Master of Divinity
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Master of Divinity is the first professional degree in ministry and is a common academic degree among theological seminaries. It is considered by many denominations as the minimum academic requirement for ordination. It usually contains studies in biblical Greek, theology, philosophy, church history, pastoral theology, and Old and New Testament studies. Many courses also contain specializations such as church growth, ecclesiology, evangelism, systematic theology, Christian education, liturgical studies, canon law, and the like.
The Master of Divinity has replaced the Bachelor of Divinity in most seminaries as the first professional degree since the latter title implies in the American academic system that it is on a par level with a Bachelor of Arts or other basic undergraduate education, which is the same reason for the replacement of the LLB with the JD. The M.Div. is significantly larger than graduate master's degrees as it consists of 90 or more semester hours.