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Within Princeton Theological Seminary, the Biblical Studies Department regards its mission in the doctoral program as the preparation of biblical scholars and teachers in service to the church, whether as teachers in seminaries and divinity schools, colleges and major research universities, or as pastors of local congregations.
In support of its programs, the department offers broad coverage in many of the areas and sub-disciplines in the field, with specific concentrations and offerings determined by the interests and expertise of the faculty. The driving force of the program both in Old Testament and New Testament clusters broadly around linguistic, historical, literary, and theological dimensions of textual and exegetical study.
The general aims of formal coursework are to develop familiarity with leading areas and methods of research and analysis in the study of the Old or New Testament, to acquire linguistic and historical competencies necessary to work expertly with primary sources, to prepare for the student’s Comprehensive Examinations, and to pursue specific interests relevant to the student’s scholarly development, especially in the area of the dissertation.
A typical course of study will include at its core requisite language study and a sequence of courses in biblical exegesis and theology, historical and comparative backgrounds, and reception history and consequences. In addition, a student will ordinarily take a number of electives, which allow them to shape their course of study according to personal interests. Interdisciplinary work or further specialist study can be taken from seminars offered by faculty in other departments at the Seminary or at affiliated institutions (e.g., Princeton University). Specific requirements for each of the subareas follow.
The program of study in Old Testament focuses on developing within students four core competencies: philology, history, exegesis, and hermeneutics. In order to achieve these competencies, the program of study in Old Testament features the following formal course requirements:
The program of study in New Testament features the following formal course requirements:
As a means to foster collegiality and to promote research, the department sponsors research colloquia in both Old Testament and New Testament. Six colloquia in each subarea occur over the course of the academic year. Participants include Seminary graduate students (required during residency) and faculty as well as interested visiting scholars and faculty from the local area. Papers are circulated in writing, usually two weeks in advance of the colloquium’s meeting. Each paper will be assigned two respondents. Faculty and students share responsibility for presenting papers and responses. Students in their first year are expected to give one response to a paper, while students in their second year will give one paper (often on a topic the student anticipates exploring in the dissertation).
In consultation with pertinent faculty members, a student will compose a two-page statement describing the general topic of the dissertation. This statement is to be submitted to the chair of the student’s Residency Committee in time for consideration by the department in its February meeting of the student’s second year. These topic statements are provisional and heuristic, serving both to aid in the student’s preparation of a thesis proposal in the third year and to guide decisions about the content of the student’s Comprehensive Examinations (especially Book-and-Block, Review Essay).
Students may sit for Comprehensive Examinations upon successful completion of all residency requirements and the recommendation of their Residency Committee. There are a total of six Comprehensive Examinations, which normally are to be completed by the middle of the third year of graduate work. Some parts of these examinations are taken earlier (see below). The nature and form of the Comprehensive Examinations vary, but in each, the student’s knowledge and competence in a specified area of study is to be evaluated. The six exams are as follows:
Students may sit for Comprehensive Examinations upon successful completion of all residency requirements and the recommendation of their Residency Committee. A total of five Comprehensive Examinations (2 Language Competency requirements plus 3 Qualifying Examinations) are normally completed by the middle of the third year of matriculation. Occasionally some of these examinations, such as those in language competence, may be taken earlier. While the nature and form of the Comprehensive Examinations vary, each evaluates the student’s knowledge and competence in a specified area of study. The five examinations are as follows:
The student will be provided with a bibliography for each of these three areas at the beginning of matriculation. These bibliographies are established by the New Testament faculty; occasionally they may be altered to take account of a student’s particular interests. A 3-hour examination is administered in each of these three areas of inquiry; normally one exam is given each week over a period of three weeks. The student’s oral defense of all three examinations is administered by the New Testament faculty within a week or two after their written completion.