Requirements
Below are the admission standards for each of the School of Divinity's degree programs. For specific information about the degree programs themselves, please visit the Academics section of the School of Divinity web site.
| Master of Arts | Master of Divinity | A.S.A.P. |
| Doctor of Ministry | Doctor of Philosophy | Pastor's CEU Program |
Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
Admission to the Master of Arts or Master of Divinity degree programs requires a completed four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited, post-secondary institution or an institution accredited via approved Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) listed accrediting bodies. Applicants with a bachelor's degree from a non-regionally accredited institution will be considered on an individual basis. Applicants may have a bachelor's degree in any field. Candidates with at least 90 credit hours of undergraduate work may be eligible to apply under the Accelerated Scholars and Professionals Program (A.S.A.P.).
The following criteria are considered of applicants to the School of Divinity's graduate-level programs:
- High intellectual achievement and scholarship as evidenced by college transcripts and the applicant's writing sample
- Spiritual maturity and integrity of character
- Personal goals consistent with the mission of Regent University
The School of Divinity encourages applications from men and women of all Christian church traditions, denominations and national and ethnic origins. Read more about our mission, core values, statement of faith and distinctives in the 'About Us' section.
Accelerated Scholars and Professionals Program (A.S.A.P.)
The Accelerated Scholars and Professionals Program(A.S.A.P.) applies to master's degree applicants only and is designed for applicants who do not possess a bachelor's degree. A.S.A.P. applicants are required to have a significant portion of their undergraduate work completed (at least 90 credit hours or 135 quarter hours) and, as mature professionals, have accumulated life experience preparing them to undertake graduate studies. Of the 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of undergraduate study, at least one year of upper division courses is required (300 - 400 level), which equates to 30 credit hours or 45 quarter hours.
To be considered for admission into the School of Divinity, individuals must have at least seven years of full-time ministry work experience since leaving their undergraduate program. A.S.A.P. applicants go through the same application process as regular applicants.
Regent A.S.A.P. students who complete their programs will receive a master's degree from Regent University, not a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. The A.S.A.P. program is limited to a small percentage of the student body.
Candidates for the A.S.A.P. program must submit all application materials as required for the master's-level degree.
Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
Applicants to the Doctor of Ministry program normally must have a completed Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from an ATS accredited, graduate institution and at least three years of significant ministry experience subsequent to the first theological degree. Ordination is desirable. Applicants from non ATS accredited schools will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Note: Those interested in the program who have a Master of Arts but no M.Div. may wish to consider the Advanced Courses in Theological Studies (A.C.T.S.) as a prerequisite for application. D.Min. students may only enter the program during the fall semester.
The School of Divinity encourages applications from men and women of all Christian church traditions, denominations and national and ethnic origins. Read more about our mission, core values, statement of faith and distinctives in the 'About Us' section.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy degree program normally requires a completed M.Div. degree from an ATS accredited, graduate institution, or a first graduate theological degree providing equivalent theological background, or its educational equivalent (ordinarily a seminary/theological master's degree [e.g., M.A., MRE, MACE] enhanced by additional credits in biblical, theological/historical and pastoral/practical studies, with a total of 72 credit hours). Normally a GPA of 3.50 on a 4.00 grading scale in previous graduate work is required.
Students will be required to competently use the language(s) in which relevant primary texts are written, as well as those in which there is important secondary material during both their course of studies and their dissertation research. This includes at least one ancient and one or more modern languages.
The School of Divinity encourages applications from men and women of all Christian church traditions, denominations and national and ethnic origins. Read more about our mission, core values, statement of faith and distinctives in the 'About Us' section.
Pastors' Continuing Education Program
The Pastors' Continuing Education Program is designed for full-time, paid, pastoral staff members serving in a church. To be eligible, pastors must have a four-year degree from an accredited undergraduate institution. Pastors who do not meet the minimum requirements and do not wish to receive credit of any sort, may take courses through our more general Continuing Education Program. More details for the pastors program »