Academic Programs

Accreditation

Vanderbilt University Divinity School Accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and the following degree programs are approved: Master of Divinity (M.Div), Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S), and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min). 

The Commission contact information:
The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
10 Summit Park Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15275
USA

Telephone: 412-788-6505
Fax: 412-788-6510
Website: www.ats.edu

Vanderbilt University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033- 4097, call (404) 679-4500, or visit sacscoc.org for questions about the accreditation of Vanderbilt University.

Statement of Educational Effectiveness

For over 150 years, Vanderbilt Divinity School has opened its doors to a diverse community of scholars, faith leaders, lifelong learners, and changemakers. We are one of the few Research I, university-based, interdenominational divinity schools in the country and we embrace all aspects of that identity. Today, the ‘school of the prophets’ is a place for top-tier research, training, social justice activism, and global community building.

Mission

In a global and multi-religious world, the Divinity School seeks to fulfill the following objectives:

• to engage in theological inquiry;
• to help persons prepare for the practice of Christian ministry and public leadership;
• to encourage personal and spiritual formation;
• to prepare agents of social justice; and to educate future scholars and teachers, locally and globally.

Degree Programs and Learning Outcomes

Master of Divinity (MDiv)

The aim of the Master of Divinity program is to foster a process of life-long learning focusing on understanding Christian faith and its implications for human existence. The vocation of Christian ministry is to interpret and represent Christian faith and to explore ways by which that faith can be embodied in the lives of people, churches, and society.

For the successful completion of the Master of Divinity degree, students are expected to demonstrate:

• the ability to think critically, constructively, and intersectionally about the relationship between social context, history, and the Christian faith.
• attentiveness to and insights about their personal and spiritual formation and sense of vocation.
• critical, constructive, and interdisciplinary competence in the academic study of religion, as represented in the M.Div. curriculum.
• competence in the ministerial arts appropriate to their vocational goals.
• competence in putting theory and practice in conversation with each other.
• the ability to connect these competencies to pressing contemporary concerns.

Master of Theological Studies

The Master of Theological Studies program provides courses of study in the several theological disciplines necessary for persons interested in subsequently pursuing: teaching vocations in religious studies at secondary and some postsecondary schools, doctoral study in the broad field of religion, diaconal ministries in certain denominational traditions, work in social justice oriented non-profit organizations, and other religiously informed leadership positions.

For the successful completion of the Master of Theological Studies degree, students are expected to demonstrate:

• the ability to think critically, constructively, and intersectionally about the relationship between social context, history, and religion.
• thoughtful articulation of the connection between their course of study, their individual formation, and their vocational goals.
• critical and constructive competence in the academic study of religion, as represented in the MTS curriculum.
• the ability to connect these competencies to pressing contemporary concerns.

Doctor of Ministry

As defined by the Association of Theological Schools, “the Doctor of Ministry is an advanced, professionally oriented degree that prepares people more deeply for religious leadership in congregations and other settings, including appropriate teaching roles.”  

For the successful completion of the Doctor of Ministry degree, students will demonstrate:

• competency in the specific practice(s) of ministry taught in the D.Min. track in which they are enrolled.
• ability to do independent research in theological discipline(s) and/or practice(s) of ministry appropriate to the D.Min. track in which they are enrolled.
• advanced ability to reflect theologically on the practice of ministry and to connect theology to practice.
• advanced ability to use what they learn in their D.Min. program in ethically and spiritually sound ways appropriate to their ministerial context.
• insightful attention to issues of diversity as they manifest in their ministerial context.

* The DMin program was established in 2020. Graduation data will not be available until 2026.

Graduating Student Questionnaire

Student responses to the 2024-25 ATS Graduating Student Questionnaire show satisfaction with the accessibility of faculty, the quality of teaching, and class size.

Students also reported high measures of educational effectiveness in facilitating skills areas.