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 Expert Biblical Exegete, Innovator of Education, and Research Scholar.
3.1.2.1 Expert Biblical Exegete
This core competency will 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.
Students will be enabled 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.
Students will be equipped with the 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
Students will be equipped 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.
Students will gain 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
As a result of completing the PhD in Biblical Studies program, the student will gain the ability to think and execute skillfully as a research scholar and author. This core competency focuses on the development of research skills necessary for the completion of a research doctoral 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, which is often employed in the field of education. All students will take a Biblical Research and Writing Course at the beginning of the program. Students pursuing the biblical instruction dissertation option will also take Empirical Research & Statistics.
Biblical Research & Writing Course: This course is taken in the first semester to orient the student to the research and writing methods which will continue to be developed throughout the duration of the program. The principles established in this foundational course feed directly into the educational competency as they model the teaching methods from the pedagogical courses. Mentored Research: All students are assigned an advisor who will assist them in honing the skill of research during the dissertation writing process. Advisors 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: 1) Reading & Proposal, 2) Chapters 1-2, 3) Dissertation Completion, and 4) 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 the research approach, and writing the dissertation. This core competency 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.