Applying for a Doctoral Program? 7 Essential Tips

If you have a deep love for theological learning, as well as a vocational calling to serve God’s people through teaching, you’ve likely wondered whether pursuing a doctorate is the right path. But the application process is complex, and even starting can feel daunting.

In what follows, I offer some wisdom and advice I’ve given students over the years.

Table of contents

1. Count the cost
2. Investigate the faculty
3. Evaluate the school
4. Understand funding & requirements
5. Prepare for application in advance
6. Get advice from current students
7. Don’t be anxious!
Conclusion

1. Count the cost

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

When I talk to students considering doctoral programs, I typically begin with warnings. A doctorate requires significant time. It can be taxing on a family. Writing and research, though rewarding, can be extremely difficult. Your grades, entrance exams, letters of recommendation, and statement of purpose must all be excellent. Theological education is fulfilling but not lucrative, and securing a job in higher education is often challenging.

Even so, if you truly love your field of study, have received encouragement from respected professors and friends, and feel a deep vocational calling, these years of focused research can be transformative.

Graduate programs are demanding and will present challenges, so you’ll need strong support from friends and family, along with confidence that your work serves something beyond personal interest alone.

2. Investigate the faculty

Your doctoral experience will be largely dictated by the quality of the faculty and whether they fit your research interests. Ask yourself, What kind of scholar, teacher, pastor, or educator do I aspire to be? Look for faculty who reflect those traits.

When I applied for doctoral programs, I sought faculty who had written books and articles that excited me. When I read something I found particularly valuable, I would often research the author’s university to see if they accepted doctoral students.

Your doctoral experience will be largely dictated by the quality of the faculty and whether they fit your research interests.

I also wanted to be stretched by working with scholars whose ideas and denominational affiliations differed from my own. Some of my students have a high regard for branching outside of their comfort zones by working in religious studies programs, while others have discerned that the best place for their graduate work would be with faculty closely aligned with their theological and confessional commitments.

3. Evaluate the school

Doctoral programs vary in type, institutional setting, and requirements.

Do you want to pursue a doctorate in an explicitly theological context friendly to faith commitments? Then you may want to consider seminaries with confessional commitments such as Wheaton or Asbury.

But there are also excellent scholars who work within religious studies departments at universities like Chicago, Emory, and Duke. This is not to say that a faculty in religious studies departments won’t have confessional commitments, but there won’t be the same expectation that one’s research is to align with specific theological values and beliefs.

Let me use my own discipline of New Testament studies to illustrate. Say you want to research how the book of Hebrews contributes to the Christian doctrine of divine immutability. A more explicitly confessional faculty may provide the environment and resources for you to work with scholars with expertise in both New Testament and systematic theology and who value theological integration. Alternatively, perhaps you want to research the influence of Stoic philosophy on Paul’s Church of Corinth. But if you want to research the influence of Stoic philosophy in the early church, a confessional school probably isn’t necessary. You may, in fact, want to explore a larger university which offers courses in ancient philosophy.

The boundaries between divinity schools and religious studies programs aren’t strict, but you will want to make sure that your school has appropriate faculty to supervise your research interests.

4. Understand funding & requirements

Since each school has the ability to set its own doctoral requirements, I can’t be comprehensive here. But you should at least consider the following.

Do you want to spend two years on coursework before writing a dissertation? This typically means the program will last five years or more. This is characteristic of most North American PhD programs. The benefits are that you will likely develop much more broadly as a scholar and may even produce some papers that can be turned into published articles or chapters of your dissertation. Alternatively, UK programs typically offer a focused three-year structure where you research and write your dissertation, allowing for significant depth of knowledge in one area.

Some programs provide full tuition reimbursement and even a generous stipend to fund you for full-time study. You’ll likely be expected to work as a graduate assistant and teach introductory classes as a student employee of the university. Other schools offer other scholarship opportunities, albeit less generous than full-time tuition waivers. Typically, the more generous the funding that’s available, the more competitive the program’s acceptance rate will be. But since jobs in theological education are neither abundant nor lucrative, it’s wise to plan carefully how you will fund your education apart from taking on loans.

5. Prepare for application in advance

A strong doctoral application has several important components, all requiring serious planning and preparation well before you apply. Here are what I consider the five most important aspects (in no particular order).

i. Letters of recommendation

You’ll likely need three letters from faculty (and sometimes one from a pastor/minister for divinity schools). If you’re applying for a degree in systematic theology, for example, at least two of them should come from theologians—and likewise for other disciplines.

Begin making connections with specific faculty early. This allows them to provide wise counsel and to observe your work closely, assessing its suitability for graduate study.

ii. Grades

Most doctoral programs have minimum GPA requirements for admission. But you don’t want merely to meet the minimum. While a few Bs won’t sabotage your application, graduate schools want to see aptitude and passion for intensive, focused work. A strong GPA demonstrates this.

iii. Writing sample

Nearly all doctoral programs will expect you to provide them with an example of your best written work, giving them opportunity to observe your quality of research, argumentation, and clarity of writing.

I encourage my students to identify a professor and class where they can work closely together, where the professor can provide specific feedback and editing to help them prepare the strongest writing sample possible.

iv. Statement of purpose

You’ll need a one-to-two-page document providing an academic autobiography that articulates who you are, how you’ve prepared for rigorous academic work, and your research and vocational goals.

This is your opportunity to humbly but boldly share who you are, how hard you’ve worked to prepare yourself, and why you’re a good fit for their program.

In my experience reviewing doctoral applications, I’ve found this portion of the application often receives too little attention. This is your opportunity to humbly but boldly share who you are, how hard you’ve worked to prepare yourself, and why you’re a good fit for their program.

v. Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)

While some schools no longer require this standardized test, many still expect you to take this exam. It tests verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytic writing. Requirements vary, so explore which schools require it and how much weight they give it.

You may find you need to brush up on high school math, as well as memorize some obscure vocabulary. The upside? You can improve your crossword skills and impress your family by saying: “That movie was so maudlin that I was overcome by lachrymose feelings which then gave rise to pugilistic tendencies.”

6. Get advice from current students

Current doctoral students can give you accurate and up-to-date insights into interests and proclivities of faculty, program requirements, and application tips. They offer a unique source of encouragement, support, and even friendship.

7. Don’t be anxious!

Experiencing anxiety is virtually inevitable—I certainly did! But if you believe in divine providence, you can trust that God is good and will guide you to use your passions and gifts.

Upon submitting your application, you may receive an invitation for a campus interview. This can be intimidating! But know that the faculty invited you because they see something promising in your application. Faculty are certainly smart and accomplished, but they’re also real people. Ask them about the program and their research, as well as their families, hobbies, and so forth.

Also, treat fellow interviewees with kindness and encouragement rather than viewing them as competition. Pursuing excellence is great. Viewing others as competitors or threats is not.

Conclusion

The love of learning and the desire to use your knowledge for the good of others is noble. May God equip you for every good work as you move forward in your calling!

Resources for those pursuing doctoral work

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