Program Description

The PhD in Preaching program provides an opportunity for qualified students to engage in graduate work in the discipline of homiletics at the highest level and in a university setting. It provides preparation for research and teaching in undergraduate and graduate theological education and for the development of pastor-scholars. The Baylor program offers a rich study of preaching in relation to exegesis, history, theology, ecclesiology, homiletical structure and practice, and teaching.

I. Program Content Overview

The PhD in Preaching program has both residential and distance students. At least two students per year will be accepted into the residential component of the program, while the remaining will be distance students. A PhD in Preaching orientation will take place before the first seminar for each entering class.

Given the hybrid structure of the program, students will enroll in two one-week intensive courses in the fall and two in the spring. Students will take two courses in one summer and one course in the two other summers. After three full years of course work, students will take comprehensive exams in the fall of the fourth year and begin work on a prospectus. The remainder of the program will be devoted to the dissertation.

All PhD seminars involve pre-seminar and post-seminar work, in addition to the hours in the classroom during the seminar. The syllabus and assignments will be posted on Canvas prior to the seminar. Due dates for assignments post-seminar will be included in the syllabus. PhD in Preaching candidates must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their courses.

Total hours required for the PhD in Preaching is 45 hours beyond the master degree level.

Some students may live in proximity to other universities with graduate programs in English, Philosophy, Speech Communication, or Sociology. Students may take up to nine hours in graduate programs external to Baylor University with the approval of the Director of the PhD program.

First-Year Review  

The first year of studies in the PhD in preaching at Truett Seminary/Baylor University is considered probationary. Upon conclusion of the fifth PhD seminar, students will meet with the PhD program director to review their first year of work (in consultation with PhD in preaching faculty colleagues). The purpose of this review is to assess whether the student has done satisfactory work and demonstrates promise to successfully continue in and complete the degree program.

Upon the successful completion of five seminars (September, November, January, March and May), students will meet with the PhD in preaching director during the month of May. This meeting will be conducted over Zoom for distance students or in-person for residential students. Two weeks prior to this meeting, the student will submit one writing sample (a major research paper from one of the five seminars) and a 1.5-2-page, single-spaced dissertation prospectus, including a title, subtitle, and abstract that lays out the research questions, research methods, and bibliography (minimum 2 pages, single-spaced). 

If the committee approves of the student’s work, he/she will be given formal permission to continue as a second-year PhD student in the degree program. If the PhD director and faculty deem the student’s performance as unsatisfactory, he/she will not continue for the second year of studies. Advancement to the second year of studies will be based on five primary factors: performance in PhD seminars, critical thinking skills, clarity of thought, writing ability, and promise of the dissertation prospectus. 

Other Requirements:

1. Prior to completion of their degree, all students will have a minimum of one article submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal.
2. Upon admission, if not already, students will become members of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and must attend the yearly Annual Meeting.

II. Language Requirements

Students will be required to have completed and demonstrated competence in both biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek. 

III. Preliminary Examinations

Doctoral students will take preliminary examinations at the completion of coursework. Students will be required to take preliminary examinations within the field of homiletics.

IV. PhD Candidacy

Admission to candidacy for the PhD in Preaching requires 1) satisfaction of biblical language requirements; 2) satisfactory completion of preliminary examinations; 3) approval of student's dissertation prospectus by the Preaching Graduate Faculty; and 4) certification by the Dean of the Graduate School

V. Dissertation

The final stage in the doctoral work is the satisfactory completion of a dissertation in accordance with guidelines provided by the PhD in Preaching and by the Graduate School.