Rationale

The Doctor of Theology degree is a three to four-year program of study designed to prepare the student for a teaching ministry on the highest level of theological education in Asia.  It includes one academic year of residence study, at least sixteen weeks of Supervised Teaching, ordinarily in a faculty position in a theological school or extension program, and a research dissertation.  This course of study is designed to develop the student’s knowledge of a major and a minor field of study, the Christian ministry in general, literary and survey research, and the practical skills of the teaching ministry.​

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have earned the B.A. degree or its equivalent in scope and a M.Div. degree or its equivalent in scope  and content.  Generally, they must have earned a minimum grade average of 3.5 (A-B) on a scale of 4.0 (or its equivalent) in their M.Div. studies.  Applicants must have engaged in vocational Christian service for at least two years (other than Seminary Field Education), preferably beyond M.Div. studies, and should intend to engage in a teaching ministry in some program of theological education after completing their graduate studies.  Applicants must pass the doctoral entrance examination in Theology.

Supervised Teaching

All students are required to participate in an intensive program of Supervised Teaching as a faculty member in a  theological education program in the country where they minister.  In cases where this is not possible, the Associate Dean, with the approval of the Dean, may make special alternate arrangements for the students to fulfill the Supervised Teaching requirements.  They must perform their teaching ministries under competent supervision. Students must hold at least eight, two-hour conferences with the Field Supervisors over at least sixteen weeks.  Field Supervisors seek to assist students with their professional, emotional, and spiritual development in the context of a teaching ministry.  The Associate Dean, in consultation with the student., will appoint a Field Supervisor.

Defense

After completing the required course work, the student will prepare and defend a prospectus that describes the proposed research topic.  This prospectus must be at least 20 pages in length (excluding bibliography).  The student, accompanied by his or her supervisor, will defend the prospectus before the faculty.  In the event that the supervisor cannot be present, the student may request a circulated prospectus defense.  In this case, the Associate Dean will request the faculty members to evaluate the prospectus privately.  If there are problems, the Associate Dean will meet with the faculty and supervisor to determine a course of action.  Upon approval of the prospectus by the faculty, Associate Dean, and the Dean, the student may proceed with research and writing for the dissertation.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Theology course work  includes the following basic requirements:
                                                                    Credits
Major Seminars                                           12
Minor Seminars                                           4
Colloquium in Christian Ministry             2
Research & Design Seminar                     4
Supervised Teaching                                  4
Dissertation                                                  14
Total                                                              40

The candidate will select a major and a minor field of study.  In Biblical Studies, the Area Learning Center decides requirements in Hebrew and Greek for entrance into the program.

Dissertation

The student will prepare four copies of a dissertation of between 150 and 250 pages (not including the bibliography and appendixes) on a topic related to his or her major field.  In addition to a thorough research of accessible literary sources, it should include a major survey research project conducted in the country where the student ministers.  This is not required in cases where adequate literary sources exist for contextualizing the dissertation content.  The prospectus of the dissertation is to be formulated in consultation with the student’s Supervisory Professor and submitted to the Area Learning Center one year prior to graduation, for approval by the ALC Faculty and the Associate Dean.  A copy of the prospectus abstract will be forwarded the Dean.  If the prospectus is written in a language other than English the Area Learning Center will forward an English synopsis to the Dean.  The dissertation must be submitted in final form to the Supervisory Professor at least 120 days before graduation.  It must be recommended for approval or rejection by the Supervisory Professor and Second Reader, and approved by the faculty and the Associate Dean.  A copy of the dissertation abstract should be submitted to the ABGTS Dean.  One copy of the approved thesis will be filed at the Administrative Office, one in the Area Learning Center Library, one in the student’s home seminary library, and one will be returned to the student.

The dissertation should be in standard dissertation form and of acceptable academic quality.  Turabian’s: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (latest edition) is our standard guide for English form and style.  Students are encouraged to publish their works with appropriate acknowledgement  given to ABGTS.