General Information

The Master of Divinity program is a 136-unit graduate professional program that constitutes the basic preparation for pastoral ministry. It is designed to provide students with the opportunity to engage in advanced study in a wide variety of fields within the discipline of pastoral studies and the option of developing one or more emphases. For information on the joint MDiv-MBA program offered in conjunction with the School of Business and Management, see below.

The program is specifically intended to serve, but is not necessarily limited to, the following:

1. Ministers employed by Seventh-day Adventist conferences who want to increase their effectiveness by completing the requisite professional education for the pastorate.
2. College graduates of the North American Division who are not sponsored by a Seventh-day Adventist conference to obtain the Master of Divinity degree according to the standard protocol.
3. Specialized church employees, such as religious educators, high school teachers, youth and children's pastors, family pastors, counselors, who desire a professional ministerial degree program in their area of specialty.
4. Persons engaged in occupations other than ministry who believe they are called to pastoral ministry and therefore want to obtain the appropriate educational preparation.
5. Persons who wish to prepare for lay ministry in a local church.
6. Seventh-day Adventists outside the North American Division.
7. Pastors and other persons who are not Seventh-day Adventists.

Admission Requirements

1. For regular admission, applicants must hold a four-year baccalaureate degree or equivalent with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 or better on a 4-point scale from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university. The School of Religion will consider for provisional admission a limited number of applicants who do not meet all of these requirements. In such cases, the school may require admitted students to complete undergraduate or graduate courses in addition to the regular requirements.
2. International applicants must meet the requirements of the university for English-language competence.
3. Students may transfer up to 68 units from an approved graduate or graduate professional program in another university or seminary.
4. To receive additional information, including an admissions packet, click here.

Course Requirements

Program Notes

1. Students who have completed an undergraduate course in Biblical Hebrew of at least 3 quarter units or equivalent with a grade of B or better will take the 4-unit elective. Those who have completed the last quarter or semester of an undergraduate course in Intermediate New Testament Greek of at least 3 quarter units or equivalent with a grade of B or better will take the 4-unit elective.
2. Students who have completed a comparable undergraduate survey course in this discipline of at least 4 quarter units or equivalent with a grade of B or better will take the 4-unit elective.
3. Students whose faith tradition differs from that of the Seventh-day Adventist Church may substitute 12 units of courses from their own faith tradition with the approval of the director of graduate studies.
4. Those who must take both linguistic tools courses will have 8 general program elective units. Those who must take one linguistic tools course will have 12 general program elective units. Other will have 16 general program elective units.

Other Requirements and Regulations

1. The director of graduate programs for the School of Religion will assign students an advisor appropriate to their programs.
2. Full-time students will enroll in 4 courses (16 units) per quarter.
3. Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.00 or better, with no grade lower than C.

Emphases

1. Students who have sufficient electives available may concentrate them in one or more emphases of 20-24 units.
2. The following are the available emphases offered through the School of Religion: Christian ethics, Christian theology, history of Christianity, New Testament, Old Testament, pastoral counseling, pastoral leadership, preaching and worship, youth and young adult ministry.
3. The following are examples of emphases offered in cooperation with other schools of the university: Christian education, literature, management.
4. Students may obtain the requirements for these emphases from the Office of the School of Religion or the director of graduate studies.

Master of Divinity - Master of Business Administration

The School of Religion and the School of Business and Management offer a joint program for students to concurrently complete the Master of Divinity and Master of Business Administration (MDiv-MBA) degrees.

1. The combined number of quarter units for this joint program is 160, which is 24 units fewer than the total units of the separate programs. Click here to see the curriculum of the joint program..
2. Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the university and of each degree program.
3. Students must meet all the requirements of the university and of each degree program, except as modified for the joint degree program.
4. For specific program and other information, please contact the Office of the School of Religion or the Office of the School of Business and Management.

Electives

Students choose general program electives from among the the graduate courses offered by the School of Religion that are not required for the MDiv program. With the permission of the director of graduate programs, they may fulfill such electives through graduate courses offered by other schools of the university.

To receive additional information, including an admissions packet, click here.

Last edited: 2 Oct. 03