Hybrid Master of Divinity (M.Div.)

When you’re ready to follow God’s call to service and ministry, we’re here to help you take the next steps. Duke Divinity’s highly regarded Master of Divinity degree has trained church leaders for nearly 100 years, and now through the hybrid delivery model you can have that preparation from wherever you are. Offering rich academic courses in a remote, online, flexible format—alongside intentional ministerial formation and focused theological reflection—a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree at Duke Divinity School will develop your imagination and prepare you to meet the challenges facing the church, academy, and world of tomorrow.

Kristen poses near Duke chapel with a striped shirt and grey cardigan and bag slung over her shoulder

"I’m so thankful that I found the Hybrid M.Div. program. I had been feeling an increasing call to go to grad school, but the more I looked, the more disheartened I was, because I was unable to find programs that had the flexibility that I wanted and needed with having young kids and being in full-time ministry. Others just didn’t quite have the caliber or the diversity of staff that I was hoping for. I stumbled onto the Duke Divinity Hybrid M.Div. program, and the more I read about it, the more it felt like a perfect fit.”

Support Your Call

Our M.Div. students come from across the country and around the world 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.

Ministry Beyond the Walls

Learn how Duke Divinity School forms students for ministry that reaches beyond the walls of the institution and the church.

Jesse's Story: The Hybrid M.Div.

Hear how the Hybrid M.Div. made it possible for one student, Jesse Enniss, to deepen his call to ministry.

Spiritual Formation

Deepen Your Practices and Continue Discerning Your Call

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.

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Students laugh together while sitting in Goodson Chapel

Building Community

Cohort Model Allows Relationships to Form

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

Practical Experience in the Field

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.

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Resources and Support

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.

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The hybrid learning curriculum combines remote coursework with week-long residential immersion weeks 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.

Curriculum

Our curriculum offers students a way to earn a degree while staying in their current context.

First Year

Fall Term

Old Testament Core Course Part I
Church Ministry Elective
Spiritual Formation (for credit)

Spring Term

Old Testament Core Course Part II
New Testament Core Course
Spiritual Formation (for credit)

Summer Term

Black Church Studies or World Christianity Elective
Elective or Biblical Language
Formation for Ministry

Second Year

Fall Term

Christian Theology Core Coursse
Church History Core Course Part I
Formation for Ministry

Spring Term

Christian Ethics Core Course
Church History Core Course Part II
Formation for Ministry

Summer Term

Black Church Studies or World Christianity Elective
Elective or Biblical Language
Formation for Ministry

Third Year

Fall Term

Preaching Core Course or Elective
American Christianity
Formation for Ministry

Spring Term

NT Exegesis or Elective
Elective
Formation for Ministry

Summer Term

Elective
NT Exegesis or Elective
Formation for Ministry

Fourth Year

Fall Term

Practicing Theology in Ministry Elective or Other Elective
Elective
Formation for Ministry

Spring Term

Elective
Elective
Formation for Ministry

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 or ministerial formation in each term
2 student portfolios (one each in second and third years)

Hybrid Format

Flexibility Without Sacrificing Holistic Learning

A hybrid learning environment offers Hybrid M.Div. students the best of both worlds—remote coursework combined with week-long residential immersion weeks. 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.

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Student sits across from a writing center coach at a round table

Academic Support at Duke Divinity

Helping You Succeed

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.

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Certificates

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 Baptist Studies

The Certificate in Baptist Studies is designed to serve the academic and formational requirements of M.Div. students, residential and hybrid, who are preparing for ministry—ordained and lay—in the Baptist tradition.

Certificate in Black Church Studies

The Certificate in Black Church Studies can be earned within the M.Div., M.T.S., Th.M., and M.A. degrees and aims to help strengthen the body of Christ through critical reflection, dialogue, and practice at the intersection of race, faith, and Christian witness in the tradition of Black churches.

Certificate in Christian Education

The Certificate in Christian Education, available to M.A. in Christian Practice and M.Div. students, benefits persons seeking to practice as church educators, teachers, college chaplains, youth workers, community organizers, or health care workers.

Certificate in Faith-based Organizing, Advocacy, and Social Transformation

The Certificate in Faith-based Organizing, Advocacy, and Social Transformation is for students in the M.Div. (residential and hybrid), M.T.S., or M.A. programs seeking to engage 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 can be earned alongside the M.Div. (residential and hybrid), M.T.S., Th.D., and M.A. and enables students to make the study of gender, sexuality, theology, and ministry a core component of their theological education. It fosters a collaborative environment for teaching, research, service learning, and dialogue.

Certificate in Methodist/Wesleyan Studies

The Certificate in Methodist/Wesleyan Studies is for pan-Methodist/Wesleyan students in the M.Div., M.T.S., and M.A. programs 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 can be earned within the M.Div. (hybrid and residential) and M.A. in Christian Practice degrees and is intended to provide training in contextual evangelism and church planting for students interested in innovative forms of ministry.

Certificate in Theology and the Arts

The Certificate in Theology and the Arts offers M.Div., M.T.S., Th.M., and M.A. students firm grounding in the key theological loci and practices relevant to a lifetime’s engagement with the arts in the church, the university, and beyond.

Certificate in Theology, Medicine, and Culture

The Certificate in Theology, Medicine, and Culture combines scholarship and coursework with practical experience and community engagement to prepare students in the M.Div. , M.T.S., Th.M., and M.A. programs for robust theological and practical engagement with contemporary practices of medicine, community, and public health.

Certificate in Worship

The Certificate in Worship prepares Duke Divinity students in the M.Div., M.T.S., and M.A. programs to engage in practical formation and theoretical reflection on the worship of God in Christian congregations.

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.

Edgardo Colon-Emeric speaks during an alumni luncheon event

Lifelong Dividends

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.

Ready for the Next Step?

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.

M.Div. Application Requirements

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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.

Which Degree Is Right for Me?

Whether you are interested in a full-time, residential graduate program, or one that allows you to pursue a degree while you remain in ministry full-time, Duke Divinity School offers a program to fit your goals.

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.

Formation

Learn about our approach to spiritual and ministerial formation, which provides both vocational training grounded in the teachings of Jesus and the real-world experience you need to be an innovative leader in the church and the world.

Degree-Based Certificates

Duke Divinity School offers a variety of certificates that can be earned alongside our degree programs. These programs give students the opportunity to focus their coursework on a particular area of ministry or study.

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.

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.

Support Your Call

Spiritual Formation

Building Community

Opportunities That Bridge Thinking and Doing

Houses of Study