Vocational ministry is an adventure every day—especially in today’s post-everything world—and the people of God need to develop fresh, creative ways to share the unchanging hope of the gospel. The Master of Divinity (MDiv) has long been considered the standard degree for ordained ministry in the church. YTI’s new Master of Divinity equips graduates to serve effectively in the “wilderness” of contemporary culture—men and women who see and serve the world with the eyes and hands of a skilled artist!
YTI’s Master of Divinity degree encompasses biblical, theological, and spiritual studies, as well as many other pertinent ministry areas. Courses, which in most cases are shared with Master of Arts students, meet weekly for the designated number of credit hours (generally 3 hours). Most courses are taught in person at the YTI campus in Bozeman, and most may also be attended remotely via live video conference (see course descriptions and term schedules for exceptions). MDiv classes are guided by professors with both terminal degrees and extensive practical ministry experience, and students in the program will be able to pursue their studies full-time or part-time.
In addition, because vocational ministry takes place within an intensely communal context, and because learning is best achieved in dialogue, MDiv students are required to participate in a one-hour discussion lab, a “colloquium,” for every 3-credit course they take (except for Foundations courses). These colloquia will meet once per week for one hour each meeting for the duration of the term, at a time set up by the instructor of the course. The colloquia will consist of “free discussions” of the material of the course and are intended to give the students further time to process the readings and lectures of the course with each other and their professors. Colloquium hours count toward the total number of credits (e.g., a 3-hour course with a 1-hour colloquium counts for 4 hours).
The basic outline of the MDiv curriculum is listed to the right. More complete details about the program, along with application materials, are at yellowstonetheology.org/mdiv.