Hybrid/Online Program at SMU Perkins
Our mission is to educate and equip persons for faithful leadership and Christian ministry in a changing church and society. Perkins School of Theology meets you where you are, both spiritually and geographically, through our hybrid program. If you’ve felt torn between your service in a local ministry and your desire to pursue a ministry degree, our hybrid program is designed for you. At Perkins, you don’t have to choose between two callings... we want to empower you to fulfill both.
If you are searching for a ministry degree program that...
• Is accessible and flexible
• Offers convenience, allowing for over 80% of degree program to be completed remote and online
• Provides intensive courses that are offered in rotating cities, letting students gain a global education
• Contextualizes theology classes in hybrid ministry locations
…all while creating connections through in-person intensives, the Perkins hybrid/online program may be right for you!
Unique Features of the Hybrid/Online Degree Program
Continue with your vocational work with our accessible hybrid/online program. Designed to accommodate students all across the country, the hybrid/online program provides the flexibility to join the Perkins community while minimizing the need for on-campus presence.
| The Perkins Hybrid Program is NOT... | The Perkins Hybrid Program IS... |
| All online | Providing (mostly) online coursework |
| All asynchronous | Offering both asynchronous and synchronous, scheduled class times |
| Disconnected from peers | Relationship-building with fellow cohort members |
| Fully remote | Requiring in-person week-long intensives (amount differs based on program of choice) |
| Taught by faculty not associated with Perkins programs | Taught by renowned, tenured and adjunct Perkins faculty |
Intensives
The program combines a majority of online coursework with one-week intensives.
The in-person requirements for the M.Div. (four trips) and M.A.M. (two trips) are intensives and they typically last a week. You will be required to do pre- and post-work online, while the majority of contact hours will occur in-person during the intensives.
These experiences are more than just in-person learning. The week-long intensives will include course instruction, shared meals, worship, engagement with ministries/leaders and opportunities in building community and relationships with other students.
Where Are The Intensives Taking Place?
While many hybrid M.Div. and M.A.M. programs offer in-person gathering sessions throughout the program timeline, Perkins' unique approach allows you to fulfill these in-person requirements in different locations around the country!
This not only ensures broader exposure to a variety of ministry contexts but also puts your needs first by holding intensives where you and other students are located. They can be completed in Dallas or Houston as well as a variety of Mobile Sites.
Perkins: Hybrid for Today's Church
Why leave your ministry context for a degree if you are called to serve that same context? At Perkins, hybrid means that over three-fourths of studies will be completed online, allowing students to continue to serve in their ministry context while continuing with their education. In-person degree requirements are completed through week-long intensives, fostering connection through learning communities. Intensive courses are offered not just in Dallas but in various ministry settings across the nation.
Through coordination with churches, district and regional offices, and non-profits, Perkins aims to reconnect the church with theological education, by housing classes in your cities, neighborhoods, and communities. Ministry context is what drives the hybrid theological education at Perkins, making your learning more applicable and your connections more relevant. And with the ever-rising costs of higher education, hybrid education at Perkins is an incredibly affordable solution for both students and the faith communities that support them. This allows valuable resources to remain focused on local ministry—while ensuring students still receive a robust theological education in preparation for ministry.
Benefits of In-Person Learning: How Hybrid Stacks Up Against 100% Online Ministry Courses
“Why would I want any in-person classes? I want to earn my ministry degree online.”
If you simply want accountability for your theological reading, there are many 100% online theology degree programs to choose from. But, if you are looking for information and formation, the Perkins hybrid program offers both: the flexibility of online theology programs without sacrificing the critical component that an in-person experience provides for an excellent education.
The beauty of Perkins' hybrid program is the opportunity to build relationships, meet new people and develop close connections with other future leaders of the church — all while growing closer in faith and worship with one another.
Flexibility While Fostering Spiritual Growth 
Our hybrid courses provide an opportunity to continue your journey in ministry remotely by still attending seminary, mostly online and some in-person. We’ve adapted our curriculum and modalities to meet the current demand and recognize the importance of location and lives outside of school. With this new option, you can still be employed. The program reduces tuition, fees and travel time, and also creates a smoother transition for you and your families.
Perkins acknowledges the longing for connectedness at seminary and fulfills that longing by providing the week-long intensives that foster togetherness. In the hybrid program, you will build relationships from afar and in-person.
Online Theology and Ministry Degrees With In-Person Intensives Offered at Perkins
The hybrid program currently offers two ministry degrees: the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Master of Arts in Ministry (M.A.M.). Both of these degrees have the same academic requirements as the face-to-face, in-person programs.
We are proud to offer our hybrid students instruction from Perkins professors, who also teach our full-time students who attend on campus, all while serving students the best education possible.
We strongly encourage you to check with the ordaining body of your denomination before beginning your pathway if not a member of The United Methodist Church.
Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
The Master of Divinity degree is designed primarily for students who wish to become an elder or an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church or a church of a different Christian denomination.
Graduates will be transformative leaders grounded in deep scriptural and theological understanding, empowering them to engage in ethical reflection, preach, lead worship and serve with compassion and conviction, strengthening the church and embodying a faithful presence in society.
Graduates will be transformative leaders grounded in deep scriptural and theological understanding, empowering them to engage in ethical reflection, preach, lead worship and serve with compassion and conviction, strengthening the church and embodying a faithful presence in society.
If you are longing to become an elder or an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church or a church of a different Christian denomination, and want to lead, teach, serve in Word and sacrament, preach and administer communion and guide your congregation, the M.Div. at Perkins is the pathway for you.
Graduates can also move into roles based on advocacy and relationship-building skills within and beyond United Methodist, Black/Africana or Baptist congregational settings; become a health care chaplain at a church, hospital or other congregation; pursue a career in theological ethics merging technologies (including bioengineering and artificial intelligence) and ecological/environmental issues such as human contributions to climate change.
Graduates can also move into roles based on advocacy and relationship-building skills within and beyond United Methodist, Black/Africana or Baptist congregational settings; become a health care chaplain at a church, hospital or other congregation; pursue a career in theological ethics merging technologies (including bioengineering and artificial intelligence) and ecological/environmental issues such as human contributions to climate change.
- Evil, Suffering, and Death in the New Testament
- Mary, Mystics, and Martyrs: Models and Mentors of the Faith
- God and Creation
- Meets four times in-person over the course of three years
- Internship (at a ministry context selected in conversation with you)
- All other courses are online
Click here to learn more about the M.Div. hybrid/online program.
Master of Arts in Ministry (M.A.M.)
The Master of Arts in ministry degree is an ideal pathway for those who want to become an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church or another Christian denomination but do not want to be the lead minister of their church (although it may be acceptable for lead pastor in some denominations).
Those seeking ordination as a deacon in The United Methodist Church will need to take a worship course (three credit hours), United Methodist studies courses (six credit hours) and an evangelism course (three credit hours).
Those seeking ordination as a deacon in The United Methodist Church will need to take a worship course (three credit hours), United Methodist studies courses (six credit hours) and an evangelism course (three credit hours).
An M.A.M. degree will equip you as an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church and/or other denominations. Some denominations accept the M.A.M. for the senior pastor role. Check with your ordaining body. An M.A.M. can also lead to vocations and positions in faith-based communities and organizations and as a chaplain.
Graduates of the master’s degree in ministry also have many nontraditional career options, including working in roles in nonprofits, community outreach, humanitarian aid, grant writing and fundraising, Christian ministry, working as a volunteer director, and more.
Graduates of the master’s degree in ministry also have many nontraditional career options, including working in roles in nonprofits, community outreach, humanitarian aid, grant writing and fundraising, Christian ministry, working as a volunteer director, and more.
- Evil, Suffering, and Death in the New Testament
- Mary, Mystics, and Martyrs: Models and Mentors of the Faith
- God and Creation
- Meets two times in-person over the course of two years
- Internship (at a ministry context selected in conversation with you)
- All other courses are online
Click here to learn about the M.A.M. hyrbid/online program.
Are Online Ministry Classes and In-Person Intensives Right for Me?
Your goal may be to become a lead pastor, deacon or chaplain, and earning a ministry degree will provide the requirements needed.
Whether it be for familial, financial, work or other obligations, we understand that relocation for school can be a heavy burden for some.
The new format addresses the social concerns that come with “distant” learning by leveraging our in-person immersions to foster friendships and create close, tight-knit communities.
Work-life balance is crucial to some, as other responsibilities may come before school. The hybrid program is perfect for those who want to earn a ministry degree but have other priorities in life, as well.
Earning a degree comes with a cost, but by reducing everyday travel expenses to and from class, relocation and fees, it can help make earning a ministry degree more affordable. Generous scholarship aid, up to the full cost of tuition, may be available.