DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Admission Requirements

Applicants must (1) hold a minimum of a Master of Theology (MTh) degree from an accredited program (ATA or similar), (2) have an academic record that demonstrates superior ability (B+ [87% or 3.5 GPA] average for their MTh degree) with a completed Master’s Thesis; (3) satisfactorily pass a written examination in the field of their intended major and an oral examination of their Christian experience, scholarship, theology, achievement, and purpose; and (4) show evidence that they:

• have saving faith in Christ
• are of proven Christian character
• are endowed with appropriate spiritual gifts
• adhere to the following doctrines: the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Christ, the spiritual lostness of the human race, the substitutionary atonement and bodily resurrection of Christ, salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, and the physical return of Christ

Applications for the doctoral program must be received by the Admissions office by December 31st for admission for the following academic year. Supporting materials (e.g., references, transcripts, doctrinal statements, etc.) must be received by January 15th.

The completed applications are then considered for preliminary acceptance by the faculty of the appropriate academic department and by the Ph.D. Studies Committee, after which the candidates will be invited for a written and oral comprehensive exam. The written exam will test general biblical and theological knowledge, department specific exams (test of Greek language for the NT and area of doctrine or related theological issue for TS), English proficiency exam (composition, listening, etc.), test on reading ability (applicants will be asked to read a scholarly article and answer questions based on the reading).

Upon successful completion of the admission process, the admission committee will meet to finalize the list of candidates for admission. Once this process is completed, an official letter will be sent to communicate the status of application. Successful candidates will then arrive at the ETS campus at least a week prior to the starting of the summer semester.

Prerequisites for Admission into the NT Program

Applicants who are seeking admission into the New Testament doctoral program should fulfill the following prerequisites:

• Applicants should have a substantial and fairly detailed knowledge of the content of each book in the New Testament and the introductory matters pertaining to each book (its authorship, date of composition, provenance, occasion, structure, etc.)
• Applicants should be conversant in the main contours of New Testament theology.
• Applicants should have proficiency in New Testament Greek.
• Applicants should know New Testament Greek vocabulary words which occur 50 times or more in the Greek New Testament.
• Applicants should be familiar with the basics of New Testament Greek syntax.
• Applicants should be able to sight read easy to moderately difficult passages of the Greek New Testament with the help of a standard lexicon.
• Applicants should be familiar with the principles and procedures of New Testament textual criticism.
• Applicants should be acquainted with the general stages and developments in the history of New Testament interpretation.
• Applicants should have a basic understanding of the different methods and procedures used in New Testament interpretation (form criticism, source criticism, redaction criticism, literary criticism, rhetorical criticism, etc.)
• Applicants should have a foundational knowledge of Second Temple Jewish history and literature.
• Applicants should have a foundational knowledge of the history and development of early Christianity from the birth of Jesus to the early second century A.D.
• Applicants should have a basic familiarity with major issues and topics in New Testament studies like the “synoptic problem,” the “Q source,” the “quest for the historical Jesus,” the “new perspective on Paul,” etc.

Prerequisites for Admission into the TS Program

Applicants who are seeking admission into the Theological Studies doctoral program should fulfill the following prerequisites:

• Applicants should be proficient in master’s level theological materials and be able to articulate theological concepts in depth beyond surface-level definitions.
• Applicants should have a foundational knowledge of the history of biblical interpretation.
• Applicants should have a basic understanding of important people in the history of the church, their major works, and their theological positions.
• Applications should be familiar with the development of doctrines and the role of regula fidei, creeds, and traditions in shaping doctrines.
• Applicants should be acquainted with various methods of biblical criticism such as form criticism, redaction criticism, rhetorical criticism, source criticism, etc.
• Applicants should be able to articulate the intersection between the natural sciences and theology.
• Applicants should be familiar with the hermeneutics of various theological systems.
• Applicants should be conversant in the various philosophical hermeneutics that affect theological thinking and shape theological works.
• Applicants should be able to deal with theological issues/concepts by interacting with differing positions or systems of theological thought.
• Applicants should be able to defend evangelical doctrines on biblical, logical, historical, and theological grounds.