School of Leadership and Church Ministry

1. Application Protocols

Application for admission to the Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership (PhD), and the Cohort Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership (CPhD) programs in the LEAD School should begin with as much lead-time as possible, as some application requirements involve time delays.

The LEAD School faculty only review fully completed files because a partially completed application does not always give an accurate picture of the ability to do doctoral work. Thus, applicants with borderline cumulative or area grade point averages but with significant successful ministry experience can be evaluated on the basis of both achievements, not just the GPA. Some applicants mistakenly assume a short-coming in one admission criteria automatically disqualifies them from admission. In reality, significant achievements in other admission criteria may accommodate a short-coming in another area.

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2. Prerequisites to Program Application

2.1 Ministry Experience

Resident Program: Prior to enrollment in the resident PhD program, applicants must have completed successfully the equivalent of one year of full-time salaried and titled professional employment in a leadership position in a vocational ministry context. Applicable ministry experience includes local church, denominational, Christian school, or higher education leadership with evidence of relevant gifts and abilities in leadership.

Cohort Programs: Ideal participants in the EdD and CPhD programs will be those persons currently engaged in a teaching or ministry position that does not allow relocation to the Louisville area, but that does allow them to take all courses on Southern Seminary’s campus.  Preference will be given to the applicant who has successfully completed three years of full-time salaried and titled professional employment in a leadership position. Ministry experience is a significant factor in admission decisions. 

2.2 Master of Arts Degree

EdD Program: The prerequisite degree for admission to the Doctor of Education program is the Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACE) from an accredited seminary or its equivalent. Examples of equivalent degrees include, but are not limited to, a Master of Divinity with emphasis in Christian Education (MDiv/CE) or a Master of Religious Education (MRE) degree.

Applicants who do not have a Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACE) will need to demonstrate equivalency through transcripted academic training.  Equivalency is measured against the academic criteria of a minimum of 60 semester hours of study which includes the following:

·        21 hours in theological studies (Old Testament, New Testament and Theology)

·        21 hours in Christian education and leadership studies (broadly defined).

PhD Programs:  Applicants to either the PhD or the CPhD must hold an earned and accredited master's degree from a seminary or Christian graduate school in a ministry related field.                 

Applicants who do not have a Master of Arts degree in a ministry related field will need to demonstrate equivalency through transcripted academic training.  Equivalency is measured against the academic criteria of a minimum of 60 semester hours of study which includes the following:

·        21 hours in theological studies (Old Testament, New Testament and Theology)

·        21 hours in ministry studies (broadly defined)

Degree Leveling: Students who are deficient in meeting the above requirements must take additional course work to attain equivalency.  This process is called “leveling.”  Several options for leveling academic deficiencies are available to students. You should discuss deficiencies with the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies. Equivalency options through the completion of additional approved academic courses include: campus-based courses; web-based courses; taking courses at a Southern Seminary extension site; completing academic courses at another accredited institution; etc. Documentation of experiential learning is not an option for the demonstration of equivalency.

NOTE: Completion of equivalency course work does not guarantee admission to the targeted doctoral program.

All deficiencies identified in the application process must be satisfied prior to the first term of enrollment. Please notify the LEAD School office of work completed to satisfy deficiencies by submitted official transcripts to be retained in your application file. 

2.3 Grade Point Averages

The minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) for admission to a research doctoral program is equivalent to the letter grade “B” (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). In addition, the minimum GPA for area studies in Christian education, leadership, and ministry studies must also be 3.2 or higher.

Cumulative GPAs below a “B” automatically disqualify an applicant for admission to research doctoral studies at Southern Seminary. 

2.4 Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

Applicants must take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and submit their score as per the Seminary application process. 

2.5 English Language Abilities

Applicants whose first language is not English must hold a minimum test score of 575 on the paper-based TOEFL General Test or 233 on the computer-based TOEFL General Test. 

2.6 Research Statistics Course and No Foreign Language Requirement

Foreign language is not required in this program. Students are required to have taken a master’s level course in research statistics.  Students who have not taken a statistics course before entering the program can do so through the Seminary during the June or January term before entrance into the program.        

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3. Application Process

Application for admission to a doctoral program involves the completion of a series of essential tasks. While the application process must begin with Task 1, applicants do not need to complete the remaining tasks in sequential order. In fact, waiting for one task to be completed in full before starting another will only delay the review of application materials.

In order to complete an application to the cohort residency Ph.D. in Leadership program, the applicant will need to complete the following tasks.

Task 1: Request and complete a Seminary Application
Task 2: Complete Standardized Testing

Task 3: EdD and CPhD: Complete the Employer Approval Form and Library Availability Form
Task 4: Create a Personal Vitae
Task 5: Interview, Research Sample and Field Essay

Task 6: CPhD Only: Faculty Sponsorship
 

Task 1: Request and Complete a Seminary Application

Please contact the Southern Seminary Admissions Office by phone at 1-800-626-5525 or at via email at admissions@sbts.edu to request an application for admission to the Seminary.  You can also get more admissions information at http://www.sbts.edu/admissions.  When you contact the Seminary, be sure to inform them that you are applying to the EdD, Ph.D. in Leadership, Cohort PhD in Leadership in the School of Leadership and Church Ministry.

You will be asked to submit the following items.  It is very important that you complete the application in full, as the Doctoral Studies Committee will not review an incomplete admissions file.
 

A completed application form includes:

• the application form

• three letters of recommendation

• church endorsement

• autobiographical statement describing your conversion and call to ministry

• official transcripts from every institution in which you did any undergraduate (bachelor's) and/or graduate (master's or doctoral) work--if you are a graduate of Southern Seminary, you only need to request official transcripts for course work completed after you graduated.

All items requested on the Southern Seminary application form should be sent to:

Admissions Office

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

2825 Lexington Road

Louisville KY 40280

Task 2: Complete Standardized Testing
Please submit to the Southern Seminary Admissions Office official test scores for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).  Applicants whose first language is not English must also submit scores for the Test of English As a Foreign Language exam (TOEFL). A minimum test score of 575 on the paper-based TOEFL General Test or 233 on the computer-based TOEFL General Test is required. 

Task 3: Complete the Employer Approval Form and the Library Availability Form

Those students entering either the Cohort PhD (CPhD) or the EDD programs: Please submit to the Southern Seminary Admissions Office both the Employer Approval Form and the Library Availability Form.  These forms are available by right clicking the links below and selecting "Save Target As" option on your web browser.  You should complete the forms and mail them to the Southern Seminary Admissions Office.

EDD Employer Approval Form and Library Availability Statement

CPhD Employer Approval Form and Library Availability Statement

Task 4: Create a Personal Vitae
Please submit to Southern Seminary Admissions Office a personal vitae for the Doctoral Studies Committee (this is not your résumé) separate from the written autobiography required by the Admissions Office. This vitae should include in the following order:

• a brief description of your previous academic studies

• a brief description of your rationale for pursuing research doctoral studies

• a brief description of your ministry goals as a result of doctoral studies

• a brief description of areas of research you might be interested in exploring during your doctoral studies

• a list of writings you have had published, if any

• a detailed description of your current occupational ministry responsibilities and the leadership tasks involved including: position title, number of years in the position, service dates, the name of the organization, contact information, and significant contact person(s)

• a detailed listing of previous ministry experiences indicating the significant tasks and leadership responsibilities completed as part of your service in the position including: position title, number of years in the position, service dates, the name of the organization, contact information, significant contact person(s).

Task 5: Interview, Research Sample and Field Essay

Interview: All prospective students must come to campus for an admissions interview with the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies or with the Dean of the School of Leadership and Church Ministry or with an appointed LEAD School faculty interviewer. 

Research Sample: Prospective students must provide a research sample.  This should be a writing sample demonstrating the students ability to conduct scholarly research. The sample may be a paper from a master's level course or may be developed by the student for this purpose.  Please do not send an entire master's thesis or dissertation.  You may submit the literature review chapter from a dissertation or thesis.  Please submit your research sample to the Seminary Admissions Office at the address above.

Field Essay: While on campus, prospective students will be asked to write a “field essay” on the topic, The Christian and the Social Sciences. The field essay will present the student's view of the integration of the Christian faith with learning in the social sciences.  Students may bring a laptop computer to use in producing the essay and a reference list.  To read the field essay question,  click here.

Task 6: Special Requirement of the CPhD Program Only: Faculty Sponsorship

Students desiring admission to the Cohort Ph.D. Program must have been invited to apply by the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies through the receipt of a letter of invitation.  Prospective students who have not received a letter of invitation, but who still desire to be considered for admission to the cohort program must obtain a faculty sponsor from an accredited evangelical institution of higher education.  Students with sponsors from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty will be given preferred status in the evaluation of their application.  The faculty sponsor must write a letter on behalf of the student seeking admission.  The letter must be on official school letterhead and should addressed to the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies, School of Leadership and Church Ministry and sent to the School of Leadership and Church Ministry office.          

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4. Application Deadlines and Admission Evaluation

Completed applications are reviewed only in February and October each year. The final admission decision is communicated to applicants only upon acceptance for admission by the full seminary faculty. The full faculty meetings in which applicants are presented for admission consideration are held in March and December respectively.

Application Deadlines: All application materials must be submitted in full no later than February 1^st to be eligible for admission for the next Fall semester (PhD) or to the next July cohort (EdD or CPhD).  All application materials must be submitted in full no later than September 15th to be eligible for admission for the next Spring semester (PhD).

Applicants initiated or completed after this date will be place on a waiting list. Applications received after February 1^st will likely be delayed for admission until the next year.

Application Evaluation: Once applicant files are completed in full, the LEAD School faculty evaluates applicant profiles in terms of demonstrated and potential ability to complete doctoral studies successfully at the research doctoral level. The committee makes a consensus admission decision on applicants using the following scale:

1.    Admit;

2.    Admit Provisionally (with review for continuation or dismissal after the first term of study); or

3.    Deny.

The LEAD faculty report their decisions to the seminary faculty. Only after the seminary faculty accepts these decisions can official notification of admission status be communicated to applicants through the office of the Associate Vice President for Doctoral Studies (not the Admissions Office or the LEAD School Office). 

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5. Enrollment Limits and Admission Wait List

Due to the level of interest in the doctoral programs, the LEAD faculty rank applicants approved for admission.

Resident PhD Program: The resident PhD program is limited to 20 students enrolled in the research seminar stage of program completion. An additional number of students will be at the comprehensive examination and dissertation stage of the program.

Alternative Residency Programs: The EdD program and the CPhD program are cohort in their format and delivery system.  Each program forms one new cohort per year.  Due to faculty dissertation load issues, each EdD cohort is limited to 20 students.  Each cohort in the CPhD is limited to a maximum of 12 students.   

Prospective students who offered admission have 30 days to accept or decline the offering of admission. Prospective students who fail to respond within 30 days automatically forfeit the offering of admission and have their names moved to the bottom of the wait list. 

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 6. Matriculation: The First Term of Enrollment

Prospective students must enroll/matriculate within one academic year of the term specified on the application. Potential students who wish to delay admission beyond the one academic year window must reapply for admission.  This may require the student to retake admissions tests, and resubmit all application materials except transcripts already on file.

Resident PhD Program: PhD students may matriculate in Fall or Spring semester, but not in the January or Summer terms. New students join the existing PhD cohort and complete degree requirements as a cohort according to the established cycle of research seminars.

Alternative Residency Programs: EdD and CPhD and  students matriculate as a cohort April 15 and begin the online discussion groups May 15 for the seminars that meet on campus in July. Due to the cohort design of the program, students may not matriculate in any other semester or term.

The offering of admission to one cohort or semester does not guarantee admission to a cohort or semester beyond the one year matriculation window.

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7. Reapplication

Applicants denied admission to a research doctoral program may request permission for one reapplication upon approval of the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies and Digital Learning. Under no circumstances will applicants denied admission be allowed to apply a third time.

Applicants denied admission to a research doctoral program in one school of Southern Seminary cannot apply for admission to an equivalent level doctoral program in another school of Southern Seminary. 

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