How do I get into a Ph.D. program?
QUESTION:
I would like to someday
teach ministry at a college. I am right now working on a Masters, and
wanted your advice on how to get into a doctoral program.
THE LETTER:
Good for you. We need more people who are passionate about ministry to
pursue further studies and shape the next generation of leaders. College teaching is
of course the most obvious and direct way to
engage in this legacy-building activity.
The first thing to do is obviously
continue your Master's studies as this will be the ground for further work. But more importantly you
need to start asking yourself some questions. Why do I want to do this?
What is my life-long ministry goal? Are there other ways to reach this goal than
college teaching? What areas of study do I have a passion about? What
books do I enjoy reading for hours at a time? What kinds of writing would I
like to engage in? There are many other questions, but these can get you started. Find
a close mentor who can coach you through these kinds of questions. Set up a coffee or lunch with that person, bringing
5 to 10 questions of your own and request him or her to ask probing questions
too.
This self-exploration is the most important task for you
right now. But for future reference, I can mention a few descriptive details about
doctoral studies and higher ed teaching. First
of all, there are a lot of doctoral programs across the nation, some which are barely worth the paper your transcript is
written. In the particular area of youth
ministry, there are a quite a few programs at more recently developed
evangelical seminaries and colleges. These programs are often easier to
get into, more progressive in their pedagogical technique, and more open to
distance learning. Unfortunately, these
programs are also usually quite expensive, and have not had the time to achieve the clout that helps you get a job
down the road. A couple more
established institutions have Ph.D. programs in youth ministry (
Secondly, teaching jobs are few and far between, so although you do not want to
lose focus on teaching while studying, the fact of the matter is you may never get a teaching job even if you
do get a doctorate. So you have to do the degree out of a love for learning and not merely as a
union card to teach.
Finally, I feel obliged just mention some obstacles that everyone faces in
applying for Ph.D. programs. Most programs require GRE test scores
(which is an advanced SAT-type test). Most like to see a strong
undergraduate and master's GPA. Most will require few modern languages as
part of the process, although they like to
see applicants who have already begun working on these. They want a few
recommendations from academically qualified people who know you. They will
require a writing sample that exhibits your ability to think,
research and write. In other words, there is a lot of crap you have to do to
apply. You are likely capable of preparing all these things, but they require
a lot of time and energy. And that’s just
to apply. Then you still might not get
in b/c acceptances are a crap-shoot based on political jockeying between
faculty and not exclusively on the merit of the applicant. So contacting professors that you want
to work with is also a wise move. But
despite the complexities, it is not out of reach.
Of course, many people who wish to pursue further studies avoid all this go for
a D.Min. instead of the Ph.D. This is a great
practical learning degree, but I will warn you that it is not taken as seriously
by potential hiring institutions. It helps if you want to study and teach
youth ministry, which is an area where D.Min.s can
slide through. But be warned that a D.Min. will only help you get a job if you have a lot of experience
backing you up -- which you surely will some day. So consider this
option, but be sure once again to do it
out of a love for learning rather than a guarantee to get a teaching job.
As you may have guessed, my dad has written a Two-Part Tuesday Column on this
very topic. Here is the link for Part-One:
http://www.drurywriting.com
At the bottom of the page is a link to Part Two.
Keep pursuing these thoughts and shut out those voices of discouragement that
make you afraid to ask genuine questions about your gifts and goals. You
may discover that this is not in your future, but that needs to be a legitimate
decision and not a discouraging dismissal. I believe that if God is
leading you in this direction, he will equip you for it.
Peace,
John
2005