Graduate Degree Programs

Master of Divinity (3 years program – 90 units)

General Description

 

The Master of Divinity is a resident university degree which is specifically designed to prepare a person for a ministry in the local church or on the mission field. The Minister should be an advocate of truth, a personable convincingly to argue for the credibility of the faith in our contemporary pluralistic setting, and to witness to the revelation of God in Christ in the confidence of the Spirit of Truth. The program is designed to foster ministry that is intellectually articulate. The Minister should understand the doctrines and traditions of the Church as they have come to expression over time, and be able to reflect on them with insight and to interpret them compellingly for our own time.

 

The Minister should also be one who empowers the people of God so that they too are enabled confidently to discern and clearly to articulate God’s Word for our world. The Master of Divinity concentration in ministry is designed to prepare the student for ordained ministry in churches, par church organizations, and other ministries.

 

Master of Divinity Program-Specific Student Outcomes

 

It provides students with a strong foundation in biblical, historical, and theological studies as well as an opportunity to develop competencies useful in ministry to people recovering from abuse, addiction, or trauma. The basic M.Div. curriculum in biblical and theological studies is combined with courses in ministry and internships to prepare the graduate for professional service.

Master of Divinity Program-Specific Student outcomes are included as follows:

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• Master of Divinity graduates are able to demonstrate an adequate background to pursue masters degrees geared to professional Christian ministry and world missions.

• Master of Divinity graduates are able to demonstrate a thorough and advanced knowledge of scripture.

• Master of Divinity students become licensed as JDSN and to be prepared a qualified Pastor

 

Admissions Requirements

 

Applicants must hold the Bachelor degree or its equivalent. All applicants must have been engaged in a recognized form of professional ministry for at least two years, and references, the Director of Admissions submit the applicant’s file to the faculty Committee.

 

Things to note:

 

1. The Committee’s decision will be made known to the applicant by letter from the Admissions.

2. A non-refundable application fee. Late application may be approved by special action of the appropriate Department chairperson if there are extenuating circumstances. A late fee is added for applications received after the deadlines indicated above.

 

1. A brief resume of the applicant's experience in ministry, including service as a student and/oars an ordained minister.

2. A church reference on a University form from the applicant's supervisor or from the moderator or secretary of the official board under which the applicant is serving or has most recently served.

3. The University may require the applicant to have a personal meeting with a representative of the University. The policies pertaining to international students are the same for all degree programs.

4. Applicants not previously registered at Hayfield must present the following credentials tithe Director of Admissions.

 

Method of Instruction

 

Classes incorporate lectures, instructional work in class, demonstrations, one-on-one tutorials, library research, and comprehensive examinations on the Bible. Except for internships and field trips, all instruction is conducted in a classroom setting.

 

Waiving Courses

 

As many as 20 units of the 90 unit program may be waived based on the following criteria: (1) The student had an undergraduate major in Theology or Theology as indicated on his or her transcript; (2) only designated courses may be waived; (3) the student had to have taken the comparable courses in the same theological major with the satisfactory grade of B (3.0) and above.

 

Graduation Requirements

 

To graduate from the Master’s degree program of study, each student is required to have completed a minimum of 90 semester units beyond the Bachelor’s degree and pass two comprehensive exams.

These can be a combination of transfer credit and course work with a Grade Point Average of 2.5 and above. At least 81 semester units must be completed at Hayfield University. Students must pass a written Graduation Comprehensive Exam, correctly answering a minimum of seven out of ten questions (70%) selected out of thirty study questions which are prepared in advance in the fields of Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, Historical Theology, Theology of Mission, and Practical Theology.

The graduation comprehensive examination can be substituted by a thesis or dissertation.

Exam Procedure: Upon completion of the residency requirement, the student will secure the request form to take the examination and the request shall be submitted 10 days prior to the date of the examination. The examination will be compiled by the departments involved and shall be taken at the regularly scheduled testing period.

The student will be allowed to retake the examination only two times during the next scheduled testing periods. Students must also pass the Bible Comprehensive Exam, which tests the student on his/her knowledge of the Bible by written examination. To pass, the student must correctly answer a minimum of 100 out of 150 questions (75 from the Old Testament and 75 from the New Testament).

Exam Procedure: To satisfy the graduation requirements, the student will secure the request form to take the examination and the request shall be submitted 10 days prior to the date of the examination. The examination shall be taken at any regularly scheduled testing period. The student will be allowed to retake the examination as many times as the student wishes.

To satisfy the graduation requirements, the student should take a ministry-oriented and professionally- oriented courses that are included practical experiences and applied knowledge through practicums, internships, or other appropriate means. Hayfield University provides two courses, IM523 Immigrant

 

Ministry: An Internship Case Study for 3 (three) units awarded of practical learning experiences and PT591 thru 596 Supervised Ministry VI for internships of 6 (six) semester each of 3 (three) units awarded as requirement courses.

 

Course Titles and Level

All courses are at the Master’s degree level. Courses are numbered 500 - 699. Course descriptions are provided separately. Those courses marked by * refer to courses which can be waived by their advanced standing for those students who took them in the B. Th. degree program in the same theological major.

 

Master of Divinity Program – Course Sequence

All graduate (Master of Divinity Degree) students are introduced to the theory and practice of Theology as Pastor and Missionary seeking understanding through a three-way-course sequence.

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• First requirement: Theological Foundation Studies courses

• Second requirement: Language/Biblical Studies courses

• Third requirement: Ministerial/Practicum Internship Professional Studies courses

 

Each course which fulfills this requirement will meet the following learning goal: Students will become familiar with a foundation of the mode of inquiry represented by Theology. Courses that fulfill the foundation requirement focus on that the Bible states to be Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, Church History, Practical Theology, and Missiology.

 

Curriculum of Master of Divinity Degree Program and the Suggested Course Sequence as following. This Suggested Course Sequence is a potential plan for how to complete the major within three years.