Jordan DeVeaux, M.Div., '25, drafted a job description for a role that didn’t exist, and it led her to a year’s work with Lawndale Christian Health Center. Learn how she was shaped by the opportunity.

At Duke Divinity School, field education is a central part of preparing M.Div. students for ministry. For JoDeanne Francis, M.Div. ’26, that experience has meant learning to hold together her background as a social worker, her theological studies, and her pastoral imagination in new and surprising ways.

Field education at Duke Divinity School places students directly into ministry settings where they can apply classroom learning to real-world pastoral work. For Andrew Ingram, M.Div. ‘27, that hands-on experience is happening 150 miles from campus at Pembroke First United Methodist Church in rural North Carolina.

“Field ed allows you to take your academic and spiritual formation and live it out in a practical way,” says Meg Greto, M.Div. '25. “It’s where you learn how to receive feedback and how to be in community with people. It’s a profound experience.”

At Duke Divinity School, field education is more than a program requirement—it’s a defining part of the seminary experience for students like Dylan O’Shell, M.Div. ’27, who embrace the time for learning, curiosity, and even failure.

Dean believes it's vital to know the people and recognize the history of the places that he serves in ministry, and his field education placement at Mt. Bright Missionary Baptist Church in Hillsborough, N.C. gave him the space to build relationships and have courageous conversations.

Jalen Garza is serving a field education placement at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church for the 2024-2025 academic year, giving her space to discern further her calling into pastoral ministry.

M.Div. students at Duke Divinity School are offered the unique opportunity to serve in field education placements, fully immersing into a ministry context for the entire summer to learn practical skills from a trained supervisor to prepare for their future in ministry. See a few snapshots of what our students have been doing this summer.

For many students, like Samira Foster, M.Div. '27, field education is their first opportunity to work in a ministry setting and is an invaluable component of their theological education. These placements involve serving in contextual learning opportunities in churches, nonprofits, and other settings under the guidance of a trained supervisor.

Logan Pollock, M.Div. '25, served his field education placement at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in southwest Durham, where Rev. Stephen Elkins-Williams was his supervisor.

Duke Divinity students, serving as interns in churches across the country as part of their field education requirement, will also participate in a Community of Learning.