Ph.D. & Ed.D. in Educational Studies

The doctoral program seeks to admit applicants whose background clearly demonstrate scholarly aptitude, a commitment to the historic Christian faith, personal character and integrity, a service-oriented motivation toward endeavors of educational ministry and a deepening relationship with God. Biola University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic group identification, gender, age or physical disability.

Persons interested in attending should request the doctoral application form (the same form for both degree programs) for Talbot School of Theology from the Graduate Admissions office at Biola University. As in many graduate programs, enrollment is limited. In order to be admitted to full graduate standing, the applicant must comply with the following:

  1. Have completed at least three years of full-time vocational experience in educational ministry with evidence of leadership gifts and abilities.

  2. Have earned a Masters degree in Christian or Religious Education (MACE or MRE) or its equivalent from an accredited educational institution.

    Equivalence is defined as an earned master's degree of 36 semester units of graduate study in areas related to the Christian education ministry, including 18 units of graduate Bible and theology.

    At least one course in each of the following areas should have been completed: Philosophy or History of Christian Education, Human Development or Educational Psychology, Educational Administration, Interpersonal Communication / Group Dynamics or Counseling, Curriculum Design and/or Methods of Teaching, Research Methods. A minimum GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale in all previous graduate work is required.

    Students whose formal educational preparation does not include all of the required prerequisite coursework may be admitted provisionally with a deficiency of master's level courses. See the Doctoral Program Handbook for several ways to address deficiencies.

  3. Submit a completed Talbot School of Theology doctoral application form and $45 application fee.

    The form will provide a place to indicate the program for which application is being made, either the Ph.D. or Ed.D., and which format, either the residential or modular.

  4. Submit scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (expected verbal score of 500 and analytic score of 4.5).

    Information regarding GRE testing dates and location may be obtained by writing to the Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey 08591 (www.gre.org), or call 1-800-473-2255 to register.

    International students whose native language is not English are required, instead, to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test for Written English (TWE). Preference in admission will be given to those who score 600 paper / 250 computer or over on TOEFL and 4.0 or over on TWE. Those scoring between 580 paper / 237 computer and 599 paper / 248 computer on TOEFL will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The TOEFL and TWE are administered together on certain test dates. For more information call (609) 771-7100, Fax (609) 771-7500 or visit www.toefl.org.

    Students should consult the general Biola University guidelines (see the Admission of Non-Native English-Speaking Students section at the beginning of the university catalog as well as the Admissions of International Students section at the beginning of the Talbot catalog section). Since doctoral seminars involve regular student discussion, it is expected that international students have the requisite ability with spoken English to be a contributing member of such discussions.

  5. Present evidence of potential for original academic research at the doctoral level by submitting a sample of scholarly writing (with citations and bibliography), preferably related to education, of at least 10, but no more than 15 pages.

  6. Applicants may be asked to be interviewed by the program director or the Doctoral Program committee as a requirement for admission.

* Note: Official documents presented for admission or evaluation become part of the student's academic file and normally cannot be returned or copied for distribution.

Application Deadlines

Residential Ph.D. & Ed.D.

There are two application deadlines in the residential program: for the fall semester it is April 30 and for the spring semester it is November 30.

Minimum Residential Ph.D. & Ed.D.

There is only one application deadline for modular programs and it is November 15 of the academic year in which a new cohort begins. A cohort of doctoral students will enter their respective doctoral programs every year in the month of June, although coursework begins the previous March. Contact the Graduate Admissions office for more information on the schedule.

Since enrollment for both degree programs is limited and admission is on a selective basis, applications should be made as early as possible. The Doctoral Program committee will process completed applications on a monthly basis. Applications submitted after the deadline will usually be considered for the following semester (residential program) or the next cohort (modular program).

Financial scholarship and dissertation fellowship applications are available in the Doctoral Program office (application deadline: April 1). Full-time, residential doctoral students are given priority for awards. Private sources of scholarships may be located on the website: www.finaid.org.

Special Study Status

Students actively enrolled in an accredited doctoral program in education may be eligible to take an elective class in Talbot's doctoral program either for enrichment purposes or transfer credit. An abbreviated application for such purposes would include a completed short special sessions form, a letter from the registrar of the school indicating good standing and a completed pastoral reference form.

Those wishing to explore the possibility of entering doctoral studies, who generally meet the doctoral admission requirements, may be able to enroll in one summer doctoral elective course as a special student. Contact the Graduate Admissions office at Biola University for more information.