Doctor of Ministry DMin

CSU’s Doctor of Ministry degree aims to provide the opportunity for advanced critical reflection on professional practice in the discipline of Christian Ministry and closely related fields.

About the course

There are three main aims of the course:

• the extension of a candidate's knowledge of the discipline of Christian Ministry which underpin his or her profession
• the development of attributes required of the candidate to successfully identify, investigate and resolve problems confronting his or her profession
• the successful conduct by the candidate of research into a current problem confronting the profession and the presentation of the findings of the research in a thesis.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, graduates will be able to:

• provide a research grounding for reflective practitioner research and practice-based research in the disciplines that constitute the field of Christian Ministry;
• demonstrate an extended knowledge of the sub-disciplines of Christian Ministry and closely related fields;
• develop to successfully identify, investigate and resolve problems confronting these fields;
• carry out a program of research into current problems confronting Christian Ministry and present the findings of the research in a thesis or portfolio of research;
• demonstrate a developed critical theological approach to ministry and leadership in their profession;
• demonstrate a competitive advantage in achieving high-level success in their profession;
• understand the need for, and have developed the capacity to, engender networks of trust and cooperation among ministry professionals;
• demonstrate development of new skills in the professional areas of preaching, leadership, and management; and
• demonstrate a greater understanding and appreciation of social issues in the mission of the church in a local and global context.

Credit

Up to 32 points credit may be given from the Master of Ministry for the successful completion of MIN540 and MIN541. These subjects are equivalent to:
MIN740 Approaches to Enquiry in Ministry, and
MIN741 Reflective Practitioner Perspectives in Ministry

Doctor of Ministry

How to apply

Choose your preferred method. Make note of the admission code as you will need this to complete your application. More information on application closing dates.

Course structure

The course consists of four core coursework subjects and a dissertation of 128 points.

Coursework subjects

MIN740 Approaches to Enquiry in Ministry (16 points)
MIN741 Reflective Practitioner Perspectives in Ministry (16 points)
MIN742 Literature Review in Ministry (16 points)
MIN743 Research Proposal in Ministry (16 points)

Dissertation/Portfolio

The dissertation subject may not be taken until MIN740 MIN741 MIN742 and MIN743 have been successfully completed.

MIN744 Doctoral Thesis in Ministry (128 points) - full-time
or
MIN745 Doctoral Thesis in Ministry (128 points) - part-time

Enrolment pattern

Full-time

Session 1
MIN740 Approaches to Enquiry in Ministry (16 points)
MIN741 Reflective Practitioner Perspectives in Ministry (16 points)

Session 2
MIN742 Literature Review in Ministry (16 points)
MIN743 Research Proposal in Ministry (16 points)

Sessions 3 - 6
MIN744 Doctoral Thesis in Ministry (128 points)

Part-time

Session 1
MIN740 Approaches to Enquiry in Ministry (16 points)

Session 2
MIN741 Reflective Practitioner Perspectives in Ministry (16 points)

Session 3
MIN742 Literature Review in Ministry (16 points)

Session 4
MIN743 Research Proposal in Ministry (16 points)

Sessions 5 - 12
MIN745 Doctoral Thesis in Ministry (128 points)

Admission requirements

Candidates admitted to the course will:

• hold a Class 1 or Class 2 (Division 1) Bachelor (Honours) degree in theology or ministry, or a Master degree by coursework in theology or ministry (attained at a course credit point average of 6.00 or better), or a Master degree by research in theology or ministry (variation to admission requirements based on alternative academic qualifications will be assessed by the Course Coordinator in consultation with the Course Management Committee)
• have at least five years of full time (or equivalent) practice in professional ministry or in a cognate area, a significant amount of which should be able to be shown to be current
• meet the University's English language proficiency requirements
  and
• be able to be assessed for variation to admission requirements based on RPL - this will be assessed by the Course Coordinator in consultation with the Course Management Committee.

These admission requirements are necessary to ensure that candidates have sufficient academic ability and professional experience to conduct research that leads to advanced, critical reflection on professional practice in the field of Christian Ministry.

Intending applicants should contact the Sub-Dean, Graduate Studies to discuss the proposal before submitting the prescribed application form. In addition, applicants must complete a form describing their area of interest, which should accompany their application. Please phone info.csu on 1800 227 337 or email inquiry@csu.edu.au for the contact details of the appropriate person.

Admission to candidature is subject to approval by the Board of Graduate Studies.

About Distance Education

The following information gives you an overview of studying by distance education.

Course materials
When studying by distance education you may receive:

• course materials divided into topics, organised into week-long schedules prepared by acknowledged experts in distance learning
• study modules containing activities designed to encourage participants to apply ideas to their own jobs
• assignments designed to test the mastery and application of course materials, that are carefully assessed before feedback is provided
• resource materials containing interesting, practical or contentious views
• computer-based education packages to support some topics.

Distance education students usually study two 8 point subjects per semester. More or fewer subjects may be studied in consultation with the Course Coordinator.

Staff & student contact

Teleconferencing
Telephone tutorials may also be used to supplement face-to-face contact between students and academic staff. Conference calls enable several students, either at home or at a common location, to participate in a group tutorial with academic staff.

Direct telephone contact and email
Students are encouraged to maintain direct contact with staff by telephone or email. Office telephone numbers and email addresses will be supplied and telephone answering services are available in the offices of Course Coordinators. Students will also be advised of numbers for the School's central telephone answering and facsimile machines.

Online forums
Students may participate in various forums online, enabling direct and instant contact with staff and other students.

Contacts

For all inquiries about Charles Sturt University courses, please contact info.csu on:

Telephone: 1800 334 733 (free call within Australia) Telephone: +61 2 6338 6077 (outside Australia) Facsimile: (02) 6338 6001 (within Australia) Facsimile: +61 2 6338 6001 (outside Australia) Email: inquiry@csu.edu.au Web inquiry: www.csu.edu.au/student/contact Web: info.csu.edu.au