Our unique programs give students the opportunity for in-depth theological exploration of critical issues that we face as a church and society. Take a class with Project TURN, in which incarcerated men and women study alongside Duke Divinity students; examine connections between food, faith, and the environment with Professor Norman Wirzba; or explore connections between Christianity and medicine with faculty who are practicing physicians and theologians.
The Certificate in Anglican Studies can be earned within the M.Div., Th.M, and M.T.S. programs and is designed to serve the academic and formational requirements of students preparing for Anglican/Episcopal ministry, lay and especially ordained.
The Certificate in Baptist Studies is designed to serve the academic and formational requirements of M.Div. students, residential and hybrid, who are preparing for ministry—ordained and lay—in the Baptist tradition.
The Certificate in Black Church Studies can be earned within the M.Div., M.T.S., Th.M., and M.A. degrees and aims to help strengthen the body of Christ through critical reflection, dialogue, and practice at the intersection of race, faith, and Christian witness in the tradition of Black churches.
The Certificate in Catholic Studies, open to Residential M.Div. and M.T.S. students, engages students in the study of the global Catholic experience, practices, and teachings over the centuries and in the present.
The Certificate in Chaplaincy is available to students in the residential M.Div., Th.M., M.T.S. programs and is designed to prepare them for vocational chaplaincy in a variety of contexts, including health care, hospice, prison, higher education, military, and more.
The Certificate in Christian Education, available to M.A. in Christian Practice and M.Div. students, benefits persons seeking to practice as church educators, teachers, college chaplains, youth workers, community organizers, or health care workers.
The Certificate in Faith, Food, and Environmental Justice is for students in the residential M.Div. and M.T.S. degrees seeking training and preparation for engaging faithfully in environmental justice work, agricultural production, healthy food access and food systems, creation care ministries, land use issues, policy advocacy, and environmental management.
The Certificate in Faith-based Organizing, Advocacy, and Social Transformation is for students in the M.Div. (residential and hybrid), M.T.S., or M.A. programs seeking to engage in campaigning and advocacy work, community organizing, community development, and related forms of social, political, and economic witness from a Christian basis.
The Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, Theology, and Ministry can be earned alongside the M.Div. (residential and hybrid), M.T.S., Th.D., and M.A. and enables students to make the study of gender, sexuality, theology, and ministry a core component of their theological education. It fosters a collaborative environment for teaching, research, service learning, and dialogue.
The Certificate in Latinx Studies is available to students in the residential M.Div. and M.T.S. degrees and is designed to provide theological and ministerial formation to students preparing for ministry with Hispanic/Latinx churches and communities in the U.S.
The Certificate in Methodist/Wesleyan Studies is for pan-Methodist/Wesleyan students in the M.Div., M.T.S., and M.A. programs who wish to engage in robust and intentional training in Wesleyan theology and spiritual practice in preparation for leadership positions in Methodist and Wesleyan churches.
The Certificate in Missional Innovation can be earned within the M.Div. (hybrid and residential) and M.A. in Christian Practice degrees and is intended to provide training in contextual evangelism and church planting for students interested in innovative forms of ministry.
The Certificate in Preaching is available to M.Div. students and encourages deep engagement with both the theory and practice of preaching. The goal is to prepare students to be more faithful and effective preachers, as well as to equip students for ongoing critical reflection and growth in their preaching ministry.
The Certificate in Prison Studies is available in the residential M.Div., M.T.S, and Th.D programs and provides students with the opportunity to engage specifically with people in prison and the system that imprisons them in the context of theological education and formation for ministry.
The Certificate in Reflective and Faithful Teaching (CRAFT) fosters the ongoing development of Th.D. students as theological educators.
The Certificate in Theology and the Arts offers M.Div., M.T.S., Th.M., and M.A. students firm grounding in the key theological loci and practices relevant to a lifetime’s engagement with the arts in the church, the university, and beyond.
The Certificate in Theology, Medicine, and Culture combines scholarship and coursework with practical experience and community engagement to prepare students in the M.Div. , M.T.S., Th.M., and M.A. programs for robust theological and practical engagement with contemporary practices of medicine, community, and public health.
The Certificate in Worship prepares Duke Divinity students in the M.Div., M.T.S., and M.A. programs to engage in practical formation and theoretical reflection on the worship of God in Christian congregations.
Other Certificates
Duke University offers a number of graduate and continuing education certificates that can be earned as part of master’s and doctoral degrees.
This certificate, administered by Duke University Continuing Studies and available to students in the M.Div. (residential or hybrid), M.T.S., and M.A. in Christian Practice programs, supports students’ vocational formation and leadership development by emphasizing theologically-grounded, deployable skills and practices to lead faithfully and wisely in a variety of contexts.
Outside of the Divinity School, Duke University offers a number of graduate certificates that can be earned as part of master’s and doctoral degrees.
Standalone Certificates & Online Certificates
Unique Educational Programs
We also offer the standalone Certificate in Theology and Health Care — a one-year course of study designed to equip Christian health care practitioners with the training to engage their work with theological clarity and spiritual joy — and online certificates and certifications designed for Divinity alumni and other practitioners seeking to expand and refresh their knowledge and skills.