Program Design
The Master of Divinity degree requires:
- 90 credit hours of successfully completed study;
- satisfactory completion of a senior portfolio and interview with recommendation for graduation; and
- four thematic requirements, which may be met through credit hours or by informal, noncredit learning with approval of the faculty adviser.
The 90-hour degree is designed as a three-year program. By taking 12 hours per semester plus three hours during Interterm and summer each year, a student can complete the program in three years. However, some students combine study and employment, extending the time to complete the degree. The dual-degree MDiv and MSW program saves one year by enabling the student to earn both degrees in four years.
A minimum of 30 credit hours of course work at AMBS in Elkhart is required, normally the senior year. However, candidates for the MDiv degree are encouraged to take at least two years of credit work at AMBS in order to benefit from the formational and ministry assessment aspects of the program. MDiv students completing a semester or more of theological education elsewhere, and who intend to graduate from AMBS, should apply for AMBS admission as soon as their intention is clear so a faculty adviser can be assigned to guide the program of study, assess growth in ministry during the MDiv program, and complete the senior interview process.
The following courses are to be taken in the first year of study: Reading the Bible; Theology of the Church; Mission and Peace: The Church's Ministry in the World (or alternative); Beginning Hebrew: Ruth or Beginning Greek: 1 John or Introduction to Bible Study Tools; and Foundations of Worship and Preaching.