Jan 15, 2025  
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Pastoral Music, D.P.M.


The Doctor of Pastoral Music (D.P.M.) degree is intended to provide an environment for the vocational renew of practicing and experienced church musicians, and equip them for changes in the profession of church music in the areas of liturgy, cultural diversity, theological perspectives, congregational song, contextual musical analysis, and additional skills related to the performance of music in worship.

To fulfill this purpose, the D.P.M. degree has the following objectives:

  1. Students will be able to identify critical issues in pastoral ministry related to worship and church music and implement holistic strategies for improvement in relationships and performance.
  2. Students will be able to evaluate research that integrates various musical traditions with recent developments in liturgy, culture and worship, ritual studies, and hymnody.
  3. Students will be able to demonstrate refined skills in an applied area including, but not limited to, organ service playing, keyboards in worship, congregational song, choral conducting, guitar, and percussion, in conjunction with their primary focus.
  4. Students will be able to apply these methodologies and performance skills in the context of their social location, including their congregation and community. Church musicians serve congregations faithfully throughout the United States and beyond. While continuing education events are numerous, few programs exist for the church musicians that allow them to retune their vocation in the context of the changing demands of the music ministry. The Doctor of Pastoral Music is designed for experienced church musicians who have achieved a Master of Sacred Music degree or its equivalent and who are devoted to increasing their effectiveness in and broadening their vision of the pastoral dimensions of music ministry. Classes are held in concentrated formats that allow students to maintain their positions in congregations or other church-related institutions. The Doctor of Pastoral Music program offers:
    • An experienced and diverse faculty from Perkins School of Theology and Meadows School of the Arts
    • An ecumenical program that allows both pastors and musicians to interact and learn from each other
    • Advanced study in liturgy, congregational song, worship leadership, performance skills, deeper theological understanding of church music, vocational renewal, incorporation of worship arts, current church music trends, music in the community and a variety of cultural contexts, and peer feedback on the practice of music ministry
    • Thesis and supervised practicum experiences that enhance the effectiveness of students in their current position
    • 39 credit hours graduation requirement

Admissions Requirements

  1. An accredited (NASM/ATS) MM, MSM, MCM degree (48 credit hrs.) or equivalent with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (B=80) in addition to graduate courses in music theory, musicology, applied music study, and a minimum of five courses in Bible (6 credit hrs.), theology (3 credit hrs.), liturgy (3 credit hrs.), and hymnology (3 credit hrs.).
  2. At least five years of full‐time music ministry experience post‐master’s degree.

Required Courses


Summer Term


  • CM 9370 - The Person and Role of the Minister
  • CM 9380 - Seminar in Practical Theology

Total: 6 Credit Hours


Seminars


Taken in sequence

  • CM 9392 - Professional Project I
  • CM 9394 - Professional Project II

Total: 6 Credit Hours


Concentration Courses*


  • CM 9323 - Applied Studies in Church Music (conducted in student’s parish)
  • CM 9373 - Issues in Liturgical Theology and Practice
  • CM 9324 - Issues in Pastoral Music
  • CM 9344 - Music in Worship and Renewal

Total: 12 Credit Hours


Electives


Choose from the following suggested courses:

  • CM 9325 - Seminar in Worship Arts
  • CM 9321 - Cross-Cultural Immersion in Music and Worship
  • CM 9307 - Conflict Transformation in Congregational Life
  • CM 9308 - Making Sense of the American Spiritual Landscape
  • CM 9359 - Understanding Congregations: An Introduction to Congregational Studies
  • CM 9369 - Leadership in Church and Community
  • CM 9390 - Directed Studies in Pastoral Music

Total: 6 Credit Hours


Practicum/Thesis


  • CM 9696 - Pastoral Music Practicum
  • CM 9398 - Doctor of Pastoral Music Thesis

Total: 9 Credit Hours


Total: 39 Credit Hours


* Only course grades of 80 or higher will qualify toward meeting the requirements for graduation.

The Doctor of Pastoral Music Committee


During the first year of study, the student will invite, in consultation with the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program, three people to serve on a committee to supervise the approved project practicum and the written project thesis. The committee will consist of an adviser, a reader and a field supervisor. Either the adviser or the reader must be a member of the Perkins regular faculty, with the other committee member selected from the regular or adjunct faculty. It is recommended that a Perkins regular faculty member serve as adviser. The field supervisor should be recognized as having gifts and experience in ministry that are applicable to the practicum and be available to consult with the student during the practicum as well as to evaluate the student’s practicum. The entire committee will guide, read and evaluate the student’s professional practicum and project thesis.

When the professional project is completed satisfactorily as determined by the committee in consultation with the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program, the student will participate in an oral evaluation on the school campus by the committee on the professional project thesis. At a minimum, both the student and adviser must be physically present for the oral evaluation. It is recommended that all committee members be physically present with the student for the evaluation. All committee members must be present for the evaluation, either in person or by electronic means.

Project Practicum and Thesis


The professional project practicum and thesis combine research, a designed ministerial field experience and a written doctoral-level project that addresses both the nature and the practice of ministry and has the potential for application in other ministry contexts.

  1. The professional project is an approved practicum experience and written thesis that articulates the theological and theoretical rationale for the practicum with theological reflection on the experience.
  2. The professional project in both its parts (practicum and written thesis) should demonstrate the student’s ability to identify a specific theological topic in ministry, organize an effective research model, use appropriate resources, evaluate the results and reflect the student’s depth of theological insight in relation to ministry.
  3. The written project thesis must be submitted in an approved style and format.
  4. Upon completion of the professional project and with the student’s Doctor of Pastoral Music committee’s permission, the student will sit for an oral examination administered by the project committee and open to the public covering the project and the student’s integration of her or his theology and practice of ministry. This examination will take place on campus, with at a minimum the student and adviser present. Other committee members may participate via electronic means if necessary.

At completion of the D.P.M. thesis and successful oral evaluation, the completed written project thesis will be accessioned in Bridwell Library. A summary of the thesis proposal and its results will be posted on the D.P.M. website.

The D.P.M. degree requires 39 credit hours total for graduation. All degree requirements must be completed within seven years from the time when coursework began. Under special circumstances, the director of the D.P.M. program may be petitioned in writing for an extension. People who do not complete the degree within eight years of initial matriculation will be required to repeat all coursework. All financial obligations must be met before graduation.