Doctor of Philosophy in Theology - New Testament and Early Christianity

The PhD in New Testament and Early Christianity is designed to be completed in five years of full-time study. Students must complete the required 33 hours of coursework during their first two years in the program. The third year is devoted to comprehensive exams—which are ordinarily taken during the fall semester—followed by the submission of a dissertation proposal. In years four and five students dedicate their time to writing the dissertation. In addition to developing research skills, classroom experience and preparation for teaching are key components of our program. During the first three funded years, students are expected to serve as teaching assistants andor research assistants for departmental faculty. In years four and five, students serve as instructor of record for undergraduate courses offered by the Theology Department while completing the dissertation.

Applicants to the Department of Theology\u2019s MA and PhD degree programs generally have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0.A completed application formOfficial transcripts of all undergraduate and any graduate workThree letters of recommendation regarding scholarly potentialA statement of purpose describing academic and research interests, as well as professional goals. Please indicate the departmental area of specialization to which you are applying on your statement of purpose. PhD applicants may choose among the following: Integrative Studies in Ethics and Theology (ISET) or New Testament and Early Christianity (NTEC). Applicants to ISET should designate their anticipated area of specialization\u2014Ethics or Theology. MA applicants may choose among the following: Biblical Studies; Biblical Languages and Literature; Christian Ethics; or Theological Studies.A writing sample Either a TOEFL or IELTS score report is required for international applicants whose native language is not English. For the TOEFL, a score of at least 250 on the computer-based test or 600 on the written test is required. The minimum score for the new TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test) is 100. For the IELTS, a minimum score of 7 is required.