Advanced Placement Master of Divinity
Where can this degree take me?
The Master of Divinity is considered the standard professional degree for pastoral ministry, as well as providing an excellent foundation for further academic work and many other unique ministry contexts; our AP MDiv helps prepare you in a shorter amount of time by building on the undergraduate work you’ve already done. MDiv alumni have gone on to a wide variety of vocational pursuits, including pastors, denominational leaders, scholars, authors, community development leaders, and missionary workers in many different contexts locally, nationally, and globally. The MDiv is the prerequisite degree for Doctor of Ministry (DMin) programs and is the recommended graduate degree for those intending to pursue advanced theological study (usually at the ThM or PhD levels).
What will I study?
The AP MDiv curriculum (75 hours total) covers the same robust range of biblical studies, theology, culture, and practical ministry experience as a standard MDiv. You’ll take courses in the following areas:
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| ID 5000 |
Biblical Theology and Interpretation |
3 hours |
| NT 5210 |
NT Greek Exegesis I |
4 hours |
| NT 5211 |
NT Greek Exegesis II |
2 hours |
| NT 5212 |
NT Greek Exegesis III |
1 hour |
| NT 6600 |
Preaching from the New Testament |
1 hour |
| NT 6221 |
Synoptics and Johannine Literature |
3 hours |
| NT 6222 |
Acts, Pauline, and General Epistles |
3 hours |
| OT 5240 |
Elementary Hebrew I |
3 hours |
| OT 5241 |
Elementary Hebrew II |
3 hours |
| OT 5242 |
Hebrew Exegesis |
4 hours |
| OT 6216 |
Pentateuch and Historical Books |
4 hours |
| OT 6217 |
Prophetic and Poetic Books |
4 hours |
| PT 6210 |
Advanced Personal Ministry Development |
1 hour |
| (or PT 5000 as indicated in the letter of admission, in which case we encourage taking PT 6210 as an elective) |
| PT 7280 |
Christian Worship |
2 hours |
| PT 7460 |
MDiv Capstone Seminar |
1 hour |
| PT 7465/7466 |
Internship |
2 hours |
| ID 5080 |
Formation Group (2 semesters) |
0 hours |
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| Prerequisite deficiencies cannot apply as electives in the AP MDiv. All AP Mdiv electives must be 6000 level or above with the exception of EM 5210, 5510, 5712, 5540, 5541, CC5610, and CO 5210. |
Biblical, Theological, and Historical Studies (CH, ST, NT, OT)
|
| A minimum of 3 hours in Church History (CH) and 6 hours in Systematic Theology (ST) - 12-18 hrs |
| Worldview and Culture Studies |
| Choose electives from at least two areas: BE (Bioethics), CC (Christianity & culture), ME (Mission & Evangelism), PR (Philosophy of Religion) - 8-12 hrs |
| Ministries and Practices |
A minimum of two hours must be completed in each of the following areas:
CM/CO (Counseling Ministries & Counseling), EM / ES (Educational Ministries & Studies), HM / PT (Homiletics & Pastoral Theology) - 8-12 hrs |
Field Education & Internships
All Master of Divinity students must complete field education and internship requirements. Learn more about field ed & internship here.
AP MDiv Faculty
The broad nature of the AP MDiv means you’ll have the chance to take courses from a wide variety of TEDS faculty. You can meet some of them below, including our Department Chairs.
View All Faculty
What are the prerequisites for admission to this program?
To qualify, applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree in a field related to Christian ministry, pre-seminary studies, biblical studies, or theological studies within the past five years. Other degrees, however, may be considered; talk to an Admissions Counselor if you’re interested but unsure about your qualifications. You’ll need to have done a good amount of coursework (with a grade of “B” or better and a GPA of 3.25 or higher) in church history, biblical and theological studies, mission and evangelism studies, and ministry and preaching courses, as well as cultural engagement and supervised ministry experiences. (See full prerequisites for the hourly requirements; you may be admitted with several hours of deficiency, but these must be made up and will prevent you from completing the AP MDiv in as short a time.)
View All Prerequisites
Advanced Placement Master of Divinity Prerequisites
You’ll need to have undergraduate coursework in the following areas:
- Church history or history elective covering church history broadly (3-4 hrs)
- Pastoral counseling, including lab counseling experiences (2-3 hrs)
- Christian education or educational ministries in the local church (2-3 hrs)
- Introductory preaching, including lab preaching experiences (2-3 hrs)
- Christian mission (2-3 hrs)
- Evangelism (2-3 hrs)
- Apologetics or Christian evidences (2-3 hrs)
- Cultural engagement course examining current trends and their intersection and critique from a biblical perspective (2-3 hrs)
- Biblical or systematic theology covering the scope of theology (6-9 hrs)
- Christian ethics examining contemporary ethical issues in biblical perspective (2-3 hrs)
- Denominational history and polity (1 hr or as required by denomination)
- Supervised cross-cultural ministry experience (not a mission trip)
- Supervised ministry field experience, practicum, or internship (2 semesters or 200 clock hours)
- A personal ministry assessment course, which includes personal assessment and development of a personal philosophy of ministry, including use of such tools as the MMPI and CounselAid
You’ll also need a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or higher and a grade of “B” or better in each prerequisite course.
Applicants with 19 or more hours of prerequisite deficiencies are not eligible for the AP MDiv and will need to apply to the standard MDiv program.
Next Steps
Ready to apply? Make sure you send in the Supplemental Application too. AP MDiv Applications will be considered only in an applicant’s first semester in the MDiv program (including as a second program for Multiple Master’s applicants), and all necessary materials must be submitted no later than the end of Add/Drop in that first semester.
