What is the D.Min. Degree at Vanderbilt?
The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Integrative Chaplaincy is a three-year, 36-credit advanced professional program undertaken alongside a student's work as a chaplain in a professional ministry setting (e.g. healthcare, military, prisons, or other organizations), with the aim of better equipping students to address whole person healthcare needs—both as individual spiritual care providers and as collaborative professionals partnering with other care providers. An M.Div., M.T.S., or equivalent degree and work as a chaplain are required for admission.
Chaplains who complete this program will be equipped to:
- Recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health concerns
- Apply evidence-based psychological practices within the scope of chaplaincy practice
- Collaborate with mental health and healthcare professionals
- Foster resilience and mental health prevention efforts
- Engage with scientific research critically and constructively
- Understand psychosocial and psychological dynamics in religious/spiritual contexts
- Practice self-care and care for fellow caregivers
- Address distinctive religious, spiritual, cultural, and relational needs
- Reflect theologically on religious/spiritual traditions for transformation and healing
- Develop a ministerial identity and spiritual care ethic informed by suffering, trauma, and human flourishing
Why You Should Earn Your Doctorate in Ministry at Vanderbilt
Chaplains serve as spiritual and emotional caregivers in settings where they often support a wide range of individuals, frequently in partnership with other professionals. This program is designed to equip chaplains to offer high-quality, collaborative, evidence-based care that meets diverse psychosocial and spiritual needs. It reflects Vanderbilt’s commitment to whole-person care shaped by intellectual rigor, interdisciplinary excellence, and spiritual integration.
Since its founding, Vanderbilt Divinity School has functioned as a university-based, interdenominational institution. Its non-denominational identity and global orientation align naturally with the work of chaplaincy, especially in pluralistic, multi-religious contexts such as hospitals, higher education, the military, correctional facilities, and other organizational environments. This breadth of emphasis enriches each student’s formation and prepares chaplains to lead with empathy and effectiveness across religious and cultural lines.
The D.Min. in Integrative Chaplaincy reimagines the chaplain’s role in today’s care systems. It blends research-informed insights and evidence-based practices with the art of spiritual care, while positioning chaplains as trusted collaborators and leaders. Students engage with faculty across various fields, including psychiatry, psychology, theology, and pastoral care, gaining a model of ethical leadership grounded in rigorous training. You’ll be invited to think theologically, lead courageously, and serve holistically—deepening your vocation and expanding your impact in the communities you serve.
What I found was a very transparent perspective on mental health care and human flourishing that recognized the limitations of psychotherapy and the aching need for what Chaplains bring to the table, a focus on ultimacy, transcendence, values, and the potential for suffering to lead to transformation. As Chaplains, we were treated like valued partners in the care of "whole beings." It was truly integrative.
Doctor of Ministry Program Format and Curriculum
The D.Min. features hybrid courses designed for immediate application in the diverse settings where chaplains serve. Each course combines regular synchronous online seminars with asynchronous content, allowing students to engage meaningfully while balancing their work schedules.
Students attend three 3.5-day, on-campus intensives at Vanderbilt Divinity School—one in each of the first three semesters. All other coursework is delivered through online platforms, video conferencing, and other distance learning tools.
The first three semesters align with the Mental Health Integration for Chaplain Services (MHICS) training. Courses and practica are closely integrated, with students applying course content directly in their practicum settings and receiving consultative feedback. This phase is led by faculty who are also affiliated with Integrative Mental Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The final three semesters, taught by VDS faculty, focus on the D.Min. Project—a 45–60 page project centered on a real-world challenge from the student’s chaplaincy practice. Students analyze and address this issue using insights gained throughout the program, including asynchronous modules developed by VDS faculty that provide further theological grounding. The project is shaped and strengthened over time through faculty led writing seminars that include weekly feedback from both faculty and peers.
Mental Health Integration for Chaplain Services (MHICS)
D.Min. Degree Eligibility
The D.Min. in Integrative Chaplaincy is designed for practitioners who are actively engaged in ministry or spiritual care and who are ready to integrate advanced academic content into a living professional context. The following requirements reflect what we have found best prepares students to thrive in the program.
Academic Requirements
- An ATS-accredited M.Div. or M.T.S. (or equivalent), including international credentials review (for candidates with credentials from international institutions)
- An academic record evidencing breadth across theological disciplines and the capacity to integrate theory and practice
- A minimum 3.0 GPA
- Applicants holding a non-theological master's degree are required to complete a prerequisite pathway of 9 credit hours across sacred texts, pastoral theology, and theology/ethics, with a minimum grade of B- in each course
Professional Experience
A minimum of one year of post-graduate ministry or chaplaincy experience is expected. This may include Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training or service in a chaplaincy setting such as military, hospital, or clinical contexts. Candidates who have not completed any units of CPE are still encouraged to apply if they can speak compellingly to how they will engage the program's emphasis on evidence-based practice and interprofessional collaboration.
Candidates whose experience is rooted entirely in a parish or congregational setting are welcome to apply. The program has supported strong outcomes for ministers in congregational contexts. We ask that these applicants use their application materials to help the committee understand the depth of their establishment in that setting and their readiness to engage the program's integrative framework.
Active Spiritual Care Context
All applicants are expected to be actively functioning as a chaplain or within a practicum-eligible ministry environment at the time of application or enrollment. Candidates who are in active transition into such a role are encouraged to describe that transition in their application materials.
The D.Min. is an advanced degree that presupposes a practitioner bringing a formed perspective and rooted experience to the work. We encourage prospective students who are earlier in their professional formation to consider whether a year or more of additional practice experience might strengthen both their application and their readiness to engage the program fully.
A Note on Our Process
We take a holistic view of every application. If your path has been non-traditional, we encourage you to apply and to tell your story clearly. The committee values diverse formations and exercises discretion in every case.
The integrative skills I have learned (exploration and synthesis of the three primary evidence-based practices) has greatly enhanced my pastoral care and counseling practice. I am able to draw from a wide variety of tools and evidence-based approaches now to more effectively companion and support the Service Members in my charge.