Hybrid Master of Divinity
Why This Program?
The call to serve in ministry is compelling and complex, and you do not have to answer it alone. Duke Divinity’s highly regarded Master of Divinity degree has trained church leaders for nearly 100 years. Now, with our new Hybrid Master of Divinity degree, those hearing the call can gain that same preparation from wherever they are. Offering remote online coursework in a flexible format, our program lets you balance professional and personal responsibilities while participating in deep theological reflection and academic study that will transform your faith and prepare you to go further in your career and vocation.
Embrace your call. Develop an imagination to build the church, academy, and world of tomorrow, today.
Our M.Div. students come from 40 states and 8 countries to pursue a variety of career paths. Some come to be ministers, church planters, and other leaders of the 21st century church. Others come to deepen their connection to Christian ministry in their nonprofit work, chaplaincy, teaching and writing, or any form their ministry takes. What they share is a desire for a program that is academically rigorous and unabashedly Christian. 57% of M.Div. graduates choose church-based ministry, while 43% choose positions in nonprofit organizations, chaplaincy, education, or further graduate work.
Nurturing the Call
Hear how the M.Div. made a difference in the call of one student, Jesse Ennis.
Top Tier Faculty
Hybrid M.Div. students work directly with Duke Divinity faculty who are experts in their fields of study and whose 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 are active in the life of the church and their communities. Our faculty are dedicated to nurturing the next generation of pastors, thinkers, and doers of theology.
Spiritual Formation
A key strength of the Hybrid M.Div. program is an opportunity for guided spiritual formation. You will deepen your own spiritual practices by cultivating habits and rhythms for sustaining a lifetime of Christian service. You will also have time, space, and mentoring to discern your future vocation.
Building Community
The first interaction that students have with their peers in the Hybrid M.Div. program is an intensive in-person study period. Relationships form quickly as students wrestle with the biblical and theological frameworks shared in class. Although students may come from diverse backgrounds and denominations, their cohort of peers becomes a touchstone throughout their degree. Community is a signature of this program.
Opportunities That Bridge Thinking and Doing
Contextual education is central to the Hybrid M.Div. program. We work closely with each Hybrid M.Div. student to help design student-initiated field education placements around your learning goals, including the possibility of designing one in your current site of practice.
Houses of Study
Our houses of study help prepare you for service—and ordination—in the communities and denominations where you’ll serve. They include the Methodist/Wesleyan House of Studies, the Baptist House of Studies, the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies, the Presbyterian/Reformed House of Studies, the Office of Black Church Studies, the Asian House of Studies, and the Hispanic House of Studies.
Program Overview
Curriculum
The hybrid learning curriculum combines remote coursework with week-long residential intensives scheduled in January, May, and August on the Duke Divinity School campus in Durham, N.C. Program courses, both online and on campus, are taught by the same Duke Divinity faculty who teach students pursuing a residential M.Div. and give students the opportunity to engage in a world-class education no matter where they are located.
The curriculum for the Hybrid M.Div. is designed to meet you where you are and take you wherever you are called by God to go—be that ordination, lay ministry, nonprofit work, or a career in teaching. Our flexible delivery classes cover Old and New Testament, Church history, Christian theology, world Christianity, ministry, worship, preaching, Biblical languages, the Black Church, and a variety of electives.
We know that many Hybrid M.Div. students are working full-time. The curriculum offers a class schedule optimized for busy students and a pathway to earn your degree while staying in your current context. For a sample of Hybrid M.Div. curriculum at Duke Divinity, see below:
First Year
|
Fall Term |
|
|
Spring Term |
|
|
Summer Term |
|
Second Year
|
Fall Term |
|
|
Spring Term |
|
|
Summer Term |
|
Third Year
|
Fall Term |
|
|
Spring Term |
|
|
Summer Term |
|
Fourth Year
|
Fall Term |
|
|
Spring Term |
|
Looking for a Residential Master of Divinity Program?
Our traditional Master of Divinity program gives you broad academic preparation for leadership of flourishing ministries, creative institutions, and thriving communities in a residential format, typically completed in three years.
Spiritual Formation
The thread that runs through the Hybrid M.Div. program is spiritual formation. Students in each new cohort are assigned a mentor that will direct their spiritual formation throughout the year. You will deepen your own spiritual practices by cultivating habits and rhythms for sustaining a lifetime of Christian service. You will also have time, space, and mentoring to discern your future vocation. Spiritual formation is complemented by formation for ministry in a variety of ways—through coursework, corporate worship, field education, service opportunities, houses of study, and denominational associations.
Graduation Requirements
The Hybrid Master of Divinity is normally completed in four years. Requirements for graduation are:
- 24 courses comprising 8 core courses, 5 limited electives, and 11 electives
- 2 units of field education in your local context
- Spiritual formation in each term
- 2 student portfolios (one each in second and third years)
Hybrid Format
A hybrid learning environment offers Hybrid M.Div. students the best of both worlds—remote coursework combined with week-long residential intensives. Online learning is designed to be flexible, offering scheduled online classes (using Zoom and typically around the lunch hour EST) and self-paced learning so that students can remain in ministry or working full time while also engaging in rigorous theological reflection. The residential sessions are scheduled three times a year—January, May, and August—and take place at Duke Divinity School on the Duke campus in Durham, N.C.
Academic Support at Duke Divinity
The Center for Writing and Academic Support provides services for writers of all abilities. In addition, we offer the RISE pre-orientation workshop to introduce the fundamentals of theological thought and writing; ongoing academic support workshops throughout the year; and tutors who are available to virtually work with students one-on-one.
Duke Divinity School offers certificates that give students the opportunity to focus their coursework on a particular area of ministry or study. The following certificates can be earned in the Hybrid M.Div. program:
Certificate in Black Church Studies
The Certificate in Black Church Studies offers the opportunity for critical reflection, dialogue, and practice for students who are interested in the intersection of race, faith, and Christian witness, particularly in the tradition of Black churches.
Certificate in Christian Education
The Certificate in Christian Education benefits persons seeking to practice as church educators, teachers, college chaplains, youth workers, or health care workers.
Certificate in Faith-based Organizing, Advocacy, and Social Transformation
The Certificate in Faith-based Organizing, Advocacy, and Social Transformation is designed for students interested in campaigning and advocacy work, community organizing, community development, and related forms of social, political, and economic witness from a Christian basis.
Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, Theology, and Ministry
The Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, Theology, and Ministry (GSTM) is designed to offer opportunities to women and men to study gender and sexuality in the life of the church, in the Christian tradition, and in contemporary culture.
Certificate in Methodist/Wesleyan Studies
The Certificate in Methodist/Wesleyan Studies is for pan-Methodist/Wesleyan students who wish to engage in robust and intentional training in Wesleyan theology and spiritual practice in preparation for leadership positions in Methodist and Wesleyan churches.
Certificate in Missional Innovation
The Certificate in Missional Innovation provides training in church planting and contextual evangelism for students interested in innovative forms of ministry.
Certificate in Theology and the Arts
The certificate in Theology and the Arts provides firm grounding in the key theological loci and practices relevant to a lifetime’s engagement with the arts and the church, the university, and beyond.
Certificate in Theology, Medicine, and Culture
The Certificate in Theology, Medicine, and Culture will prepare students for robust theological and practical engagement with contemporary practices in medicine and healthcare.
Certificate in Worship
The Certificate in Worship prepares students to engage in practical formation and theoretical reflection on the worship of God in Christian congregations.
Affording Duke
An education from Duke Divinity School is worth your investment, and you do not have to figure out the finances alone.
All M.Div. students receive funding.
Duke Divinity School is investing in you, too. It is an investment in your education, the church, and our shared future. All M.Div. students receive some form of scholarship support from Duke Divinity School that will cover between 25% and 100% of tuition costs, and there is no separate application needed in order to be considered. The Hybrid M.Div. also helps with affordability by making it possible to maintain employment while also pursuing education at Duke. Many other internal and external scholarships, as well as federal financial aid in the form of work study and loans, make it possible for students to afford Duke Divinity. We are committed to ensuring that every student who hears the call to ministry can fund their education here. FAFSA should be completed for external aid. More information can be found in our Financial Aid section.
In addition to earning a degree from Duke Divinity School, you also receive benefits that continue to impact your life long after you leave. You’ll have space for learning timeless ministry skills, cultivating holy friendships that will sustain you, and forming relationships with faculty who can serve as mentors as your vocation unfolds. The overwhelming majority of our students say their investment is worth it.
Next Steps
Duke Divinity School accepts applications from students with a demonstrated commitment to some form of ordained or lay ministry and a minimum GPA of 2.75 in a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited college or university prior to the intended date of enrollment.
Resources
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.