Doctor Of Ministry (DMin)

The STU’s Doctor of Ministry program (DMin) is a creation of the Saskatoon Theological Union’s three member schools: Lutheran Theological Seminary, St Andrew’s College, and the College of Emmanuel & St Chad. The DMin program is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada.

The DMin is a professional degree intended to sharpen ministry skills and build a student’s capacity in their place of ministry. To enroll in the program, it is vital that a student’s ministry site is prepared to support the student’s learning and to cooperate with the student’s research plans and goals.

While the program is jointly administered by the three schools of the STU, students apply to the program through either Lutheran Theological Seminary or St. Andrew’s College. The DMin degree is granted by either of these two schools.

STU’s DMin is a cohort-based program for those who wish to complete a graduate degree without having to relocate. Students in each cohort will begin the program by spending ten days being oriented and beginning to learn together in Saskatoon. The remainder of the program will be offered using a hybrid format of in-person and online learning. Students will be encouraged to come to Saskatoon on other occasions during the course of their studies for intensive five-day learning opportunities.

Students who complete STU’s DMin program will develop the following skills and abilities:

The ability to analyze their ministry setting and to integrate academic, theological, and practical knowledge by drawing on the resources of practical theology;
A deepened capacity for spiritual leadership through building learning communities with a peer cohort and within the ministry setting, particularly with their ministry team;
The ability to engage in qualitative research and to apply appropriate tools in the development and execution of a research project;

The capacity to demonstrate, through a research project report, learnings about their ministry setting and how this learning contributes to new knowledge and understanding of the theology and practice of ministry within denomination, ecumenical, and community contexts
A deepened experience of the academy and the acquiring of skills to present, teach, and continue academic pursuits and research.

The DMin program is a 30 credit hour program and has three main components:

In order to be eligible to take our DMin course:

Students must possess an MDiv or MTS degree, or their equivalents as defined by the school of registration.
A minimum Grade Point Average of 75 per cent (or its equivalent) in the above degrees.
Students will normally have the equivalent of three years of active ministry subsequent to the completion of their MDiv/MTS degree (or equivalents) and must be located in a ministry site suitable for carrying out a collaborative ministry project.

Foreign Equivalences:

Since methods of recording grades and conferring degrees differ from country to country, foreign students wishing to enter the DMin program must write to the Registrar of the STU school in which they want to enroll, submitting details of their academic careers. This report should include transcripts of academic work and any degrees or diplomas held, together with some information about the institutions granting the degrees.
Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English fluency as determined by a TOEFL IBT score (including the speaking component) of 88 with no component less than 20, OR a DUOLINGO English Test with an overall minimum score of 120. Scores should be forwarded directly to the Registrar of the STU school in which they want to enroll.

In order to be apply for our DMin course, you must do the following: (check wording?)

Attainment of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, or its equivalent, from a recognized college or university, together with the official transcript.
• A World Religions course is strongly recommended
• For those over the age of 31 and without a BA or its equivalent, LTS will consider successful completion of a LTS “Prior Learning Assessment” (PLAR):
Completion of the online MDiv Application for Admission, plus submission of supporting documents as outlined in the application form (such as transcripts, references, autobiography, criminal and vulnerable sector records checks).
Submission of the $75 application fee (please note: the application fee, for applicants that require a Canadian Study Permit, is $200 in Canadian funds)

Candidacy Committee (CC) endorsement for ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) students or, for students of other denominations, a letter from their judicatory.
For those whose first language is not English, they must successfully complete one of two options:

1) a DUOLINGO English overall test score of 120 OR:
2) a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) IBT score (including the speaking component) of 88 with no component less than 20, or if the TOEFL IBT is not available, a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper based) is a prerequisite.