The Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree stands at the center of the School of Divinity’s degree offerings. The program prepares students through diverse ministry experiences and theological perspectives for religious leadership. The program encourages students to engage the rich histories and traditions of Christian congregations, to increase awareness and understanding of issues facing churches in their local and global contexts, and to integrate their knowledge of varied theological and ministry disciplines with what they encounter in ministry settings and in the world.
Goals for the Master of Divinity Degree
Students who graduate with the Master of Divinity degree from the Wake Forest University School of Divinity shall demonstrate a broad variety of competencies for religious leadership that promotes justice, reconciliation, and compassion, including:
- Academic integration of Christian traditions, theologies, scriptures, and practices;
- Sustained vocational reflection and spiritual formation that inform ministry in pluralistic contexts;
- Innovative application and embodiment of a range of ministerial practices for a continually transforming religious world;
- Theologically informed analysis of social, cultural, political, and ecological systems within a variety of particular settings.
The Master of Divinity degree is a 76-hour program designed to be completed in three years of full-time, residential study. Students may also pursue the degree on a part-time basis with permission of the associate dean of academic affairs. The maximum length of time allowed to complete the program is six years.
Denominational Studies
The School of Divinity is committed to educating persons who are pursuing ministry within a wide array of Christian denominations and traditions.
Denominational studies courses in the School of Divinity are designed to support students as they explore professional affiliations, cultivate diverse denominational and congregational connections, and prepare for ordination within particular denominational and congregational entities.
As a first step in exploring denominational affiliations, students are encouraged to consult with appropriate denominational representatives to learn about opportunities for service and, where appropriate, requirements for ordination. Students are encouraged to consult with denominational advisers and representatives as they choose settings for required internships as these internships give students opportunities to explore denominational ministry in congregations or agencies.
Courses specific to some denominations are taught regularly at the School of Divinity by denominational leaders. These courses are designed to introduce students to denominational theologies and polities and to assist students with preparation for denominational ordination exams. A student may also request that the associate dean of academic affairs explore course offerings specific to their denominational affiliation. Other opportunities for preparation for ministry within particular denominations include independent study, clinical pastoral education, and transfer credit.
Some of these courses fulfill Community Building or other elective requirements.
Moravian Studies
The city of Winston-Salem, NC is shaped by its Moravian heritage and a rich ongoing Moravian presence. While enrolled at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, students seeking candidacy for ordination in the Moravian Church may earn the twelve-credit Certificate in Moravian Studies online through Moravian Theological Seminary, as well as complete internships at local Moravian churches.
The Certificate in Moravian Studies is offered as a possible alternative to a year of residential study at Moravian Seminary in partial fulfillment of requirements for ordination. Interested students should first contact the Provincial Elders’ Conference (PEC) regarding this possibility. If approved, The School of Divinity and Moravian Seminary will work with the PEC to advise interested students. Tuition assistance for the Certificate is available through the PEC.
All courses must meet ATS requirements for transfer credit to apply toward the WFU MDiv degree. Additional eligible courses from Moravian Seminary, beyond the Certificate in Moravian Studies, may be accepted for transfer with a written recommendation from the PEC that these courses are required preparation for ordination in the Moravian Church.
The Master of Divinity Curriculum
The Master of Divinity curriculum is composed of four categories of courses:
Required courses: Required of all students; may be prerequisites for other courses.
Required elective courses: Biblical Studies elective, Theological Studies elective, and Ministerial Studies electives in Proclamation, Relational Care, Community Building, and Formation.
General elective courses: Chosen by students in consultation with their advisers and may include courses from other University departments and schools.
Area requirements: Required of all students; designated from among required courses, required elective courses, and general elective courses; may include courses from other University departments and schools.
Language Requirement
To graduate with the MDiv degree from Wake Forest University School of Divinity, students must have a basic proficiency in a language other than their own. Basic proficiency in another language is important as students undertake ministry in multicultural settings and engage a broad range of theological traditions and voices.
Normally students will demonstrate that proficiency by:
- Prior documented foreign language study at the bachelor’s level (a minimum of six credit hours in one language);
- Achievement of placement into the 153-level (third semester) or higher on the Wake Forest University online foreign language placement test; or
- Six credits of ancient or modern language coursework as part of the MDiv degree. The six credits must all be in the same language. If a student has completed only three credits in a particular language, she or he can complete the requirement in our program by taking another three hours of the same language.
- When language courses are taken only for general elective credit, then they may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
Required Courses and Required Electives
Required courses and required electives provide students with foundational theological and ministerial knowledge and skills for the practices of ministry and religious leadership in diverse settings.
General Electives
Students can choose from a variety of graduate level courses offered in the School of Divinity and in other schools and departments of the University (subject to course availability and suitability to the overall requirements for the Master of Divinity degree).
Area Requirements
Students can choose from a variety of graduate level courses offered in the School of Divinity and in other schools and departments of the University that meet the requirements of the five areas:
- Cross-Cultural Connections (CC);
- Race and Class (RC);
- Gender and Sexuality (GS);
- Religious Pluralism (RP); and
- Science, Health, and Ecological Well-Being (SE).
Ordinarily, these are three-credit courses. Some three-credit courses may fulfill more than one area. No more than two one-credit courses may count toward area requirements. Students may apply one independent study course toward these requirements.
On rare occasions, a student may petition the Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee to identify a substitute for one of the five areas. The proposed substitution must relate to an area that reflects changing 21st-century patterns of religious life and comport with the rubric for these courses outlined by the committee.
The Art of Ministry Program
The Art of Ministry curriculum provides a three-year framework for integrating theory and practice while exploring vocational identity. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for ministry in a changing world by creating space for both theological reflection and the development of key professional skills.
The Art of Ministry curriculum consists of both coursework and an internship placement in the following progression:
MDiv Year 1: Introductory Course
MIN 501 Art of Ministry I: Introduction to the Life and Work of Ministry is a required first-year seminar providing a forum for dialogue among students, faculty, and religious leaders about pressing issues facing the church and ministry in the 21st century. This course will introduce students to the complexity of vocation in general and ministerial vocations in particular across a variety of contexts. The course meets weekly in a 75-minute plenary session as well as an hour-long peer group meeting, typically in the fall term.
MDiv Year 2 and/or 3: Internship
All students are required to complete one (1) ministry internship placement following the first year of the MDiv program. They can fulfill the internship requirement in the second or third year. If the first internship is successfully completed in the second year, they also have the option of doing a second ministry internship in the third year.
As described below, there are broadly four ways from which students can choose their internship placement to complete the required internship: (a) an academic year-long (two semesters) internship, (b) a summer intensive internship, (c) an internship in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, or (d) an internship in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in an ACPE-approved program. With the exception of Clinical Pastoral Care (CPE) internships (described below), internships do not count toward credit hours.
Option 1
- [Academic Year-long Internship] A 300-hour ministry internship placement completed during the second or third academic year, concurrent with MIN 602A (“Internship Reflection Seminar”) in the fall term for 1.5 credit hours and MIN 602B (“Internship Reflection Seminar”) in the spring term for 1.5 additional credit hours. Or,
Option 2
- [Summer Intensive Internship] A 300-hour ministry internship placement completed the summer after the first or second academic year, followed by completion of MIN 602C (“Summer Internship Reflection Seminar”) in the fall term for 3 credit hours. Or,
Option 3
- [CPE] A 400-hour ministry internship placement in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (200 hours of internship service in the fall term and 200 hours in the spring term), concurrent with MIN 636A (“Clinical Pastoral Education I) in the fall term for 3 credit hours and MIN 636B (“Clinical Pastoral Education II”) in the spring term for 2 additional credit hours. Or,
Option 4
- [CPE] Students can also complete a 400-hour introductory unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in any summer program accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Students will earn five transfer elective credits for completing a summer introductory unit of CPE.
Students can repeat a seminar reflection course (MIN 602A/B) to earn up to 3 additional credits when completing the second optional internship. Students cannot apply more than a total of six credit hours towards the MDiv degree from any number of internship seminars.
WFUSD provides some stipend to students engaged in an internship. The stipend is available for only one internship, regardless of its format (i.e., the academic year-long, the summer intensive, or the 400-hr CPE internship placement after matriculation into the MDiv program).
Choosing an Internship
The director of the Art of Ministry Program works with students in the spring of each academic year to arrange ministry internship placements. The director also tracks student progress toward fulfilling the internship requirement.
Students will ordinarily select placements in two different ministry contexts if they complete an optional second internship:
- Congregational Settings
- Non-Profit Organizations
- Parachurch Organizations
- Settings related to MDiv Concentrations, e.g. Food, Health, Ecology, or Sustainability.
- Settings related to joint degree programs: Bioethics, Law, Counseling, Education, Sustainability.
- Prison Ministry
- Academic/College Chaplaincy
- Hospital/Chaplaincy Settings (See Clinical Pastoral Education below)
MDiv Year 3: Capstone Course
All third-year students will complete MIN 705, a capstone seminar for 1 credit hour in the fall term with two interrelated components:
- A capstone reflection component, in which students develop a digital portfolio organizing their cumulative learning around the School of Divinity curricular standards across three areas:
- disciplinary knowledge,
- vocational reflection, and
- skill development for leadership;
- professional development component, in which students will continue vocational reflection and prepare for employment searches.
The capstone course is developed and facilitated by the director of the Art of Ministry Program. It is offered as a pass/fail course.
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Clinical pastoral education is a form of theological education that takes place in clinical settings where ministry is being practiced (health care facilities, correctional institutions, hospices, congregations, and a variety of other settings). Through involvement with persons in need and with supervision from peers and supervisors, students engage issues of ministry and pastoral care while developing enhanced skills and a clearer awareness of themselves as caregivers. Students who complete a full unit of CPE earn five credit hours, according to one of the following options:
Option 1: Fall and Spring
Upon satisfactory completion of a full unit of CPE at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center during the fall and spring terms, students will satisfy their internship placement requirement. This option will satisfy the three-credit Art of Ministry primary reflection seminar requirement and will generate two extra elective credits. Alternatively, for students who have already completed the reflection seminar, this program will generate five elective credits.
Option 2: Summer
Upon satisfactory completion of a full unit of CPE during the summer, students are eligible for five hours of transfer course credit and will satisfy their internship requirement. In order for students to receive credit for CPE, the program in which they enroll must be accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. A directory of accredited CPE centers is available online at http://www.acpe.edu.
Transfer credit for CPE will appear on a student’s transcript only if application for credit is made through the Office of Academic Affairs. To receive credit, the student must have the CPE center where the program was completed provide a letter stating that a full unit of credit was awarded. Application and tuition fees for CPE are paid directly to the CPE center by the student.
Students who complete CPE within five years prior to enrollment in the Master of Divinity program may request transfer of credit equivalent to five hours for completion of a full unit of CPE at an accredited center and may use their CPE unit to satisfy their internship placement requirement.
One-credit Courses
The School of Divinity offers several types of one-credit courses.
- Topics courses introduce students to themes or perspectives of current interest within theological, spiritual, ministerial, or cultural research and conversations.
- Readings courses provide students with opportunities to do intensive reading and study in particular subjects within the curriculum.
- Practicum courses provide students with opportunities to receive course credit for applied disciplines such as planning community worship.
One-credit courses are designed and taught by School of Divinity and University faculty and by visiting professors. Only four practicum course hours can be applied toward the overall degree requirements. Beyond the four-hour practicum limit, students may continue to participate in practicum courses and are not required to register for audit status.
Master of Divinity Program Requirements
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| BIB 521 | Old Testament Interpretation I | 3 |
| BIB 522 | Old Testament Interpretation II | 3 |
| BIB 541 | Introduction to New Testament | 3 |
| BIB 542 | Interpreting New Testament Letters | 3 |
| or BIB 543 | Interpreting New Testament Gospels |
| 3 |
| HIS 501 | History of Christianity | 3 |
| HIS 502 | History of Christianity II | 3 |
| THS 501 | Christian Theology | 3 |
| 3 |
| THS 521 | Foundations of Christian Ethics | 3 |
| or THS 522 | History of Theological Ethics |
| MIN 501 | Art of Ministry I: Introduction to the Life and Work of Ministry | 2 |
MIN 602A
& MIN 602B | Internship Reflection Seminar
and Internship Reflection Seminar | 3 |
| or MIN 602C | Summer Internship Reflection Seminar |
| MIN 705 | Third Year Capstone | 1 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| *,** | 28 |
| Total Hours | 76 |
