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2025-26 Academic Draft Catalog

Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Semiotics, Church, and Culture,

Purpose

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree is the highest professional degree for those in parish or related ministries. It is designed for educated, experienced practitioners who desire to stimulate renewal in themselves and in their ministries through the integration of their experience with advanced training, research, and reflection. The DMin is distinctive from academic doctorates such as the PhD and ThD in that its primary focus is on the practice of ministry. The DMin is also distinctive from other professional degrees such as the EdD and the PsyD in that it builds on the three-year master of divinity (MDiv) and at least three years of post-MDiv ministry experience.

The Doctor of Ministry in Semiotics, Church, and Culture (DMin SCC) develops Christian leaders skilled at recognizing the signs of Jesus' work in the world and proactively guide the churches into the future. It proposes a missional, relational, and incarnational framework of discipleship as the most effective way to engage culture.

The delivery system of the Doctor of Ministry in Semiotics, Church, and Culture program includes personal mentoring by both the lead mentor; regular online interactivity with cohort members and professors; three 'advance' face-to-face intensives; and a portfolio-based, milestone-oriented research project guided by a project faculty member.

Degree Outcomes

Graduates of the Semiotics, Church, and Culture Doctor of Ministry track will:

  • Apply a critical understanding of semiotics, cultural trends, and leadership to better anticipate ministry trends within diverse communities via Exegesis assignment rubric.
  • Gain skills in Collaborative Design for Ministry and Nonprofit Contexts to address a chosen need, problem, or opportunity (NPO) in ministry environments
  • Contribute a solution to an NPO in one’s context through the completion of a professional doctoral project.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Doctor of Ministry degree tracks must hold a master's degree in a relevant area (humanities, social sciences, or theology/ministry) from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (or possession of a competitive grade point average as reflected in one’s transcripts). Master’s degree relevance is evaluated on the basis of the program theme and the student’s leadership context. In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

  • Completed regionally accredited master’s degree in an area relevant to your professional context (for example: humanities, social sciences, business, ministry, etc)
  • Documentation of significant professional leadership experience (CV or resumé)
  • Competitive grade point average reflected on your official transcripts - Transcript evaluators give greater weight to graduate and more recent transcripts.
  • An appropriate professional context as a basis for the Project Portfolio research sequence
  • Evidence of advanced-level competence and critical thinking in the practice of leadership beyond the master’s level
  • Writing skills sufficient to succeed in an ATS-accredited doctoral program
  • Possession of appropriate computer equipment and skills - Applicants must own or have access to a computer with proper software and reliable internet connectivity and be proficient in using Microsoft Word.
  • Statement of Faith
  • An entrance interview with the director of the Doctoral program (by invitation only)

Non-native English speakers must submit a TOEFL score of 80 (Internet-based) or IELTS 6.5 and complete the Declaration of Finance. For more information, international applicants can reference the International Graduate Admissions page.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit from another doctoral program may be allowed up to a maximum or 19 semester hours. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Residence Requirements

All work leading to the DMin must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the DMin Director. Program extension requests must be received prior to the conclusion of the sixth year. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree.

Because of the cohort model used for this DMin program, students must maintain full attendance throughout each module experience. However, a student in good standing who must interrupt his or her studies for compelling reasons may petition the DMin Director for a leave of absence of not more than one year. Students who discontinue enrollment without an official leave of absence will be withdrawn and required to apply for readmission.

Course Requirements

The Doctor of Ministry program requires three years and the completion of 38 semester hours of coursework as a minimum for graduation. A maximum of 16 semester hours of coursework may be completed during one calendar year, unless a student takes an approved leave of absence or works out an alternative plan with the DMin Director. The project portfolio is completed in the third year. Of the total hours required for the degree, 16 hours are in prescribed Lead Mentor 'taught' courses and 22 hours in the project portfolio research sequence. The program also requires participation in three ‘advance’ face-to-face intensives.

Doctoral Project

The Portland Seminary Doctor of Ministry program requires students to develop a project portfolio documenting their 3-year research journey, culminating in the production of a doctoral project and project launch plan. The goal is to make a contribution to their ministry context, gain expertise around their research topic, and learn a research and design process that they can utilize repeatedly after graduation. 

The three-year research sequence uses a process of collaborative design for ministry and nonprofit contexts. Students begin the process by identifying a need/problem/opportunity (NPO) in their ministry context. A project faculty member guides their research in three phases: discover (year one); design (year two), and deliver (year three).

In the ‘discover’ and ‘design’ phases, students collaborate with stakeholders from their context to better understand their NPO, generate design solutions, and prototype the concepts in order to arrive at the most viable option for addressing it. This option becomes the doctoral project, which they then flesh out in year three ‘deliver’ phase, complete with a detailed launch plan. After submitting the completed project portfolio, the examination committee makes a final assessment. If passed, students complete the remaining steps for archiving and conduct a presentation of their project prior to graduation.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate with the Doctor of Ministry degree, students must: 

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 38 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. 
  • Achieve no grade lower than a B- in all ‘taught’ courses. If a grade of a C+ or lower is received in a designated course, two options are available: 1) retake the course, 2) with department approval, correct deficiencies for an updated grade. 
  • Achieve no grade lower than a Pass in all project portfolio research and design sequence courses. If a grade of a No Pass is received in a designated course, that course must be retaken or the grade must be improved as outlined by the course instructor's approval and direction. 
  • Fully participate in all intensives. 
  • Complete and pass the project portfolio 
  • Oral presentation of the project 
  • Be recommended by the seminary faculty for graduation from 糖心logo入口.

Curriculum Plan

Complete the following:
An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. The purpose of the course is to provide learning experiences in which students encounter, critique, and hone each other鈥檚 thinking about the power of signs, symbols, and metaphors in scripture, church and culture. Additional course fee may apply for face to face component.
An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. The purpose of this course is to cultivate recognition and innovation of signs, to re-sign and re-frame Jesus鈥� presence in the church and world, and to activate metaphor as change agent in preaching, ministry, and mission within one鈥檚 ministry context and within current culture. Learning to speak the vernacular (narrative + metaphor + soundtrack) will be charted.
A course exploring and exegeting one鈥檚 own personal faith journey. Students are challenged by the reading and writing assignments to reflect on what it means to be a unique follower of Jesus in our current culture, and to configure the relationship between the particular and the universal. The course focuses on deepening faith and learning to recognize Jesus in every context and culture. Additional fee may be required for cross-cultural face to face experience.
An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. An interactive curriculum in which students explore how what they鈥檝e learned in their cross-cultural experience impacts the practice of ministry and mission. Students will be challenged to consider how they might modify their research in order to incorporate these new global insights within their local ministry context.
An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. This course explores the nature of creativity and what it means to continue God鈥檚 creativity as creatures made 鈥渋n the divine image.鈥� Learning is designed to help students cultivate, initiative and innovate creativity and change within their current ministry context. This course will serve to guide and nurture thinking in the final formulation of the dissertation.
A final course on the 21st and 22nd century church and the impact of cultural trends, the need for community, and the changing practice of ministry. The difference between trend-tracking and truth-tacking will be defined. Students will evaluate their own faith within their ministry context and their elevated role as semioticians in a world of shifting signs and stories. Students will evaluate their own ability to (re)sign Jesus as Truth within a world of trends. Additional course fee may apply for face to face component.
Complete the following:
This course orients students to Collaborative Design for Ministry and Nonprofit Contexts and introduces research and design tools and library resources. Students identify and articulate their NPO and explore its contours by drafting a discovery plan, organizing and conducting a discovery workshop and follow up interviews with stakeholders, begin compiling a working bibliography, and synthesize their semester discoveries in the first milestone assignment. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
This course serves as the primary opportunity for students to acquire, read, examine, analyze, and synthesize professional and academic literature relevant to their Project Need, Problem, Opportunity (NPO) topic. Students produce a milestone exploration essay that examines the NPO鈥檚 history and context, the biblical and theological foundations, and identifies key voices. This academic paper is a mapping exercise that helps students understand the full landscape of the topic, and learn as much as possible about the layers of history beneath. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
In this course, students engage select stakeholders from their context in a design workshop and follow up interviews. Students assess the real needs of those impacted by the NPO by identifying three promising design concepts for addressing the NPO. This includes proposing prototypes, benchmarks for evaluating success, and identifying knowledge gaps that require additional research. Students generate a milestone report on their findings and meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
In this course, students explore their design concepts that address the NPO identified in the previous course through a series of project prototypes. They also produce an academic essay to address remaining gaps in their knowledge. Based on what they discover, students identify one concept as their Most Viable Prototype (MVP) to pursue for their Doctoral Project. Students generate a milestone report outlining their findings. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
In this course, students articulate the scope, parameters, development plan, and benchmarks for evaluating success of their Doctoral Project. They develop their project and gather early feedback from stakeholders to ensure they are on target. At the end of the semester, they produce a progress report. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
A final course in which students complete their Doctoral Project in accordance with the scope agreed upon with their Project Faculty, and develop a post-graduation launch plan. Students will compile in a Project Portfolio their Doctoral Project and Project Launch Plan together with a formal introduction, previous milestones as appendices, and bibliography. They submit the Project Portfolio for examination by the Evaluation Committee. Once approved, students make final corrections and archive the Project Portfolio in the University Digital Commons. They conclude their journey with a Project Presentation. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass / No Pass.

To maintain enrollment until the Doctoral Project is complete. Pass/No Pass.

‡Students must maintain continuous enrollment in the project continuation until completion. DMIN 955 is required for students who do not finish their project and its assessment within the minimum of 8 hours. DMIN 955 is repeatable each fall and spring until the project is finished.