Our Programs ~ Advanced Degrees ~ Doctor of Theology in Anglican Studies

Doctor of Theology in Anglican Studies

The degree of Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) is designed to prepare scholars for careers of leadership in theological teaching and research. Candidates for this degree may specialize in various aspects of Anglican history, theology, ethics, ascetical theology, liturgics, missiology and ecumenics.

The degree is appropriate for those who wish to teach in seminaries of the Episcopal Church, seminaries of other churches, or in college or university departments of religious studies. It is appropriate, as well, for persons from provinces of the Anglican Communion who wish to be prepared to teach in seminaries in their provinces. Finally, it is appropriate for persons in related churches, whether in North America or abroad, who, wishing to teach in their own contexts, desire exposure to the Anglican perspective and ethos in their fields.

A particular contribution of the Th.D. program at General Seminary is that it offers a classically rigorous doctoral preparation alongside a concern to form teachers who will be able to lead ministerial formation in the settings where they will teach. This occurs through the liturgical and communal life of the Seminary and through initiatives that the Advanced Degrees Committee undertakes in this area. In addition to their course work, Th.D. students are engaged in academic and pastoral relations with students in the other programs at General.

Major Fields

Anglican Theology:

Ascetical, Historical, Liturgical, Moral, or Systematic

Institutional and Intellectual History of Churches of the Anglican Communion
Anglican Liturgics
Anglican Ecumenics
Anglican Missiology

Minor Fields

any of the above Major Fields
Biblical Studies
Church Music
Homiletics

Prerequisites

Each applicant, unless exempted by the Advanced Degrees Committee (hereafter "the Committee", must:

complete and submit the application prior to Feb. 15 of the year of intended enrollment;
present transcripts of all academic work above the secondary school level;
submit letters from three former instructors supporting the applicant’s ability to undertake study on the doctoral level, and from the applicant’s bishop where appropriate;
submit evidence of ability in foreign language(s) relevant to the proposed field of study;
be interviewed by the Committee;
take the Graduate Record Examination; take the TOEFL if the applicant’s first language is not English.

Applications received after March 1 cannot be guaranteed consideration for financial aid.

Advanced Standing/Prior Credit

Students with twenty-four credits of graduate work toward the Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) at this Seminary, completed within the three years prior to admission as a doctoral student, may apply to the Committee for advanced standing.

Credit for graduate work done at other institutions within the three years prior to the candidate’s admission, for which no degree was awarded, may be granted upon recommendation of the Committee, provided that a majority of the courses credited towards the doctorate shall be undertaken during residence as a doctoral candidate in the General Seminary.

The Program

The Committee assigns a primary and a secondary supervisor who will assist in planning the candidate’s program and make an annual written report to the Faculty, through the Committee, regarding the candidate’s progress.

It is expected that under normal circumstances the degree will be completed within a period of five years. Extensions may be voted on annually by the Committee in consultation with the candidate’s supervisors. No extension will be granted beyond the seventh year. Seminary housing is not guaranteed beyond the fourth year. If housing is available starting the fifth year, rent will increase to an intermediate rate. If housing is available starting the sixth year, rent will be raised to the resident rate.

The Th.D. program is normally full-time. In exceptional circumstances well-qualified applicants may be considered by the Committee for part-time study.

Degree Requirements

I. Course Work

Full-time resident candidates must normally register for and complete the work of three doctoral courses each term until twelve courses have been completed. They may not engage in other full-time employment during this period. The twelve courses of doctoral study must be completed with a grade of B (not B-) or better in each course. The normal distribution of courses shall be: six in the candidate’s major field, two in the minor field, and four in the Anglican Studies Seminar.

a. A project of investigation in connection with either the work of a seminar or individually supervised work which requires intensive research relating to the candidate’s field of study may be undertaken as a doctoral reading course.
b. A student may, with the supervisor’s permission, take as many as five courses at institutions other than the General Seminary.
c. Courses whose primary aim is the acquisition of elementary language skills may not count as doctoral courses.

II. Program Proposal and Language

a.In the first term of residence the candidate must propose a program of study and secure its approval by the Committee.
b.By the beginning of the third term of residence the candidate must satisfy the Committee that he or she is competent in at least two languages (other than English) required for research in the proposed major field of study.

III. Comprehensive Examinations

The candidate must pass a set of comprehensive examinations.

a. There shall be four comprehensive examinations, one each in

i. Anglican Studies
ii. the candidate’s major field
iii. a specific topic within the major field
iv. a minor field (which may not be Anglican studies).

b. Bibliographies on which the examinations will be based must be submitted by the candidate no later than the beginning of the Michaelmas term following the completion of course work.

c. Comprehensive examinations will be taken no later than the beginning of the Easter term following the completion of course work.

d. Examinations in Anglican Studies and in the candidate’s major field will be followed shortly by a viva.

e. The examination in the minor field may be an extended paper or may be taken orally.

f. Each examination will be evaluated by at least two qualified persons, one of whom must be a member of the Faculty of this Seminary.

g.The examinations will be evaluated "pass/fail."

h.The subjects of the comprehensive examinations, and the dates on which they were passed, shall be entered on the candidate’s transcript.

IV. Doctoral Dissertation

The candidate must submit, and successfully defend, a dissertation in the major area of study that has been endorsed by the Committee and approved by the Faculty. The dissertation:

a. must be substantial in character and length (approximately 100,000 words), show scholarly knowledge of the literature of the subject, and demonstrate extensive research and originality of thought;
b.shall be prepared under the supervision of two members of the Faculty appointed by the Committee.

When the dissertation has been approved by the supervisors, it is to be submitted to the Committee not later than February l of the year in which the candidate expects to graduate.

The examination of the dissertation shall be conducted by a panel of five examiners including: two members of the Faculty, normally the dissertation supervisors; the Chair of the Committee on Advanced Degrees; and two external examiners appointed by the Dean of the Seminary upon recommendation of the supervisors and the Committee.

The examining panel shall report to the Faculty, through the Chair of the Committee, their judgment of the dissertation and of the candidate’s defense of it.

9/20/06