Pre-Doctoral Program

Contact: Admissions
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• Pre-Doctoral Program Overview

  United now has an educational program for students who wish to pursue a Doctor of Ministry degree, but do not have the required Master of Divinity degree.*

  The Pre-Doctoral program is designed to prepare students for Doctor of Ministry work by augmenting previous Master’s degree coursework with the religious courses that are required to be considered for admission. This program is perfect for students who have completed a Master’s degree in another discipline and seek to expand their ministry by entering the Doctor of Ministry program.

  The Pre-Doctoral program offers the courses you need to qualify for what would be comparable to a Master of Divinity degree. Master of Divinity equivalency is defined as 72 graduate semester hours that represent broad-based work in theology, biblical studies and the arts of ministry. A Master’s degree and significant ministerial leadership is also required.

  *In addition to a Master of Divinity degree, United’s doctoral program presupposes three years of ministry experience.

• Pre-Doctoral Program Courses

  The Pre-Doctoral program consists of 24 graduate semester credit hours and qualifies the student to receive a Certificate of Theological Studies upon completion of the courses listed below:

  Introduction to the Old Testament (1 and 2) = 6 Credit Hours
  Introduction to the New Testament (1 and 2) = 6 Credit Hours
  History of Christianity (1 and 2) = 6 Credit Hours
  Introduction to Theology = 3 Credit Hours
  Introduction to Christian Ethics = 3 Credit Hours
  Total Credit Hours = 24 Credit Hours

  Pre-Doctoral courses are available on-site at our Dayton campus and online via our distance learning program for your convenience. 

  If additional credit hours are required to meet the 72-hour M.Div. equivalency requirement, elective courses may be added to the courses listed above.

  All courses in the Pre-Doctoral Program must be successfully completed with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 before a student may be admitted into the Doctor of Ministry program.

• Scholarships

  Scholarships are available to all who apply for the Pre-Doctoral program and United will fund 50% of the tuition for the core Pre-Doctoral coursework (24 graduate semester hours). To apply for a scholarship, visit the scholarship webpage.

• Costs

  Please reference tuition and fees for this information.

• Admissions Requirements

  With the addition of a Master's transcript, admissions requirements for the Pre-Doctoral program are the same as for Master’s degrees.