Master of Ministry

The Master of Ministry degree helps prepare current pastors and church leaders in church ministry and evangelism, in leadership and management, and in biblical counseling.

Eligibility and prerequisites

• Bachelor's degree:  Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Religion courses:  Minimum of 12 semester hours in religion (waivers may be requested for some or all of this requirement, based on the applicant's full-time ministry experience).
• GPA requirements:  Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00  OR  for an undergraduate GPA of 2.50 to 2.99 applicants may request to be admitted on a provisional basis.
• Evangelism and World Mission, and Biblical Counseling Emphases applicants must:
  • provide a written list of church offices held (such as elder, deaconess, Sabbath School leader) and church outreach activities (such as conducting Bible studies, working in Revelation seminars, and assisting with health-education seminars).

Admission process

1. Graduate application:  Submit a graduate application (with non-refundable fee of $40). Apply now
2. Transcripts:  Submit official college and university transcripts. Many institutions subscribe to the convenient transcript-request service at National Student Clearinghouse, or you may also contact your institution directly. Have your transcripts sent to the Graduate and Professional Studies office (gradtranscripts@southern.edu). If you earned your prerequisite degree at Southern, you do not need to complete this step.
3. Recommendations:  Submit two recommendation forms (completed by work supervisors or professors). One of these recommendations is to be from your employing conference, if employed by the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination. This should be done as part of the online application process. 
   If you are employed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, one recommendation must be from a superior in the organization.
4. Service record:  Submit a denominational service record (usually available from your SDA employer), if applicable, OR the Record of Service form. Download form
5. Statement of Purpose:  Candidates are to submit a written "Statement of Purpose" through Application Status Page following the guidelines provided by the School of Religion. Download PDF

Application deadlines

Applications can be accepted year-round, but most students begin their program in the summer. Due to the reading requirements for summer intensives, which must be completed in advance, students need to apply at least six weeks before the start of the summer semester. Online courses follow the university application deadlines. Please use the application button to the right to begin your application. With School of Religion approval, students may take up to 12 hours of coursework on non-degree or provisional status.