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The Doctor of Ministry program is designed to enable participants to attain excellence in the practice of ministry. 

 
Program

The School of Theology is committed to forming lay and ordained leaders for the Episcopal Church. Our advanced degrees and certificates are designed for those actively serving the church in a variety of ministry contexts to attain excellence in the practice of ministry. We desire for clergy to engage more deeply and intentionally with the ordination promise, as the Book of Common Prayer says, to “be diligent in the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures, and in seeking the knowledge of such things as may make you a stronger and more able minister of Christ.”

What makes the Sewanee program distinctive and rewarding for its students is its combination of in-person worship, study, and fellowship in the unique natural beauty of Sewanee’s 13,000-acre campus, commonly referred to as “the Domain.” You are welcome to visit us at any time of year to get a sense of this very special place and be a part of the Sewanee community at the School of Theology. 

These advanced programs meet in June every summer. They create an opportunity for students to step away from the regular rhythms of ministry, to return to active academic study, to engage one’s theological imagination, and to refocus their spiritual disciplines. Students will encounter a diverse group of their peers, creating a vibrant community and building relationships across the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and beyond. It is this traditional Anglican model—of worshiping and studying together—that has the proven benefit of enriching, deepening, and challenging our shared ideals and perspectives.

The Chapel of the Apostles summer schedule includes morning prayer, noonday Eucharist, and evening prayer. Students join faculty and staff in the rotation of preaching, officiating, and celebrating services from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, as well as other authorized resources of the Episcopal Church.

Students come to Sewanee from all parts of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Several School of Theology programs meet during our June residencies. This creates not only a diverse learning environment, but also provides opportunities to meet and connect with fellow students from a variety of ministry settings. 

 

Students

Unlike a traditional Ph.D program, the Advanced Degrees Program at Sewanee consists almost entirely of full-time clergy. Most, but not all, students are clergy within the Episcopal Church, alongside a small but consistent presence of international students from many countries throughout the Anglican Communion and clergy from other denominations. To be a part of the Advanced Degrees Program is to share with fellow clergy both the pursuit of academic questions and the practical realities of ministry. Over the course of the program, students deepen relationships with fellow clergy across the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Our students have shared with us how important the in-person, residential aspects of the program are to them, and we affirm the June residency in Sewanee remains the heart of the worshiping community and the academic experience of the Advanced Degrees Program.

What Our Students Say

The Rev. Clare E. Barrie

I'm in full-time parish ministry here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and I’ve found that the June residential programme reading and assignment work are able to be balanced with ministry and the needs of my young family. Crucially, the assignment and thesis work are opportunities to apply my learning and research to my own ministry setting, which is allowing me to ground my learning in my context. At the same time, the scholarship and support offered by the faculty at the School of Theology are world-class. Since there’s no equivalent opportunity to study liturgics locally, it was vital to me to find a study programme that was grounded in Anglican tradition and history, and in touch with contemporary liturgical scholarship and practice from around the Anglican Communion, and I’m excited to have found these things at Sewanee.

The Very Rev. Marcus Halley

As a leader in the church, I have learned that one of the ways I can inspire the people under my care to follow the saving way of Jesus Christ is to be inspired myself. The time we spend in class, reading, debating, studying, and learning along with time spent in prayer and in leisure all helps to fill my spiritual tank. I leave every Summer spent on the mountain overflowing with energy, ideas, and feelings a sense of renewal and revival. I will probably have to manufacture a reason to come back once this degree is done in May 2022 because the School of Theology and the Advanced Degrees Program have been mainstays of my spiritual and vocation wellbeing.

The Rev. Peter Wong

The Doctor of Ministry program at the School of Theology is the best opportunity for continuing not only my formation, but for nurturing my network of colleagues throughout the church. The curriculum is challenging and stimulating, but manageable working as the rector of a parish. Both the visiting professors and Sewanee’s own have expanded my horizons and inspired me to be a better teacher for my congregation sharing a greater vision of God’s dream with them as we grow together. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Rev. Mollie Roberts

For me, the Doctor of Ministry program has been the best possible way to spend my continuing education time and dollars. With top name visiting professors alongside the best seminary faculty to be found, classes are both relevant and challenging. In addition, taking courses with clergy members from around the world and different traditions provides the opportunity for friendships and cultural education that is impossible to duplicate in shorter, less substantive continuing education programs. Being on the Holy Mountain for three weeks in June is worth whatever it takes to make it happen.

Students in the D.Min. and S.T.M. programs will complete eight courses, or 24 credit hours, usually over the course of four summers. Six additional hours must be completed in the form of a project, which will be defended orally. The student, working with the director of the Advanced Degrees Program, will develop a program of study designed to accomplish their educational objectives. It is imperative that the program has integrity and coherence and not be simply the accumulation of credit hours. Courses are designed to develop professional skills and to relate Biblical, historical, and theological materials to the practice of ministry.

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Academics

The School of Theology is first and foremost a graduate school with a rigorous academic focus.

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2026 Course List
Advanced Degrees Program

Here you'll find a list of courses offered in this summer's session.

2026 Courses