Certificate in Theology and Health Care/Doctor of Medicine (C.T.H.C./M.D.)

This combined four-year program prepares students with training to engage their work with theological clarity and spiritual joy. This is a combined certificate and degree program in which students complete the Certificate in Theology and Health Care (C.T.H.C.) at Duke Divinity School during their third-year scholarly research year at Duke University School of Medicine. The C.T.H.C./M.D. pathway is designed to be completed in-residence (Residential CTHC) as a full-time program.

The Certificate in Theology and Health Care (C.T.H.C.) combines foundational courses in Christian scripture, theology, and church history with courses designed specifically for those who have vocations in health care and who seek theological formation and further confidence engaging questions of suffering, illness, and the place of health care in a faithful life.

Duke University School of Medicine offers a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program to students seeking to become physician leaders who can advance biomedical research and improve local, national, and global health. The program seeks to admit students who have extraordinary compassion, humanism, and intellect.

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Top Tier Faculty

Study With Thought Leaders

Our faculty are at the pinnacle of their fields of study, and their work is at the cutting edge of research. Students benefit by studying directly with academics who are not only the best at what they do but dedicated to the church and to nurturing the next generation of pastors, thinkers, and doers of theology.

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Tuition Support

Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellowship

Those seeking to complete the Residential C.T.H.C. are eligible to apply for the one-year track of the Theology, Medicine, and Culture (TMC) Fellowship, which offers successful applicants partial tuition support.

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“I was drawn to the CTHC because I wanted to learn how to engage a career in medicine as a vocation, informed by Christian models of healing and charity. The program helped me develop a deeper theology of illness, and it clarified for me how I can better accompany those who are suffering—physically, mentally and spiritually.”

Curriculum

Divinity School’s academically rigorous curriculum—enriched by vibrant worship, opportunities for spiritual formation, and the close-knit student community—makes the C.T.H.C. a premier program for those seeking theological formation and engagement with questions of suffering, illness, and the work of medicine in a faithful Christian life, while the Duke Medicine M.D. is rigorous, innovative, and respected around the globe.

Students apply separately to each school. Upon acceptance, students typically enroll in the School of Medicine for their first and second years of study. For the third year, student is dually enrolled in a third-year scholarly research program (at Duke University School of Medicine) and at the Divinity School. In the fourth year, students are enrolled only in the School of Medicine.

The C.T.H.C. course curriculum involves three primary components: 1) Cultivating Christian Imagination, a two-semester course that combines scripture, history, and theology in a sweeping tour of Christian tradition and the practices of Christian communities; 2) Health Care in Theological Context, a two-semester course on the intersection of theology and the practices of health care; and 3) Spiritual Formation and Vocation in Health Care, a two-semester course that combines best practices of academic study, spiritual direction, and professional coaching, as students discern what faithful practices look like in their own contexts. Students completing the Residential CTHC are eligible to take up to two additional courses of interest from other areas of the Divinity School.

Additional information about the M.D. program is available on the Duke University School of Medicine website.

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Graduation Requirements

C.T.H.C.

The Certificate is normally completed in one academic year. Requirements for graduation are:

Six to eight courses completed normally in one academic year. Once the program begins, the maximum amount of time to complete it is three years.
The maintenance of a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0

M.D.

Students in the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) learn the core basic sciences in the first year and complete core clinical clerkships in the second year. In the final years of study, students devote 10 to 12 months to scholarly investigation and fulfill elective rotations, allowing students to pursue their own independent interests.
Students spend 4 years at the medical school and 1 year at the divinity school (students are dually enrolled at Divinity and the School of Medicine during their third scholarly research year while completing the CTHC).
Visit the Duke School of Medicine website for more details about graduation requirements.

An education from Duke Divinity School is worth your investment, and you do not have to figure out the finances alone.

All residential C.T.H.C. students receive funding covering 25% of tuition costs. Duke Divinity School is investing in you, too. It is an investment in your education, the church, and our shared future.

Students in the Residential CTHC often participate in the Divinity School’s Fellowship in Theology, Medicine, and Culture program, which offers specific formational opportunities as well as supplementary scholarship support. Interested applicants should complete the fellowship application at the same time as their CTHC application.

Many other internal and external scholarships, as well as loans and federal financial aid for work-study, make it possible for students to afford Duke Divinity. FAFSA should be completed for need-based aid. More information can be found in our Financial Aid page.

Duke School of Medicine places a high priority on need-based financial assistance for its students with a particular emphasis on grants and alternative loan programs. Duke maintains a strict policy of selecting candidates without regard to their ability to pay for medical school. Learn more about financial aid at the Duke School of Medicine.

Ready for the Next Step?

Duke Divinity School accepts applications beginning in September. The final deadline for applications is April 15. Admission requirements for the certificate include a demonstrated current vocation or intended vocation in health care and a minimum GPA of 3.00 in a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to the intended date of enrollment.

The final deadline at the Duke School of Medicine is November 15. Learn more about the Duke School of Medicine Admissions process.

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Learn More

We’re available to answer any questions you might have. Please contact us at admissions@div.duke.edu or (919) 660-3436. The resources below will also help you learn more about our programs.

TMC Fellowship

Our residential fellowship program is aimed at current and future practitioners in any of the health professions, as well as those whose vocations involve full-time work in health-related contexts. The fellowship can be completed in 1 year (by completing the Certificate in Theology and Health Care (R-CTHC) or in 2 years (by completing the Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.).

Funding Your Education

We are committed to making sure a Duke Divinity degree is affordable. We award scholarships and grants to 99% of our students, and offer fellowships that cover full tuition.

Our Faculty

The heart of any great theological school is its faculty, and at Duke Divinity School you'll be immersed in robust theological inquiry with one of the world's strongest divinity school faculties.

Duke and Durham

Durham, N.C., has been named one of the top 10 places to live by U.S. News and World Report. And as a student at Duke Divinity School, you can also take advantage of everything that Duke University has to offer.

Resources for Admitted Students

Regardless of your stage in the discernment process, we invite you to review the following information to learn more about your next steps.

Certificate in Theology and Health Care/Doctor of Medicine (C.T.H.C./M.D.)

Top Tier Faculty

Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellowship

Curriculum