Master of Divinity

Become a spiritual leader for your community. The Master of Divinity program will help you deepen your understanding of your faith and the faith of others. You’ll get firsthand experience in congregational leadership guided by professors who have spent decades in the field.
 
When you graduate, you’ll be prepared to articulate your theology, analyze and interpret the Bible in ministry, and nurture and guide communities of faith.

New Master of Divinity will debut in Fall 2024

Stay tuned for the details of our new MDiv to be offered in Fall 2024. The new curriculum will be available on two campuses: in Bethlehem, PA, at Moravian Seminary, and in Lancaster, PA, at Lancaster Theological Seminary. The new MDiv will feature new courses and more options designed to fit your schedule and learning preferences: in-person classes on both campuses, online classes, a combination of online and on-site; full-time or part-time; even weekend-only. Our Admissions team can fill you in until we post all the details here.

Here’s what it takes

The Moravian MDiv degree requires a total of 78 credits of coursework. You can finish in three years of full-time study. But you must finish within seven years.

MDIV Curriculum Overview

Learning Outcomes

Our program addresses the following Learning Outcomes:

  • Biblical Knowledge & Interpretation: Analyze passages of both the Old and New Testaments, demonstrating knowledge of the larger contexts of the passages and interpret the meanings of the passages in ministry settings.
  • Intercultural Engagement & Action: Identify and engage diverse and overlapping cultural and social dynamics in various settings.
  • Personal & Spiritual Formation: Describe, practice, and model spiritual and ethical practices and discernment that form and nurture one’s own and others’ faith.
  • Pastoral Leadership: Able to guide a community of faith in fulfilling its ministry & mission courageously and judiciously.
  • Intellectual & Professional Integration: Integrate the variety of disciplines in theological education in a coherent articulation of one’s own theology and approach to pastoral ministry.
  • Theological & Ecclesiastical Heritage: Describe the development of Christian worship, doctrine, symbols, structures, and diversity of theological perspectives.

Ordination

Ordination is governed and bestowed by specific religious bodies and not by the Seminary. Getting your MDiv does not guarantee ordination. Approval as a candidate for ordination is a separate and parallel track to the admissions process at MTS. Be sure to consult your denominational authorities about your specific ordination requirements, and we will work closely with you to help you stay on top of those requirements.

Supervised Ministry

Your experience of interning in a congregational setting begins with SEPL940 Intro to Supervised Ministry, which provides an orientation and overview of the elements and requirements of the two-year Supervised Ministry experience. You will shadow two pastors, learning more fully about their congregations with an eye toward identifying a potential Supervised Ministry placement site.

Typically, you carry out your Supervised Ministry placement at one setting for four semesters. You participate in all areas of their ministry setting, including worship leadership, pastoral care and counseling, program development, and administrative leadership. Supervisors provide evaluations of your work every semester. You also complete assignments for several courses at your Supervised Ministry placement, integrating learning through practical application.

You complete Portfolio 1 during the first semester of Supervised Ministry placement and Portfolio 2 during the last semester of Supervised Ministry. In Portfolio courses you will cover topics such as pastoral identity and authority, the history and life of the congregation, and ministry procedures. Projects, final assessments, and capstone sermons demonstrate your developing pastoral identity and ability to do theological reflection.

Intercultural Immersion Experiences

As an MDiv student, you are required to take a three-credit cultural immersion course. Cultural immersion experiences could be local or could involve travel in the US or internationally. These courses include preparation, processing the experience as you engage in it, debriefing, and discerning ways to incorporate the learnings in your vocation.

Continuing Education Requirement

Each MDiv student is required to participate in at least 6 continuing education programs. You get to choose which ones you attend—and there are lots to choose from.

Adding a Concentration or Graduate Certificate

You can focus your electives on biblical studies, contemplative practices, or spiritual formation and obtain a 7-credit Concentration in Formative Spirituality or dive deeper with a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Studies, Spiritual Direction, or Formative Spirituality. 

Admitting Non-Baccalaureate Students to the MDiv Program

Under exceptional circumstances, the Admissions and Standing Committee may accept a student into the MDiv program who does not hold a baccalaureate degree.

The student shall be an approved candidate for the ministry or already serving in some form of ministry and shall be specifically endorsed for study by the student's sponsoring denomination. The student shall demonstrate sufficient background and ability to handle master's level work. This may be determined by the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or satisfactory completion of one year of studies in upper level courses in the social sciences and humanities at an accredited undergraduate institution. Grades for these courses must be at the A and B level.

All non-baccalaureate students are admitted to the Seminary on academic probation. The probation period will end after the student has attained a 2.75 average after two consecutive semesters of full-time coursework or after 12 credit hours for part-time students.