104 Doctor of Ministry
Academic Procedures and
Information
Registration for Courses
A course registration form is available on McCormick’s Web site approximately three months before the first day of class. Students must complete the registration form and return it no later than 60 days before the course with a check for $450 (half of the course tuition) to ensure a space in the class and receive a syllabus. Courses are subject to cancella- tion when fewer than six students register.
In order to meet specific needs, individual group members may substitute a course selected by another group for one of their group’s courses. Registration in such cases takes place in the manner outlined above. Students electing courses with other groups must contact the instructor and the communicator of that group at the time of registra- tion in order to let them know about your intention, arrange for housing, and discuss any other details relating to the course. The Dean, in vonversation with the group, will grant admission into the course. Names and addresses of communicators are available from the Doc- toral Programs Office.
Syllabi and Textbooks
To ensure the availability of textbooks, the Doctoral Programs Office asks LSTC Book Center (which is part of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Chicago) to stock all books required for courses. Students may, however, order books from whatever source is convenient.
Upon receipt of a registration form and deposit, students will receive a syllabus with bibliography and a book order form. Direct questions regarding order accounts, shipments, and billing to the chosen bookstore.
Due Dates for Work
The academic terms for the Doctor of Ministry program are arranged as follows. Work taken in a given term is due by 4:30 p.m. on the dates below.
Term Course Taken Date Course Assignment Due
Fall: September-December March 1
J-Term: January June 1*
Spring: February-May 15 September 1*
*Students planning to graduate in May must submit all work by April 1.
Student Papers
Faculty are expected to return papers in a timely manner. It is the responsibility of the student to communicate with the faculty member and with the Doctoral Programs Office of the Seminary if a paper she or he has handed in to a professor is not graded and returned.
Students are requested to enclose, with their final papers, a self- addressed stamped card, so that faculty can let students know that papers have been received.
Deadlines and Incompletes
If a student cannot complete the course assignment by the date on which it is due, he or she may request an extension. Instructors may or may not grant course extensions. Requests for an extension to the following quarter’s deadline must be made to the instructor. If a second extension is required, the student must address this request to the Dean, who may or may not grant an extension to the next quarter’s deadline. No more than two extensions may be granted. All course work deadlines will be observed.
After the second extension, a Permanent Incomplete (PI) is assigned by the dean to the course if no work is submitted to the instructor. A PI remains permanently on the student’s transcript, but is not included in the student’s GPA. Students are required to take another course for full credit at full tuition to replace a course that has become PI.
A student who has two Incompletes on the transcript will not be allowed to take further course work until these are resolved. The Dean of Doctor of Ministry Programs advises a student when this condition is placed upon him/her.
Admission to Candidacy for the Degree
Admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Ministry degree is granted by action of the Dean and takes place after grades are recorded for the first four courses taken for credit. At least three of these four courses must be core courses. A 2.00 grade point average (an overall
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grade of B) for the first four courses is required for a student to be considered for candidacy. Provision is made for a student who has not attained a 2.00 average after the fourth course to be considered for candidacy again after two more courses if the grades are sufficient to bring the student’s average to the required minimum. “Candidacy” must be achieved before Thesis Residency.
If a student does not have a 2.00 average after the sixth course, he or she will be denied candidacy and dismissed from the program.
Responsibilities of D.Min. Groups
Each D.Min. group is responsible for its own life. As part of the first course, Ministry with Groups, the group selects persons who will assume responsibility for the various functions which are re- quired to keep the group operating effectively: arranging locations for courses, convening group meetings, communicating with McCormick, setting up and supplying equipment for each course, designing leadership of worship and social events, etc. Each group is free to develop a structure that best meets its needs.
After the first course of each group, the Doctor of Ministry staff is responsible only for the academic life of the group. Inquiries about location of group meetings, facility arrangements, needed supplies, cost of accommodations, worship leadership, etc. are referred to the group communicator.
Auditing Doctoral Level Courses
Doctoral level courses are available on an audit basis as follows:
Admitted/Enrolled Students: Current D.Min. students may
audit D.Min. courses at one-half the normal course fee.
Prospective Students: Applicants to the D.Min. program
whose applications are incomplete may audit courses at one-half the normal course fee. Upon acceptance into the program, payment of the full course fee and successful completion of all course requirements, the “audit” will become a full course credit. Ordinarily students are admitted before the first class. Students may in fact audit the first class, but must have submitted at least a completed application form and a statement of learning goals before permission can be granted to enroll in a second course. Any exception must be granted by the Dean of Doctoral Programs. Under no circumstances can more than two courses
be taken without the admission process being completed.
Students not admitted to degree programs may apply for
Special Student status through the Admissions Office in order to audit D.Min. courses. These students will be charged one-half of the normal course fee and a record of the courses taken and Continuing Education Units (one CEU for every 10 hours of contact time) granted will be maintained. It is understood that CEUs granted to Special Students who are auditing D.Min. courses may not be changed to credits at any time. To be eligible to audit a D.Min. class as a Special Student, students must have the same qualifications required of applicants to the degree program; that is, an M.Div. or its equivalent followed by three years of ministry experience.
Students from other institutions: Students currently enrolled in
Doctor of Ministry programs at other institutions and who wish to take courses at McCormick for academic credit may apply for Special Student status through the Admissions Office. Once admitted they may enroll in D.Min. courses; an academic transcript will be maintained and credit for courses may be transferred to the degree granting institution. Such students will be charged by McCormick for the full amount for the course(s) in question. Permission of the instructor and the agreement of the group are required in all cases. Registration is through the usual course registration process. Contact the doctoral programs office.
The Thesis in the Practice of Ministry
Students must satisfactorily complete a Thesis in the Practice of Ministry. In the thesis, students demonstrate the ability to: (1) identify and analyze a particular challenge in their context of ministry; (2) work effectively with appropriate resources out of the tradition, the wider culture, and personal experience to address the challenge; (3) formulate theological principles to guide thought and action in relation to the challenge; (4) design and implement (in partnership with others) appropriate means of responding to the challenge; and (5) critically evaluate the outcome, learnings, and significance of the work under- taken. The thesis is to be a 40-page article of publishable quality.
To facilitate the development of the thesis, all students participate in course I-648 Thesis Residency, for which they receive one unit of credit. This is a two-week intensive course offered on the Seminary campus. It is designed to be team-taught, interdisciplinary, and
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integrative in its approach. Students bring with them a preliminary proposal and then work with faculty, peers, a writing consultant, and library staff to refine the proposal and to carry out appropriate research. Before enrolling in this course, a student will ordinarily have taken four or more courses and must have achieved candidacy. Each McCormick D.Min. group has a thesis advisor who will work closely with them through the entire thesis process. The Oral Evaluation of the thesis is a conversation involving the student, a peer of his or her choice, a recent graduate of the program, and the thesis advisor. Ordinarily the Oral Evaluation follows completion of all course work and the final thesis.
Additional information is included in the Thesis Handbook which students receive before their group’s Thesis Residency is scheduled.