Doctoral Programs at Virginia Theological Seminary

VTS Doctoral Programs emply a hybrid learning model of intensive Summer residencies and online seminars.

Summer Residency
Each summer, VTS’s doctoral students gather for three weeks of study and reflection. The beautiful 80-acre campus of VTS provides a place set apart from the demands of full-time ministry to focus on learning and enrichment. The summer residencies have three core aspects, consistent with VTS’s ethos: learning, worshipping, and living in a community. Students form lasting relationships with fellow students in their cohort and across varying doctoral tracks.

Online Courses
Throughout the year, students engage in online integrative courses which entail specific engagement with a ministry context, in conversation with both theology and social sciences.

Students in D.Min. tracks complete pre-thesis coursework in two years over three summer residencies. Classes consist of two basic types: Seminar courses and integrative courses. Seminar courses follow a hybrid learning model, combining online education with in-class time during summer residencies. Online integrative courses entail specific engagement with a ministry context, in conversation with both theology and social sciences. The capstone of all our doctoral programs is the thesis, a substantive work of action-reflection scholarship based upon rigorous examination of a ministry context and robust engagement with academic disciplines.