The Master of Divinity (MDiv) program fosters students’ understanding of church and ministry in the contemporary world, and students’ ability to work meaningfully and creatively in a vocation of religious leadership. The program increases students’ knowledge and strengthens their ability to integrate their understanding of the various disciplines of theology and ministry with their experience of the church and the world.
- 80 percent of Candler students pursue an MDiv. 70 percent of our alumni are currently pastors in local churches.
- The Master of Divinity degree is an 84-hour program and is structured to be completed in three or four years of full-time study; the maximum length of time allowed to complete the program is six years.
- Students enrolling in the Master of Divinity program must complete specifically required courses such as the Interpretation of the Old Testament course sequence, Interpretation of the New Testament course sequence, Introduction to the History of Christian Thought course sequence, Systematic Theology, Christian Ethics, and Introduction to Preaching.
- In addition to these specific courses, students have requirements to fulfill in World Religions, Introductory Arts of Ministry, Sociology of Religion or Religion and Personality, and Theology or Ethics. Students must also enroll in a course designated to fulfill the Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Contextual Education Elective requirements.
- For more information about the MDiv degree requirements, Click Here.
Our Contextual Education (Con Ed) program is a national model for blending service with learning in a way that increases academic rigor and student success. Students take what they experience in their Con Ed sites back to the classroom for meaningful discussion and guidance. Likewise, they take what they learn in class back to their placement sites, where they can approach situations with deeper understanding.
Con Ed is a full two years plus an optional summer. First-year MDiv students spend four hours a week serving in social ministry or clinical settings; second-year MDiv students practice ministry in ecclesial settings for eight hours a week. Selected students serve in Candler Advantage, a paid summer internship program, to hone their pastoral skills.
Many seminaries require a placement in either social ministry settings or church settings. Candler requires both. The result? The hands-on experience and mentoring you need to more clearly discern and follow your call.
Find lists of work sites, student thoughts about their experiences, and much more at the Con Ed section of the website.
Candler offers programs of study in several denominations and other interest areas. Some of these programs also offer certificates.
Baptist Studies
Prepares students for ordination in Baptist churches.
Black Church Studies
A theoretical and practical exploration of the black church tradition and its role in contemporary society.
Episcopal Studies
Prepares students for ministry in the Episcopal Church.
Faith and Health
An interdisciplinary study of health and health promotion practices as they intersect with various religious or spiritual traditions.
Human Rights (Emory Graduate Certificate)
Combines the resources of Emory University with the applied programs of our professional partners, including CARE USA, The Carter Center, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others, for an interdisciplinary approach to human rights scholarship and training.
Methodist Studies
Promotes the ethos of the Wesleyan heritage through courses and programs for United Methodists and the pan-Methodist community, including mentoring for candidates seeking orientation.
Religious Education Ministries
Equips students for ministries related to teaching and learning in faith communities, schools, and wider society.
Women, Theology, and Ministry
In-depth study of the impact of gender on church and society and specific focus on issues relevant to women in theology and ministry.
For more information about programs, click here.
For more information about certificates, click here.
The selection of a concentration allows students to give their degree focus and depth in an area that is of particular interest to them. Although optional, students may choose their concentration in consultation with their faculty advisor at the end of their first year in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program. Coursework for the selected concentration begins during the second year in the program. Concentrations require 12–15 credit hours.
Formation and Witness
The concentration in Formation and Witness allows students to explore in greater depth issues of Christian formation, mission, and public witness as matters of both personal and ecclesial practice.
Justice, Peacebuilding, and Conflict Transformation
The Justice, Peacebuilding, and Conflict Transformation concentration forms religious leaders who are equipped to constructively engage conflict within their congregations and communities by providing a structure for students to reflect theologically on violence, justice, and peacebuilding, to study nonviolent alternatives, and to practice skills in conflict transformation.
Leadership in Church and Community
The concentration in Leadership in Church and Community educates students in the analytic frameworks, critical perspectives, practices, skills, and practical theological patterns of reflection necessary for effective leadership in contemporary churches and community organizations.
Religion, Health, and Science
The concentration in Religion, Health, and Science provides students with greater depth of reflection on the relationship between faith communities and the sciences, especially the health sciences. In particular, it explores issues of social justice within the church as well as in the larger society.
Religion and Race
The concentration in Religion and Race provides students with greater depth of reflection on the history, construction, expression, and influence of race and ethnicity in contemporary society.
Scripture and Interpretation
The concentration in Scripture and Interpretation provides students with additional depth and proficiencies in the interpretation, teaching, proclamation, or context of the Bible.
Society and Personality
The concentration in Society and Personality explores the personal and social dynamics of religious experience, practice, and community with keen attention to their felt meaning, cultural expression, and institutional embodiment. Through psychological, sociological, and cultural inquiry, it enables students to engage and interpret faith lived out in love, work, and public witness in local churches, national denominations, and global movements, across lines of gender, race, generation, and nation.
Theology and the Arts
The Theology and the Arts concentration involves theological reflection on and critical engagement with musical, visual, and literary arts.
Theology and Ethics
The concentration in Theology and Ethics provides students an opportunity to explore the ways in which theology and ethics inform each other as complementary disciplines oriented to critical reflection on the proper shape of Christian faith and practice in the world.
Traditions of the Church
The Traditions of the Church concentration allows students to reflect on aspects of Christian tradition and history in a focused way, enabling them to develop historical and denominational interests with explicit attention given to interpretative and methodological questions.
Women and Religion
The concentration in Women and Religion explores issues regarding women and Christianity, issues emerging from women in other religious traditions, and offers introductory proficiency in one form of gender analysis.
MDiv/MBA
In collaboration with Emory’s Goizueta Business School, Candler offers a joint Master of Divinity and Master of Business Administration degree. The MDiv/MBA program is a four-year program, or one year shorter than if the degrees were pursued separately. Applicants apply to Candler and Goizueta separately, and if accepted to both schools, can enroll in the joint-degree program. Goizueta Business School requires that all applicants take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). Students typically start their first year at Candler, spend their second year at Goizueta, and then alternate between the schools for years three and four. Financing is coordinated between the two schools.
JD/MDiv
Candler offers a joint Master of Divinity and Juris Doctor degree in conjunction with Emory’s School of Law. The MDiv/JD is a five-year degree, one year shorter than if the degrees were pursued separately. Applicants apply to Candler and Emory Law School separately, and if accepted to both schools, can enroll in the joint-degree program. The School of Law requires that all applicants take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). Students typically begin their studies with their first year at Candler, spend their second year at the Law School, and then alternate between the schools for their remaining time. Financing is coordinated between the two schools.
MDiv/MDP
A joint Master of Divinity/Master of Development Practice (MDiv/MDP) program allows students to combine training and experience in international development with theological studies and formation for ministry. The MDP attends to both theoretical and applied methods of development and introduces students through interdisciplinary work to a variety of fields including global health, human rights, economics, governance, ecosystems, gender, energy and engineering. Research methods, program evaluation and assessment are central to the MDP program. A student in this joint-degree program typically matriculates concurrently in Candler and the Laney Graduate School (MDP) and may complete the requirements for both degrees in four years (instead of the five required to attain the degrees separately). Candidates for the dual-degree program must apply to and be accepted by both Candler and the MDP program. The typical sequence of courses requires students to enroll full-time at Candler in the first year. The subsequent two years are in the MDP program and include two consecutive summers of full-time international field practicums. Those placements are arranged through the MDP with approved NGOs. The student is enrolled full-time at Candler in the fourth year.
MDiv/MPH
A joint Master of Divinity and Master of Public Health (MDiv/MPH) is offered in cooperation with the Rollins School of Public Health. This program allows the MDiv and MPH degrees to be earned in four years instead of the usual five to attain the degrees separately. Candidates for the joint-degree program must apply to and be accepted by both Candler and Rollins. The schools maintain independent application procedures. Typically, the first year is spent at Candler, the second year is spent at Rollins, and the third and fourth years are spent at Candler. Specific MPH degree requirements depend on the department. Rollins offers the dual-degree program in seven departments (Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology, Global Environmental Health, Global Epidemiology, Global Health, and Health Policy and Management). MDiv/MPH dual-degree students may complete the MPH practicum requirement through completion of a clinical Contextual Education placement.
MDiv/MSW
A dual Master of Divinity and Master of Social Work (MDiv/MDP) is offered in cooperation with the University of Georgia (UGA). Four years of residential instruction are divided between Candler and UGA's campus in Athens and/or its satellite location in Gwinnett County. Students will take 75 hours at Candler and 60 hours and UGA and must be accepted at both schools. The degree is designed for those considering the role of faith and religious institutions in community health and development, the care of individuals in poverty and crisis, responses to systemic and institutional injustice, and issues of social transformation. Slated to beginin fall 2014 pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
