MDiv FAQs

What’s the difference between the Master of Divinity (MDiv) and the Master of Arts in Divinity (MA)?

• The differences are numerous, but one exciting aspect of studying at the University of Chicago Divinity School is learning and growing with students from various religious backgrounds, degree programs, and goals and interests in spiritual phenomena.
• Practically, the MDiv:

1. Takes three years to complete (the MA takes two);
2. Entails field work components and the completion of a thesis (neither is required for the MA).
3. Requires the study of a textual language in the student’s tradition, or a modern language that will facilitate leadership or spiritual care to a particular community (the MA requires passing a contemporary research language exam).
4. Allows for the pursuit of a dual degree [link]; and
5. It is typically a smaller cohort of ~15 students/year (~35-45/year for the MA) that allows MDiv students to get to know their colleagues in a deeply engaging way, with Ministry Program directors able to offer tailored support to students.

• From these differences, you may discern some of the key differences in the goals and interests that motivate MDiv students. While expectations for academic rigor are just as high as for students in the MA or AMRS, the MDiv is the best fit for students interested in pursuing religious leadership, public engagement, and in cultivating simultaneously the intellectual, spiritual, and personal formation of themselves and others. As noted on the program page, today’s MDiv program welcomes students of many traditions as they prepare for engagement in an ever-increasing variety of contexts alongside students anticipating ordination and traditional vocations in religious community leadership.
• If this sounds like you, then the MDiv at the University of Chicago Divinity School may be your next step! Still have questions? Reach out to divinityadmissions@uchicago.edu.

Do I need to be a Christian to study at the Divinity School? 

• Not at all. One of the distinctive features of the MDiv program at the Divinity School is its explicit multi-religious welcome, accommodating students from a broad range of religious traditions. While Divinity Schools in the United States were predominantly founded for the training and professionalization of Protestant ministers, the University of Chicago Divinity School has, from its very beginning, privileged the critical and careful study of diverse religious traditions and phenomena. In recent decades, this commitment has expanded concretely to the MDiv program and the cultivation of those who will lead and serve others in all manner of communities and institutions, both religious and secular.
• Several distinctive features of the program support the diverse religious backgrounds and paths of our MDiv students. First, our MDiv students engage in field education or community engagement during all three years of residence—more than in many programs elsewhere—and do so in the context of an MDiv curriculum that remains demanding, intensive, and academically rigorous. This allows students to gain experience and knowledge of communities, texts, traditions, and histories specific to their own interests and goals. Second, the smaller cohort model we provide in the MDiv allows for individualized attention and careful discernment of paths within an educational framework that enables students to develop a program of study that makes sense within the context of their tradition and practice, making use of the breadth of expertise among the University’s faculty.

Does the MDiv program provide program tracks for particular vocational interests (e.g., chaplaincy, youth ministry, faith-based advocacy)?

• The MDiv program does not stipulate particular ministerial tracks. Still, most fields of study are possible in the Divinity School, and a wide variety of vocational interests can be explored through field placements in communities, congregations, non-profits, and institutions throughout Chicagoland. Ministry students can also take coursework at area seminaries in specific areas of study or practice, or to fulfill denominational ordination requirements. 

• In addition to religious leadership and vocational careers, graduates of our programs pursue successful careers in consulting, non-profit administration, secondary education, community engagement, journalism, advocacy, and academia (see our outcomes). The diversity of next steps for our graduates results from an education that trains them to ask big questions and develop the critical skills needed to address the problems and observations that initially led them to study religion. Graduates leave the Divinity School with the agency to navigate their specific paths with refined questions and enhanced understanding born from study and community with our faculty, students, and staff. 

• As students navigate next steps, we also provide support and guidance in the form of skill-building workshops, panels with experts and practitioners, internship opportunities, and dedicated professional advising from both the Divinity School and UChicagoGRAD. These resources, supported by initiatives like the Colman Program for the Craft of Teaching, Leadership, and Service and the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion, are constantly adapting to the needs of students and the world around us, but always aim to provide frameworks and applicable skills that demystify whatever comes next.

Can I pursue a joint degree with another University of Chicago master’s program?

• You can, and a significant portion of MDiv students are simultaneously completing degrees in the Harris School of Public Policy, the Crown School of Social Work, or the Law School, allowing them to complete the two degrees one year faster than pursuing each individually, and to pursue related vocational paths in an integrated manner. Students applying to dual degree programs must apply to both the Divinity School and also to the partner school (Harris, Law, or the Crown Family School), either concurrently or during their first year of enrollment at the Divinity School. For the Law School, applying concurrently is strongly recommended. For more information, see our page on MDiv Dual Degree Programs.

What is Field Work, and what purpose does it serve?

• The purpose of field education is to integrate study and practice. Accordingly, our MDiv students pursue experiences outside the classroom that provide opportunities to reflect with and complement both elective coursework and training in the Arts of Ministry—a curriculum that is demanding, intensive, and academically rigorous.
• Field education at UChicago comprises three experiences. In the first year, students engage in a ministry of presence at sites that help them experience Chicago through different eyes. During the second year, students complete a year-long field placement at an organization that allows them to reflect on and practice how ministry skills appear in different professional contexts (see below for recent examples). Finally, during the first, second, or third year, MDiv students complete a field work “intensive” to help them specialize in an aspect of ministry work (oftentimes a chaplaincy internship or an international ministry experience). Historically centered in places of religious worship, field education now takes place wherever our students feel called. Recent examples of field sites include (xyz) Jain Temple, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Pride in the Pews, American Islamic College, Mandala (performing arts center), The Field Museum, the Office of Spiritual Life (Jewish Student Life) at DePaul, the Hyde Park Refugee Project, and First Presbyterian Church (Woodlawn).

• To learn more about the role of field education in the MDiv curriculum, please feel welcome to reach out to the Divinity School’s Director of Field Education and Community Engagement, Erika Dornfeld.

Does the MDiv offer online coursework and distance learning opportunities? 

• No. Since the MDiv program operates on a cohort model and is committed to the idea that regular, probing discussions on the practice and exigencies of ministry and its vocations in seminar-style settings are essential for forming successful public religious leaders, we do not offer online or distance learning programs at this time.

What kind of advising and mentorship do MDiv students receive?

• In addition to the types of advising mentioned above, MDiv students have a primary faculty advisor. They are also in regular conversation with the leadership of the Ministry Program about coursework, vocational discernment, and professional development—both as part of the program’s colloquia and in formal and informal consultations. MDiv students may also consult with other members of the faculty in areas of study in which they do concentrated coursework. The BONDS Peer Mentor Program provides practical guidance and a built-in community for Divinity School students, making the University more legible and welcoming, regardless of your needs and questions. 

Can I start my degree in the winter or spring quarters? Can I defer my enrollment?

• Due to curricular requirements, all Divinity School programs begin in Autumn Quarter. Enrolling AMRS, MA, and MDiv students may defer their enrollment to the following Autumn only, if necessary. Two-year deferrals are never permitted.
• Students who defer enrollment should know that they are not guaranteed the same scholarship package as initially offered. Since total scholarship funding is subject to change and because individual awards are decided with reference to that year’s application pool, scholarship offers for students who defer enrollment will be reevaluated in the admission cycle for the following year. However, these students will also have the opportunity to update their application as warranted to ensure their application is as strong as possible for the sake of scholarship reconsideration.
• Please note that students in all programs must complete at least one quarter of enrollment to be eligible for a Leave of Absence from the University.

Does the Divinity School have resources to support public religious leadership in an international context?

• Yes. The Divinity School supports students with these interests through its International Ministry Study Grant program. This program sends students abroad each summer to study and complete projects that will enhance their ministerial goals and refine their understanding of religious practice in different settings.