ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Master of Divinity in Word and Ministry
M.Div. credential
Bring Scripture, theology, preaching, and pastoral care together in a broad professional degree focused on Christian ministry.
Master of Divinity in Word and Ministry: Your Grant Price
Applications are free. Eligible applicants receive their admission and Grant decision before any one-time program fee is requested.
Published tuition
$14,900.00
$599.00 Registry & Assessment Fee
$99
Master's Degree
2026 Life in Christ Grant is active
Ministry Experience, Evaluated Against Academic Standards.
Documented prior learning may be considered when it aligns with program outcomes; every credit decision follows academic review.
Program Overview
About this program
The Master of Divinity is the full professional preparation for ministry, integrating Bible, theology, care and leadership. The M.Div. is the long professional degree, and its point is integration: the exegesis has to feed the preaching, the theology has to survive the hospital visit, and the leadership has to be accountable to both. Kingdom of Life University's ICAS-accredited pathway carries the full core — Bible, theology, history, preaching, care, mission, worship and leadership.
Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
Recognition of demonstrated learning in theology and ministry
Experienced ministry practitioners demonstrate competencies developed through years of service, theological study, and continuing learning. The assessment connects that learning with the published outcomes of the Master of Divinity in Word and Ministry through biblical understanding, theological reflection, research, and ministry judgment.
70
Audited questions in this pathway bank
30
Questions drawn for each sitting
60 minutes
Time available for the knowledge component
24 hours
Interval before reassessment
Theological knowledge and degree outcomes
- Published bank title
- Master of Divinity: Word and Ministry - Master Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Word and Ministry
- Question construction
- 14 pathway subject-bank sources contribute 5 questions each, producing the complete 70-question bank.
How completion is reported
- The knowledge component contributes 40% and assessed ministry experience contributes 60% to one weighted result.
- The reported result is no lower than 80%, matching the 80% degree pass mark.
- Reassessment draws a fresh question set and is included in program access, with no additional fee or limit on sittings.
- The integrated assessment covers the published degree plan; separate course assessments, a capstone paper, and a dissertation defense are not required.
Program Objectives
What you will achieve
Integrate advanced theological study, spiritual maturity, and ministry wisdom for Christian leadership
Integrate biblical, theological, historical, and practical study into one ministry competence
Preach, care, and lead as connected rather than separate responsibilities
Recognise the limits of your competence and build the referral network in advance
Hold ministerial power accountably from the beginning
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize advanced biblical and theological evidence for clear teaching, leadership, and ministry judgment
Prepare and preach a sermon grounded in your own exegetical work
Conduct pastoral care in a crisis and judge accurately when to refer
Plan and lead a service of worship with theological coherence
Draft the accountability and safeguarding arrangements for your own ministry
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Pastor
Chaplain
Church planter
Ministry director
Major Subject Areas
The fourteen subjects you study, and the ones the ministry assessment draws on
Foundational and Major-Core Subjects
Four foundations every pathway shares, then four that belong to this field.
Advanced Biblical Interpretation
Exegesis as the discipline everything else rests on, done to a standard that will hold up across a forty-year ministry.
Advanced Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament whole, because a minister who avoids three quarters of the canon will preach a thinner gospel than they intend.
Advanced New Testament Theology
The New Testament whole, in its first-century setting, with the theological weight each document actually carries.
Advanced Christian Doctrine
Christian doctrine in order, since this is the last time most ministers will have the chance to study it systematically.
Advanced Biblical Exegesis for Ministry
Exegesis carried out for the purposes of ministry, covering the method, the reference tools, and the discipline of preparing a text for people rather than for a seminar.
Advanced Systematic Theology for Ministry
The Christian doctrines in the order a minister needs them, covering their biblical grounding, their historical formulation, and their pastoral use.
Advanced History of the Global Church
The church's history worldwide, covering the periods, the movements, and the shift of Christianity's centre of gravity over the last century.
Advanced Preaching and Communication
Preaching and public communication, covering the route from text to sermon, sermon form, delivery, and communication beyond the pulpit.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Advanced Pastoral Care and Counseling
Pastoral care and counselling, covering listening, crisis response, the limits of pastoral competence, and referral as a duty.
Advanced Mission and Evangelism
Mission and evangelism, covering the biblical basis, cross-cultural communication, and congregational practice that is actually sustained.
Advanced Christian Worship
Christian worship, covering its theology, its history, its planning, and the leadership of a gathering that forms participants.
Advanced Ministry Leadership and Ethics
Ministry leadership and ethics, covering governance, teams, change, power, safeguarding, and the accountability structures a minister should want.
Advanced Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
The minister's own formation across a long degree and a longer vocation, including the habits that decide whether you last.
Advanced Integrative Theology and Ministry
The integrative piece: a ministry question taken through exegesis, theology, history and practice to a single coherent answer.
Admission Requirements
What you need to apply
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited or recognized institution
- Official transcripts showing preparation appropriate to graduate theological study
- Statement of theological, academic, and ministry goals
- Current resume or curriculum vitae
- Two ministry, professional, or academic recommendations
Degree Completion Requirements
Requirements for the Master of Divinity
Graduation Requirements
- Complete at least 36 graduate semester credits in the approved degree plan
- Pass the Competency-Based Ministry Assessment for the degree
- Satisfy every graduate-core, specialization, elective, and comprehensive requirement group
- Integrate theological knowledge with assessed ministry experience under the published result-weighting policy
- Recognize demonstrated learning against every published degree-plan requirement
Culminating Experience
Demonstrate graduate theological understanding and ministry judgment through Competency-Based Ministry Assessment, recognizing advanced learning developed through prior study and service.
Credit Distribution
| Requirement Area | Credits | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Core | 21 | 7 courses. Required advanced theory, methods, and professional competencies of the discipline. |
| Graduate Specialization | 9 | 3 courses. Focused graduate study in an approved concentration or practice area. |
| Graduate Elective | 3 | 1 course. Any master-level major course from any school that is not already part of this degree plan. |
| Competency-Based Ministry Assessment | 3 | 1 course. Integrated graduate theological knowledge and assessed ministry experience, recognizing demonstrated learning across the published degree plan. |
| Total Degree Credits | 36 | All requirements must be completed within the approved degree plan. |
Program Details
Program Length
Self-Paced
Self-Paced Learning
Total Credits
36 credit hours
Up to 18 Transfer Credits
Published Degree Plan
12 courses
Across 4 required curriculum groups
Format
Flexible Study
Assessment Format
Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
Selected Degree
Master
School
School of Theology and Ministry
Institutional Status
ICAS Accredited
Ready to Begin Your Accredited Word and Ministry Degree?
Applying costs nothing, and the work you have already done may count. Have a look at what this pathway asks for before you decide.