The Nicholas School of the Environment and Duke Divinity School are joining forces for the first time to offer two new concurrent degree programs: The Master of Theological Studies or Master of Divinity and Master of Environmental Management or Master of Forestry. The programs were announced in February.

The pairing may seem unexpected, but students have already been combining the programs for years. Lori Bennear, Stanback dean of the Nicholas School, explained that formalizing concurrent degrees would make pursuing both disciplines easier for interested students. 

“[Students previously] had to work really hard to make this happen,” she explained. Because the courses in each degree were already offered, “it’s not really a net cost to either institution.” 

Now, the joint programs will save students a year of study compared to completing the degrees separately and aim to “build on Duke University’s interdisciplinary connections to offer specialized opportunities for students to prepare for leadership, service and advocacy within ministerial, nonprofit, government and private sectors.” 

The programs mark the Nicholas School’s eighth dual master’s degree and the Divinity School’s sixth — but the first the two schools have offered together. Faculty from the Divinity and Nicholas schools do, however, host an annual joint workshop at the Duke Marine Lab on connecting pastoral care with climate change. The interdisciplinary nature of the new programs combines studies in theology, policy, ecology and more. 

Formal discussions began in January 2024 and were finalized in recent months, requiring sign-off from the deans of both schools and Provost Alec Gallimore.

Compared to the Master of Environmental Management/Master of Business Administration, the most popular dual degree in the Nicholas School, a “relatively small” number of students are interested in the new program. But the demand is genuine, Bennear said.

Although theology and environmental studies may not be obviously connected, communities of faith can provide critical leadership for environmental engagement. In times of environmental hardship, religious institutions often serve as outlets for dialogue, support and collective advocacy. 

People often “[turn] to their faith communities for support and understanding of what the problems are” during environmental hardships such as hurricanes and other climate-change related events, Bennear said.

Daniel Castelo, associate dean for academic formation of the Divinity School, highlighted care for creation as a bridging point between faith and environmentalism.

“Our fundamental existence as humans is tied up with our connections to the environment — we come from the Earth, we rely on it, we live in it and we return to it,” Castelo wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “Therefore, this kind of work is very much in keeping with who we imagine ourselves to be as humans and what we are called to do.” 

Faith-driven activism is strongly rooted in North Carolina history, too. The national environmental justice movement was born during the 1982 Warren County protests. Reverend Benjamin Chavis, Divinity School ‘80, coined the term “environmental justice” and helped lead a resistance against the creation of a toxic landfill in Afton, a predominantly Black rural community. This event catalyzed a national movement.

Duke Divinity currently awards institutional scholarships and grant support to 99% of their students, but according to Castelo, they are “actively seeking ways to raise more money for scholarships and student support, including a professional school that largely trains people to enter the non-profit sector.” 

The move comes as Duke has pushed to expand its graduate interdisciplinary offerings in recent years. These include the new Master in Business, Climate and Sustainability between the Nicholas School and Fuqua School of Business, and last year’s funding of new Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Collaboratives.