Planning On Earning a PhD?

[Martin]

Are you planning on earning a PhD? The article linked below contains some good advice for those who have a graduate degree from a "not so well known" school*. Even if you have a graduate degree from a "well known" school this article will probably be helpful with the application process. While I will probably not earn a PhD from a seminary I do plan on entering a PhD program (hopefully in ancient history) so this article is helpful to me as well. I think the principles in the article apply to any subject, not just seminary.

The article is from the Society of Biblical Literature's website. Please note that I do not endorse some of the writings on their website. I just thought this one article was helpful and someone here might also find it helpful. Therefore if you go to other places on SoBL's website and see something you don't agree with, don't blame me :tongue3: .

Applying for Doctoral Work When You're from a Small School


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* Not so well known does NOT mean non-accredited. If your graduate degree is from a nonaccredited school, mainly a distance learning nonaccredited school, you will have a very difficult (if not impossible) time gaining entrance into an accredited PhD program.

Folks, and this cannot be said too many times, you need to earn your degrees from accredited institutions. If you are not sure about the status of a schools accreditation, or if you suspect a school maybe misleading you with false accreditation, you should look at the following website(s). These websites are the "offical" lists of accrediting agencies recognized in the United States of America. If a school is claiming to be accredited by an agency that is not listed on one of these two sites...be aware and stay away from that school. You don't want to spend money and time working towards a degree that you cannot build upon.

\Regional Institutional Accrediting Agencies

National Institutional and Specialized Accrediting Bodies

 

[El_Guero]

Maybe.

Tho't about getting a PhD from a state school though.

 

[Martin]

Tho't about getting a PhD from a state school though.

Thats what I am planning to do when I finish my second Masters degree. I am currently looking for a PhD program in Ancient History or that allows for a concentration in Ancient History. I have several programs bookmarked and I have started looking over their admission requirements (etc). Some of them, like UNC, only admit 2 or 3 students a year ! Other programs admit more than that. I will probably be forced to apply to several programs.

 

[El_Guero]

If ya' think that is harsh - interview with Bart Ehrman . . .

 

[El_Guero]

Just remember that the GRE gets you through the flack. The grades keep you from crashing.

But, it is almost always people skills, pure and simple, that get you in and keep you in. Or, it is who you know. Since I don't want to know those types - I go with plan A.

 

[Rhetorician]

A Small Bit of Advice

To all who might want to do a PhD! Hearken!

It has come to my knowledge through first hand information via personal experience the following when in comes to doing PhD work. There are two major philosophies of getting in and staying in until finished.

In one program the entrance standards are set so high that if you get in they make a commitment to you to get you through. They will allow a bit of wiggle room for nominal poor performance.

In another program the standards are not necessarily high to get in and may even be nominal. But, you have to bust it all the way through the program; no "gimmes" and no "wiggle room" at all. You mess up you are out!!!

Take heed to what I say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I had had someone tell me this way back when it would really have helped and saved me a great deal of consternation and personal anguish!!!!

Forwhatitisworth!:thumbs:

sdg!

rd

 

[El_Guero]

Rhet

We want to heed of Forwhatitisworth, but which shool is which?

Take heed to what I say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I had had someone tell me this way back when it would really have helped and saved me a great deal of consternation and personal anguish!!!!

Forwhatitisworth!:thumbs:

 

[Rhetorician]

Response to EG

EG,

You cannot tell what program is which until you get in them. That is why one must do the best work possible on every single project, seminar, paper, presentation, GRE scores, interviews, grad school intro discipline paper,colloquy, et al.

Remember, in the secular world there may be as many as 10 wanting your place in the PhD program. In the "Bible" (read seminary or Bible college world) there may be 20 applications for each position.:tear:

sdg!

rd

 

[El_Guero]

mmm ... 20 candidates that want to church plant?

Maybe 15 candidates that want to stagnate over greek and hebrew and never witness, and 1 or 2 candidates that are entralled by chuch planting.

It pray that it might be in my favor in church planting.

 

[Rhetorician]

EG Response

EG,

I forgot your context. I was speaking of the one who wanted to earn the doctorate to teach in college, seminary, grad school, or university.

I apologize and did not intend to slight you on any level.

Please forgive.

It was FYI!

sdg!:smilewinkgrin:

rd

 

[El_Guero]

Rhet

You didn't slight me.

And if I may, I dare say, that your number of 20 for each open position might even be a little low . . . At least it is low on the bottom of the scale. There must be hundreds (thousands across the schools?) of MDiv students that want their PhD . . . "so that I can teach, because God called me to be a professor." There are not that many jobs. IMHO.

That crunch has to still be felt at your level. And, I just have to wonder what would happen if those thousands would go into church planting. The average church planter brings around a hundred to Christ in the first three years. That is about what a church of 1000 in attendance does . . .

Maybe we could slow the crunch by saying, if ya' want a PhD, ya' gotta go plant a church, or two, or four, or ten?

God bless ya'