Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) – Theology and Apologetics
Cultivate Your Relationship with Christ While Equipping Yourself to Be a Better Leader in Your Ministry
Helping lead others to a better walk with Christ is an important and rewarding task. If you have a passion for developing ministries grounded in biblical truths, Liberty University’s Doctor of Ministry in Theology and Apologetics will help you get the training and knowledge you need. Your training in theology and apologetics will help equip you to effectively apply biblical principles in whatever ministry role you pursue.
Liberty University’s D.Min. program is designed to cultivate your personal relationship with Christ so you may flourish as an active spiritual leader in a variety of ministry settings. At Liberty, we are dedicated to helping you achieve success. Partner with us, and we’ll help you broaden the impact of your apologetics ministry. As you strengthen your understanding of the Christian faith through the study of systematic theology and philosophical apologetics, you will also increase your effectiveness as a leader in ministry.
What Will You Learn in Liberty’s D.Min. in Theology and Apologetics?
As a practice-focus online degree, you will be trained in analyzing and implementing the practical components of ministry. Your enhanced understanding of theology and apologetics is obtained through research, public relations, and practical application. Each of the D.Min. courses within this degree provide the ability to explore the true integration of theology and apologetics through a ministry-based worldview.
You can complete our Doctor of Ministry in Theology and Apologetics 100% online, which gives you the ability to continue investing in your job, family, church, and community while studying:
- Miracles, the resurrection, and Christian ministry
- Cultural apologetics
- Theology of the gospel
- Spiritual factors of growing churches
Optional intensives are available in our D.Min. program. This option gives you the opportunity to interact with an array of well-known church leaders as well as create professional contacts through peer interaction and relationships formed.
Potential Careers for Theology and Apologetics D.Min. Students
- Lead/associate pastor
- Pastoral counselor
- Preaching pastor
- Senior pastor
Highlights of Our Doctor of Ministry Program
As a leader in distance education since 1985, we understand what it takes to create a flexible and affordable education for busy people. Since we have been investing in distance and online learning for decades, our experience has taught us how to streamline our degree options so you can focus on what really matters to you. While many schools offer online degrees, we believe Liberty stands out.
Here’s what sets us apart:
- We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility. Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America. Earning your online Doctor of Ministry degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
- Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity has been accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your divinity degree has been approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
- To continue our mission of providing affordable education, electronic textbooks are included for all divinity courses* at no cost to you. As a full-time student, this could save you an estimated $800-2,000 per year on textbooks!
- Your ministry matters – so when you take 7-15 credit hours per semester in your divinity program, you’ll pay a discounted block rate of $2,750. It’s our way of supporting all you do to serve others.
- Tuition for all undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs has not increased in 9 years. While many other online colleges have raised tuition, Liberty has been able to keep costs low as a nonprofit university.
- You can complete our online Doctor of Ministry program in as little as 2 years.
Military Tuition Discount
Lead your field with the doctoral degree you want — at a price you’ve earned. As a thank-you for your military service, Liberty University offers current and former service members like you or your spouse multiple pathways to earn a doctoral degree for only $300/credit hour. Here’s how:
- If you’re earning or have earned a master’s degree through Liberty, you automatically qualify for the low price (when you begin within 2 years of your master’s completion).
- If you haven’t earned a graduate degree through Liberty, our Executive Certificate program allows you to pay only $300/credit hour for a postgraduate certificate that can stand alone or potentially count as the first 21 hours of a related doctoral degree. Then pay just $300/credit hour for your doctorate. Learn more!
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Credit Hours
Years (Avg.)
Transfer Credits
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Next Start Date
Jan 15, 2024
Accreditation
ATS Commission on Accrediting

“In the times in which we’re living today, Liberty University’s mission, the mission of training up a generation of
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE
Experience That Matters to You
As an accredited Christian college with a 7,000-acre campus in Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty University offers you an education that is both academically challenging and rooted in a biblical worldview.
At Liberty, you’ll benefit from 35+ years of learning, growing, adapting, and innovating for the distance learner — and more than a decade of researching the needs of the online student. You can be confident that we’ve taken the time to learn what’s important to you.
And what’s that?
- Affordability
- Accessibility
- Academic Quality
These important factors challenged us to find new financial solutions, get ahead of industry trends, and blaze trails into cutting-edge career fields — and it’s paid off. That’s the difference experience makes.
Ranked in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America and recognized by multiple institutions for academic quality, affordability, and accessibility.










Why Choose Liberty University?
Enjoy Flexible Courses
Choose from a wide variety of programs at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level, most of which are 100% online*. With an 8-week format and 8 start dates per year, it’s easy to fit your courses around your schedule!
* Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.
Maximize Your Time
Start and finish your degree faster! Liberty requires no standardized testing for admission, and you can transfer previous course credit — transfer in up to 75% of a bachelor’s degree and up to 50% of a master’s, postgraduate, or doctoral degree — or discover how your life, career, or military experience may count toward your college degree.
Grow in Your Faith
All of our courses are taught from a Christian perspective, and our faculty see themselves as mentors. Our mission is to Train Champions for Christ — we’re committed to championing you as you study to go further in your field, become a leader in your industry, or start a new career.
Access Academic Support
Throughout your educational journey, you will have access to academic resources that will aid in the completion of your degree. Services include our online library, writing center, tutoring, study aids, IT assistance, 30+ tutorial videos, live webinars, and personalized help from our academic advising team.
An Online Education with On-Campus Benefits
Cheer on 20 NCAA Division I
games that air nationwide
Graduate with your peers
Be inspired by world-renowned
speakers at Convocation
As a nonprofit (not-for-profit) university, Liberty is in the business of training skilled professionals to make a difference in the world – not gaining profit, revenue, or producing dividends for shareholders. In keeping with our commitment to your education, we invest our resources back into degree programs and into your student experience.
While many other online colleges have raised tuition, Liberty has been able to keep costs low as a nonprofit university and has not increased tuition for 9 straight years. Lower tuition means less student loan debt for students.
For Liberty University, nonprofit is more than a status; it is a valuable opportunity to invest in the lives of students who will go out and impact the world.
Financing Options
Financial Aid
Nearly 80% of all Liberty students in an online program are awarded financial aid. Virginia residents may qualify for additional aid — learn more!
Corporate Tuition Assistance
Deferred – If your company reimburses you for the cost of your education, you pay only a portion of your balance up front. You submit your grades to your employer who pays you, and then you pay the remaining balance for your classes.
Tuition Discounts
Qualified military service members, veterans, and their spouses can receive up to 55% off their tuition rate for eligible programs!
Contact one of our Admissions Counselors for more information by calling (800) 424-9595.