Date: June 8, 2026
On June 15, we will welcome to campus VTS doctoral students for their annual summer residency. In addition to our curriculum which focuses around three tracks—Ministry Development, Educational Leadership, and Christian Spirituality—there are four things that make the VTS doctoral programs distinct from other DMin programs.
First, the level of faculty engagement in our doctoral programs is first rate. In many theological schools, DMin and DEdMin courses are taught largely by adjuncts. At VTS, we have a committed team of Senior Lecturers who ably bridge the church and academy, joined by our full-time VTS faculty who teach doctoral courses in addition to their Masters-level courses.
Second, our program is highly contextual. Our students continually craft their writing and research based in their ministry context, putting it into careful conversation with theological scholarship.
Third, we offer two doctoral degrees – the Doctor of Ministry as well as the Doctor of Educational Ministry, created specifically for students who do not have a theological background but who are committed to ministry in their professional lives.
Finally, our program’s residency component builds deep community and relationships. Students spend three weeks together every summer—learning, worshiping, and sharing fellowship over meals. These friendships become relationships that last a lifetime and sustain one’s ministry for years to come.
If you know anyone interested in VTS’s doctoral programs, encourage them to apply! Reach out to [email protected]. We’d be delighted to talk more about our programs.
The Rev. Canon PJ Hobbs, DMin
Acting Director of Doctoral Programs