In Pursuit of a PhD/Resources for Students

This page is meant to be a compilation of various tid-bits that I come across that will serve me and others in the early stages of pursuit of a Ph.D., namely pre-doctoral studies, especially those in the biblical studies field and its cognate fields.

For those of you that want to pursue a Ph.D. I suggest that you start by taking a look at the below write-up that appeared on Prof. John Stackhouse’s Weblog:

• “Thinking about a Ph.D.?”

• “Why You Shouldn’t Pursue a PhD” (The Princeton Review)

• Sean Michael Lucas has written a post worthy of reading entitled, “Ministerial Students, Calling, and PhD Students.”

• Pat McCullough has a helpful segment entitled “Wanna Be a Bible Scholar?” I appreciate it because it is prepatory in nature, with undergrad students within his field of vision.  He goes at great length to stress in what ways persons in the field of biblical studies must interact with numerous other fields. Specialization will come in time; right now is the time to be well-versed in, well, humanity.

• And then comes the detail of “Is that really going to be in my job description???” Keith Drury explains “What a College Professor Actually Does (outside of lecturing)” and “How One ‘Breaks Into’ College Teaching.” See if this description deters you at all.

• Also from John Stackhouse, “Qualifications for Teaching at a Small Christian College,” 2008.

• Everyone should read Michael V. Fox’s view on Biblical Scholarship and Faith-Based Study, 2006.

• And then there’s the question: To write a Master’s Thesis or not to? ? ? See Prof. Stackhouse’s assessment of the question in “Should I write a Master’s Thesis?” He offers some great advice.

• Speaking of writing. . . For those, like I was and soon will be again, swamped in papers for the humanities dept., here is a great site to answer those ever so thwarting incertitudes pertaining to style: Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide.

• And to avoid duplications of writing or research or to start networking check out The Universal Index of Doctoral Dissertations in Progress.

• Awilum has added a great post entitled, “What Journal Should I Publish In?”

• Chris Keith, “Applying for Doctoral Work When You’re from a Small School,” SBL Forum , 2006.

• Douglas Mangum has written a promotional post entitled, “Studying Hebrew at Wisconsin.” This is intented for prospective students for the Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He states that the Dept. emphasizes Hebrew and Northwest Semitics- it’s not for those interested in Akkadian.

• Nijay Kumar Gupta has created a wonderful page detailing programs and advice concerning a PhD in New Testament studies, which includes wonderful appendixes.

• Here is Vanderbilt University’s Hebrew Bible Reading List from 2006 and a Hebrew Bible Preliminary Exam List from Emory University from 2008.

• From the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Grad Students’ Pay and Benefits Vary Widely, Survey Shows,” 2008.

• Association of Theological Schools’ Colloquy, “Quo Vadis: The Outlook for Today’s Graduates.” 2009.

• An article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don’t Go.” 2010.

• Also from the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Tenure, RIP: What the Vanishing Status Means for the Future of Education.” 2010

• From the Economist, “The Disposable Academic: Why Doing a PhD is Often a Waste of Time.” 2010.

• “New Challenges, New Priorities: The Experience of Generation X Faculty. A Study for the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education,” by Robin Matross Helms. Harvard University, 2010.

• Hacking the Dissertation Process by Tonya L. Roth, 2010.

• Survivor’s Guilt, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2011.

• Mark C. Taylor’s plea to Reform the PhD System or Close it Down, 2011.

And on a more comical note,  “You Might be Becoming a Biblical Scholar If. . .”