Diploma in Divinity (Dp.Div.)

You’ve spent years building a life, a career, and a record of serving others. Now you sense God calling you into full-time ministry, but you don’t have an undergraduate degree. Gateway Seminary’s Diploma in Divinity was designed for you.

The Dp.Div. is a three-year program that prepares students for pastoral ministry and related fields of service. It shares all the degree objectives and coursework of Gateway’s Master of Divinity, with one exception: it does not require the biblical languages. You receive the same depth of training in Scripture, theology, church history, preaching, and pastoral care that M.Div. students receive, and it builds on the experience you already bring.

Over 79 credit hours, you’ll study the Old and New Testaments, Christian theology and ethics, church history, and Baptist heritage. Practical courses cover preaching, pastoral ministry, biblical counseling, worship, Bible teaching, and ministry finance and strategic planning. Coursework in missions, intercultural communication, and evangelism prepares you to carry the gospel beyond your own context. Thirteen hours of general electives let you shape your studies around your calling. Supervised ministry practicums and peer reflection groups help you connect what you learn in class with real ministry.

The goal is more than graduation. The program is shaped by the Essential Leadership Competencies identified by Gateway’s faculty, and it sets you on a path of lifelong personal, spiritual, and professional growth.

The Dp.Div. is offered at all five Gateway campuses and online, so you can pursue your training without uprooting your life. It is available to English, Chinese-English Bilingual (CEB), and Korean-English Bilingual (KEB) students. CEB and KEB students should consult their program directors or the registrar for course details. Finishing on schedule may require some remote or online coursework.

Your experience has prepared you for more than you know. The Diploma in Divinity will help you put it to work for the kingdom.