Introduction
This transatlantic program of collaborative teaching and learning began in 1999. It is designed for ministers from the United Kingdom and Ireland and North America who are graduates in Theology and who have had at least three years of professional experience. The course is taught in Aberdeen and Pittsburgh by staff of the collaborating institutions, and the degree is conferred by Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
The University of Aberdeen was founded in 1495 and has provided theological education from its inception. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate professional institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Its origins date from the late eighteenth century.
The next intake for the D.Min.
programme will be in August 2011.
Please note that the University of Aberdeen will accept applications from ministers in the European Union only. North American candidates for this programme should apply through Pittsburgh Theological Seminary: http://www.pts.edu/
The Degree of Doctor of Ministry
The Doctor of Ministry is a professional qualification for clergy. It is designed to enable formal academic study through which they can reflect critically and constructively upon selected aspects of their ministry.
The D.Min. Programme
The D.Min. programme provides ministers and academic staff from both sides of the Atlantic with a unique opportunity for professional collaboration through the sharing of insights, experience and expertise. It also enables European ministers to experience at first hand the type of professional ministerial qualification that has been developed in recent years in the United States.
Congregational involvement in the student’s work is an integral feature of the programme. A local committee participates in the drafting of a mission statement that informs the candidate’s project. The committee also functions as a sounding-board for the student in the planning, execution and evaluation of the project.
Programme Content
The cooperative D. Min. follows The Reformed Focus programme developed at Pittsburgh. This is designed to cultivate the Reformed tradition’s emphasis on the minister as a theological leader of the church.
1. Core Seminars
The objective of the programme is to develop the ability of participants to formulate theologically-based actions directed toward ‘the great ends of the Church’ as these have been understood in the Reformed tradition. It begins with seven core seminars on the following themes:
- Reformed Theology
- Reformed Ecumenism
- Biblical Authority and Interpretation in the Reformed Tradition
- Ecclesiology and Ministry in the Contemporary Church
- Ethical and Social Issues Before the Church
- Worship in the Reformed Churches
- Proposal Lab (to aid preparation for the dissertation)
2. Electives
In addition to these core seminars three electives are arranged for students in their home campuses or by distance learning. For students in the Aberdeen area, electives may include level 5 courses from the taught Master’s programmes offered in the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy. Current offerings can be found on the website of the Department of Divinity and Religious Studies at Aberdeen, though the coverage of taught Master’s courses will change from year to year. For more information see: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/divinity/pgrad/
For students from further afield, electives may include programmes of guided study or practical projects undertaken in consultation with members of teaching staff from Aberdeen or Pittsburgh, or, in some cases, other institutions.
In general, the coverage of the three electives is as follows:
- A practical topic related to the student’s doctoral project
- A topic related to the biblical or theological section of the student’s doctoral project
- Usually a third topic broadly related to some other aspect of the content of the doctoral project
3. Doctoral Project
The degree is completed with
a doctoral project of approximately 30,000 words. This is supervised
by a ‘faculty committee’ of two staff from one or both
of the collaborating institutions. The project must demonstrate the
candidate’s ability to identify a problem, issue or concern
in his or her own ministry, integrate appropriate theological, biblical
and professional resources, and develop a method for resolution
Locations and Dates of Schools
The first school will be held
in Pittsburgh in late August/early September 2011, to be followed by
a school in Aberdeen in mid-January 2012. The third school will also
be held in Aberdeen in late August/early September 2012, with the concluding
session in Pittsburgh in January 2013. Accommodation will be available
to students on both campuses.
Costs and Sources of Funding
Fees will payable to the University
of Aberdeen at the part-time postgraduate rate for three years.
In 2010/11 the fee was £1700. For current fees see the following
link:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/tuitionfees/postgtuitfee.shtml
In addition, candidates will have to meet the travel and residential costs of the schools held in Aberdeen and Pittsburgh.
Christ’s College, Aberdeen offers funding for four ministers of the Church of Scotland from the North East of Scotland. In addition, the Mary Davidson Smith fund may be able to provide some assistance with the costs of books and/or travel for ministers in the Presbytery of Aberdeen. Enquiries should be directed to: Rev. Ian Dick, Master of Christ’s College,
christ-college@abdn.ac.uk
Ministers may also apply to their own denominations for study leave funding assistance.
Applications
Application is made in the normal way for postgraduate study at the University of Aberdeen. For application forms write to:
Postgraduate Secretary (Postgraduate Applications),
School of Divinity, History & Philosophy,
University of Aberdeen,
KCG11c,
King's College,
Aberdeen, AB24 3UB,
Scotland,
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1224-272380
Fax: +44 (0)1224-273750
Informal queries may be directed to:
Dr. Christopher Brittain
School of Divinity History & Philosophy
King’s College, University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen, AB24 3UB
Tel: 01224 272374
Fax: 01224 273750
Email: c.brittain@abdn.ac.uk
