The Doctor of Ministry is a professional research degree for people involved in ministry. It assists religious leaders to develop their ministry practice and associated research skills at an advanced level. Participants engage with contemporary debates about ministry practice, reflect critically on areas of ministry specialisation and carry out original research in professional practice, the results of which are presented for external examination.
a) have a substantial body of knowledge at the frontier of professional ministry or related practice in ordained and/or lay settings, including knowledge that constitutes an original contribution to the field
b) have a substantial knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to professional ministry or related practice
c) have expert cognitive, technical, and creative skills to use intellectual independence to think critically, analyse and evaluate existing knowledge and ideas in professional ministry or related practice, undertake systematic investigation, reflect on theory and practice to generate original knowledge, demonstrate expert understanding of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on that theory and practice and its application to integrative ministry or related practice.
d) apply knowledge and skills with intellectual independence, and with responsibility and accountability to plan and execute an ongoing program of original research to generate new knowledge in the context of professional ministry or related practice, and to understand explicit and implicit ethical considerations to the formulation of a research project
e) have skills to present explain and critique theoretical propositions, methodologies and conclusions, and to present cogently a complex investigation of originality or original research for external examination against international standards and to communicate results to peers and the community.