice during the program. M.Div. students will need to complete the Middler Review at the mid-point of the program before becoming eligible to register for the subsequent semester, and they will need to complete the Senior Review in the final semester before becoming eligible to graduate. M.T.S. and M.A.C.S. students will need to submit a portfolio in the final semester before becoming eligible to graduate. M.A.C.P. and D.Min. students will need to submit a portfolio in their fourth term before becoming eligible to graduate.
The guidelines below provide more information about the contents of the portfolio for each degree program.