3.1 Purpose and Core Competencies
3.1.1 Purpose
The purpose of the PhD in Biblical Studies is to further prepare and equip demonstrated ministry practitioners and educators who show exceptional academic promise in the areas of research, writing, and teaching.
3.1.2 Core Competencies
The PhD in Biblical Studies seeks to develop three core competencies in the student. These include:
3.1.2.1 Expert Biblical Exegete
This core competency of the PhD in Biblical Studies is designed to:
Deepen and sharpen the student’s ability to exegete Scripture through advanced training in the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The students explore the cognate languages and study textual criticism to expand their knowledge and understanding of the wider foundations of Scripture.
Enable the student to comprehend and analyze Scripture against the backdrop of the languages, civilizations, and literatures of the ancient world in which the revelation of God was first given to humanity.
Equip the student with exegetical skills needed to effectively discern the teaching of Scripture for the sake of communicating biblical truth to others.
3.1.2.2 Innovator of Education
This core competency of the PhD in Biblical Studies is designed to:
Equip students to think and execute skillfully as classroom and online teachers. Courses focus on the acquisition of the knowledge and skills necessary for comprehending human development processes, learning theory, and the teaching-learning process as they apply to both the classroom and online teaching contexts.
Equip students with an understanding of adult learning theory and its effective application to the teaching of adults in the changing higher education environment. Students learn how to engage adult learners in face-to-face, online, and blended teaching contexts. Students explore appropriate teaching models for adult learners in mediated learning environments. As students employ technological tools and blended learning techniques, they further hone the ability to train others to effectively use the same tools and techniques.
3.1.2.3 Research Scholar
This core competency of the PhD in Biblical Studies is designed to:
Enable the student to think and execute skillfully as a researcher-scholar and author using computer technology. This core competency focuses on the development of research skills necessary in the completion of a doctoral research degree. This is accomplished through three primary means: the foundational research course, mentored research, and the dissertation sequence.
Students may elect one of two approaches to research – the humanities approach most commonly employed in biblical scholarship or an empirical approach often employed in the field of education. Students will take a Biblical Research and Writing Course which includes an introduction to empirical research methods at the beginning of the program.
- Mentored Research: All students are assigned a scholar-mentor who will assist them in honing the skill of research. Mentors supervise the student’s research and serve as the chair of the student’s Dissertation Committee.
- Biblical Research Dissertation Sequence: The dissertation sequence consists of four stages: Reading & Prospectus, Chapters 1-2, Dissertation Completion, and Dissertation Defense. Building on the foundation laid in the Biblical Research & Writing Course, this core competency furthers the development of the essential knowledge and thinking skills needed to carry out the entire research process, including identification of the research problem, conducting a literature review, designing of research approach, and writing of the dissertation. It also develops the analytical and critical thinking skills needed to evaluate and interpret research findings. This competency culminates with the writing and defense of a research dissertation.
- Biblical Instruction Dissertation Option: Using an empirical approach to research design, students may elect to study aspects of biblical instruction in the mediated learning environment. Each candidate for the PhD in Biblical Studies Instruction Option must complete a dissertation based on the candidate’s own systematic inquiry into an area of advanced research in academic instruction. The dissertation is intended to demonstrate competency in research design, methodology, and the ability think critically and make a contribution to the literature in the field of study. Special permission is required from the Program Director to pursue this dissertation approach.