Doctor of Philosophy Ministry PhD.
Purpose:
The Doctor of Philosophy in Theology is primarily to equip persons for vocations of teaching and research in theology majors and for the scholarly enhancement of ministerial practice.
Degree Requirement: 54 credits
24 – 36 Months Accelerated Program. Credits requirement for a Doctor’s degree is 48 credits.
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Must Have a Masters’s Degree to Enroll
| Degree Program Parts | Credit Hours |
| Part I - Core Courses | 15 |
| Part II - Major Courses | 14 |
| Part III - Dissertation Work | 25 |
| Total Credit Hours Required | 54 |
Part 1- Core Courses
Advanced Bible Study Method 3 Credit Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Franklyn Canada
Dr. Ogum Nsaka
Dr. Patrick Gabriel
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Bible—both Hebrew and New Testament—is a complex and fascinating text, written by multiple authors and communities, in different languages, over a vast period of time, yet it nonetheless displays an overarching—or underlying—unity, which some attribute to divine inspiration and others to the human imagination. Our purpose in this course is to consider the Bible as both a collection of disparate books and as a unified whole, with special attention given to the inspiration, formation, and function of the canon and to the development of interpretation consistent with the nature of scripture. The importance of the Bible as a witness to the life and faith of ancient Israel and earliest Christianity will be emphasized.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end, students will be able to articulate Roman Catholicism’s professed understanding of Revelation: Scripture, Tradition, and the theologies that undergird them. To identify and explain structural features of both the OT and NT. To analyze ancient biblical texts (exegesis) using the Historical-Critical method. To recount in chronological order, the biblical metanarrative, identifying major historical figures and events. To explain various factors that that influence Biblical interpretation. To investigate Biblical texts and discover what each periscope has to say about God, one’s self, and what it means to be a human person.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: Twelve-page Research Essay Paper
25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha by Michael Coogan and Marc Brettler
THE THREE FORMS OF UNITY, The Heidelberg Catechism the Belgic Confession the Canons of the Council of Dordrecht.
Beyond Bible Study: Finding Jesus Christ in Scripture by Frank Viola
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Hermeneutics 3 Credit Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Franklyn Canada
Dr. Ogum Nsaka
Dr. Patrick Gabriel
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An advanced course in hermeneutics including a study of the history of interpretation, both biblical and extra-biblical, and an examination of the current status of various interpretive approaches to the Scriptures.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end, students will have the ability to interpret God’s Word correctly. Pastors, associate pastors, and teachers will be able to develop expository sermons and lessons. Students fields, such as counseling, business, and education, will be able to integrate biblical truths with the principles and hypotheses of people in their fields.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: Twelve-page Research Essay Paper
25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Kaiser, Walter. Toward an Exegetical Theology.
Kaiser, Walter and Silva, Moises. An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics.
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Advanced New Testament Survey 3 Credit Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Franklyn Canada
Dr. Ogum Nsaka
Dr. Patrick Gabriel
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is aimed to help students read and doing research on the books of Ephesians and Colossians as Christian Scripture.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end, students will learn more about the craft of exegesis; Learn more about the theological visions in Ephesians and Colossians and how to faithfully appropriate these visions for life and leadership in the real-world context of today’s Church;Deepen their understanding of the importance of, role of, and problems with the “history” underlying the biblical text;Become more effective at critically engaging with commentaries as resources for exegesis;Develop their own preaching resources on a text from Colossians or Ephesians.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: Twelve-page Research Essay Paper
25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Introduction to the New Testament by Louis Berkhof
Analysis of the Message of the New Testament by Dr. Richard T. Vann, Jr.
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Advanced Old Testament Survey 3 Credit Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Franklyn Canada
Dr. Ogum Nsaka
Dr. Patrick Gabriel
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to Old Testament literature and history, with emphasis on application within the church.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: will be familiar with the content of the books of Psalms to Malachi; will be familiar with the various ways Old Testament texts have been interpreted.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: Twelve-page Research Essay Paper
25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
A Journey Through the Old Testament by Elmer Towns
The World and Literature of the Old Testament by John T. Willis
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Introduction to Systematic Theology 3 Credit Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Franklyn Canada
Dr. Ogum Nsaka
Dr. Patrick Gabriel
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An investigative research on of the themes that comprise Christian systematic theology; focusing on Revelation, God, Man, Sin, Christ, Salvation, Holy Spirit, Church, Last Things, and Angelology.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end, Students will be able to explain the relevance and the practical implications of theology. Articulate the meaning of key theological terms and concepts. Communicate sound theology in a variety of mediums. Critically evaluate past and present theological systems/beliefs.
Know and love God with greater intelligence. Analyze one’s own spiritual life in light of biblical doctrine and determine areas in which one needs to grow. And help others to see the relevance of theology to the needs of today.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: Twelve-page Research Essay Paper
25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine by Thomas Paul Simmons
Study Guide: Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Part II – Major Courses 14 hours
Advanced Systematic Theology 4 Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod. Annis
Dr. Franklyn Canada
Dr. Ogum Nsaka
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of the course is to develop students’ own theological positions on ultimate reality or God. To this end it will study first-order issues about the nature of ultimate reality and also methodological or second-order issues about theology itself and the arguments that go into it. The philosophical problem at the heart of theologies of ultimacy is “the one and the many.” The thesis of the course is that there is one ontological ultimate reality, an ontological act that creates everything determinate, including its own nature as creator. Indeterminate apart from creation, this ontological act can be symbolized only with broken symbols, of which there are three main families: as person, as consciousness, and as spontaneous emergence. There are also four cosmological ultimate realities giving rise to the religious projects of righteousness, wholeness, engagement of others, and achieving meaning or value-identity, each of which is addressed by every major religious tradition. Readings will illustrate these three families of ontological symbolism and touch on the cosmological ultimates. Standard positions within Christian philosophical theology will be explored more thoroughly than representatives of other traditions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Goal 1. To help students become aware of the philosophical alternatives lurking behind symbols of ultimate reality, especially conceptions of God, alternatives that might be in contradiction with one another. Goal 2. To help students become expert in the standard moves or arguments that lead thinkers to embrace one alternative or another. Goal 3. To enable students to develop their own systematic positions concerning issues of God and other ultimate realities at a doctoral level of sophistication. Goal 4. To improve students’ ability to write research papers with imagination at the doctoral level.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: Twelve-page Research Essay Paper
25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. Chan, Wing-tsit, editor. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton UP.
2. Moltmann, Jürgen. God in Creation: A New Theology of Creation and the Spirit of God. Harper.
3. Neville, Robert, editor. Ultimate Realities. SUNY
4. Nishitani, Keiji. Religion and Nothingness. Translated by Van Bragt. U. of California P.
5. Tillich, Paul. Systematic Theology. Volume I. U. of Chicago P.
6. Wildman, Wesley J. Religious Philosophy as Multidisciplinary Inquiry. SUNY
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Christian History 4 Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Rod O’Neil
Dr. Elliud Esseko
Dr. Troy Pearsall
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This purpose of this course is to give a broad overview of the diversity of the global Christian tradition from its beginnings in the gospel accounts of Jesus of Nazareth to the present day. Spanning 2000 years and every continent, impacting not just religion but also culture, the arts, philosophy, and global politics, the history of the Christian church is an essential thing to grasp for those seeking to understand the origins of the social forces that shape our world today.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end, Unit 1: Students will be able to describe the transition from the life of Jesus of Nazareth to the formation of early Christian communities. Students will understand the ways in which early Christian communities did and did not mirror the norms of their cultural settings. Students will gain familiarity with the multitude of competing early Christian claims (particularly around Christology) as well as the trajectories that led to the emergence of the categories of “orthodoxy” and “heresy.”
Unit 2: Emergence Goals: 1). Students will grasp the complexity of church-state relationships before, during, and after the reign of Constantine. 2). Students will be able to trace the emergence of various tiers of church leadership and authority (bishops, councils, etc.) as the Christian movement becomes institutionalized in the context of empire. 3). Students will understand the complex ways in which early monasticism functioned vis-à-vis Christian institutional centers of power.
Unit 3: Christendom Goals: 1). Students will gain broad familiarity with the wealth of intellectual and theological trends that shaped the writings of the Christian medieval period. 2). Students will be able to describe the various crises of authority that shaped the solidification of the papacy in the West and the fluid church/state configurations of the East. 3). Students will gain insights into the ecclesial and political unrest that set the stage for the sixteenth-century Reformation in the West, including the role played by the emergence of Islam within Christendom.
Unit 4: Reformations Goals: 1). Students will understand the multifaceted nature of the European Reformation as well as the multitude of actors whose work instigated the division of the church in the West. 2). Students will be able to describe the ways in which sixteenth-century ecclesial upheavals corresponded with the shifting political landscapes of European nation-states. 3). Students will be able to describe the nature of the Roman Catholic response to the growing challenge of Protestantism to Catholic theology, traditions, and structures of authority.
Unit 5: Rationalism and Revival Goals: 1). Students will understand both the rationale and the methodology behind Protestant and Catholic global missionary work. 2). Students will gain familiarity with the broader philosophical and cultural trends that set the stage both for the fervor of Protestant revivalism and the rationality characteristic of the Enlightenment and its aftermath. 3). Students will be able to describe the complexities of how the Russian Orthodox church managed its relationship with monarchy and politics in the late medieval and early modern periods.
Unit 6: Modernity Takes Hold Goals: 1). Students will be able to explain the impact of the Industrial Revolution upon both the institutional church and its theology in the nineteenth century. 2). Students will be able to contextualize contemporary debates concerning religion and science within the framework established during the ninetheenth century especially. 3). Students will be able to describe the shifting methods and theological underpinnings of missionary work characteristic of this period.
Unit 7: Ongoing Evolution Goals: 1). Students will be able to describe how the upheavals of the twentieth century (two World Wars, the Great Depression, emerging conflicts with communism, etc.) both impacted and were shaped by Christian movements. 2). Students will gain familiarity
with the beginnings of Pentecostalism and its vitality as a global movement. 3). Students will gain insights into the emergence of theologies constructed by and for historically marginalized individuals (racial minorities, the poor, women, Third World theologians, etc.).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: 25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Introduction to the History of Christianity, 2nd ed., ed. Tim Dowley (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Ministry and Morality 4 Hours
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Isaac Ozobiani
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Philip Jegede
Dr. Franklyn Canada
Dr. Ogum Nsaka
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Spiritual Formation for Ministry Research I: Spiritual Formation for Ministry (MC/SF 501) is a foundational course in the Division of Practical Theology that explores the processes and goals of spiritual formation in the life of the Christian minister, counselor or leader from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint including personal, biblical, theological, psychological, and historical perspectives. The student is introduced to the historic disciplines and practices of the Christian faith that promote intimacy with God and Christ-likeness in character with the goal of fostering ongoing personal vitality essential to ministry and the ability to facilitate spiritual renewal and consistent discipleship in others.
COURSE OBJECTIVES- RESEARCH I: At the end, students will demonstrate their understanding of Christian spirituality and faith development with a biblical and theological rationale for the nature of spiritual life and growth. Students will explain required factors for the cultivation of an intimate relationship with God and Christ-like character in private practices and through community. 2. The student will be able to recount major streams of spirituality historically fostered within the Christian tradition, comparing and contrasting key theological features. 3. Students will describe in writing how their personalities influence spiritual orientation and the process of spiritual and character formation. 4. Students will review and "exegete "their life narratives reflectively as a journey of faith and interpret life events in light of God's sovereign purposes for spiritual formation and vocation. 5. Students will be able to identify, articulate, and apply key Christian practices and disciplines of the spiritual life in a guided time of spiritual assessment and practice. 6. Students will identify both the primary and secondary elements of spiritual renewal (cf. Dynamics of Spiritual Life) and apply these factors to personal and congregational formation. 7. Students will provide a framework for the understanding and practice of spiritual mentoring and friendship. 8. Students will recognize the various pitfalls to formation that ministerial life present and develop a plan to maintain spiritual vitality in vocational practice in terms of a personal "rule of life."
COURSE DESCRIPTION- Research II: Morality in Christianity: Biblically-informed perspectives on contemporary issues facing the church and the minister: divorce, abortion, euthanasia, genetic control, sex, war, racism, ecology, personal lifestyle, and the church’s responsibilities.
COURSE OBJECTIVES- Research II Morality in Christianity:: At the end, the student should be able to explain the relationship between theology and ethics, and speak meaningfully about the importance of each discipline to its counterpart.
2. Articulate and defend ways of appropriating biblical texts as an authority for contemporary, moral reflection.
3. Outline the contours of a decidedly Christian ethical posture, and explain how that posture informs the life of the church and her members in the world.
4. Differentiate between the major ‘types’ of ethical theory within moral philosophy.
5. Execute creative, sympathetic, and faithful applications of Christian moral theology to a wide range of ethical quandaries.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: 25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Research 1: Benner, David, Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2002. ISBN-10: 083083270X Calhoun, Adele, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook:
Practices that Transform Us. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2005. ISBN-10: 0830833307
Chan, Simon, Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1998.
ISBN-13: 978-0830815425 Lovelace, Richard, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1979. ISBN-13: 978-0877846260
Research II: John and Paul Feinberg, Ethics For A Brave New World, 2nd Edition. ISBN-10: 158134712X; ISBN-13: 978-1581347128
Stassen, Glen Harold, and David P. Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. Downers Grove, Ill:
InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN-10: 0830826688; ISBN-13: 9780830826681
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Part III – Dissertation Work Credit 5 hours
Dissertation Proposal
Assigned Staff Professor:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Isaac Ozobiani
Dr. Philip Jegede
Course Duration: Four – Twelve Weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This research course will examine the lives and thought of the Greek and Latin Fathers of the Christian Church. Attention will be given to the development and substance of Christian doctrine during the Patristic Period. Primary sources will be utilized in our investigation. Lectures, reading, and discussion will constitute the main substance of the course.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end of the course the student will be able to understand the stages of the church’s doctrinal formation during the Patristic Period. Recognize the doctrinal contributions made by prominent church fathers. Review the church’s past from a Christological and biblical norm. Possess historical perspective on the theological and practical problems of the present.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading Assignments - Students will be expected to have carefully and thoughtfully read the assigned text materials for the course prior to doing research and writing the essay assignments and taking the final exam.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments are to made to enable the student to think through the course issues and also to practice their responses to the course’s intellectual and scriptural challenges.
EXAMS: Dissertation Proposal
25 – 50 questions combination mini essays and multiple choice Questions.
COURSE POLICIES: The students’ grade will be based on the following percentages.
Essay: 50%
Final online test: 50%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Research Proposals: A Guide to Success 3rd Edition by Thomas E. Ogden
Grading Method:
100 – 90 4.00 A
89 – 80 3.00 B
79 – 70 2.00 C
69 – 60 1.00 D
59 – 0 F
Dissertation 20 Credit hours
Dissertation Review Committee:
Dr. Julie Tofilon
Dr. Robert Varnam
Dr. Rod Annis
Dr. Philip Jegede
Dr. Isaac Ozobiani
Course Duration: Six months to one year
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students are to begin their research on their thesis. Student work independently, and may use North Central Theological Seminary online library, or other public libraries and resources. Students may also accomplish their research through surveys or interviews.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: After completing their writing student must submit a minimum 80 page them to the Dissertation committee for review.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Read required course material relevant to their Dissertation proposal, do their research and submit their Dissertation.
Minimum 80-page DissertationREQUIRED TEXTS:
Writing the Doctoral Dissertation: A Systematic Approach Third Edition by Gordon B. Davis
Grading Method:
Dissertation Acceptance or Rejection
Exams and Tests: Southern National Theological Seminary administers both supervised and unsupervised testing and examination methods for completion of an assigned course.
Unsupervised Method: After reading the PDF texts issued for a course, Certificate and Bachelor’s degree students are required to write a five-page essay summarizing what they have learned. Master’s and Doctorate degree students are required to submit a twelve-page essay. For Certificate and Bachelor’s degree students, the five page essay must have one page of introduction, three pages of critical thinking regarding the subject matter, and one page of summary conclusion. For Master’s and doctorate degree students, the twelve page essay must have one page of introduction, nine pages of critical thinking regarding the subject matter, and two pages of summary conclusion. After the completion of the essay portion of the test, the student is required to create a set of twenty-five multiple choices questions and provide answers to those questions in a Question & Answer format. Completed tests must be submitted online for grading.
Supervised Method: After the student gets passing grades for their essay and multiple choice test assignments, the student will be notified that the required online final test for the course is ready to take. The student will login and return to their student wall, where the “Online Test” button will be flashing. After clicking, the student follows the instructions for the test. The final online test is usually a combination of short essay questions and multiple choice questions. The online test is timed, and the student will need to watch the timer carefully so that they can complete the test properly. There will be a penalty of $35 if a student does not complete the test, and do so on time.
Southern National Theological Seminary advisers and instructors encourage students to work hard. Students who do not achieve passing grades may try to improve their grades by retaking the courses they need to improve their grades.
| 100 – 90 | 4.00 | A |
| 89 – 80 | 3.00 | B |
| 79 – 70 | 2.00 | C |
| 69 – 60 | 1.00 | D |
| 59 – 0 | 0.00 | F |
4.0 Summa cum laude: Students graduating with a 4-point average will receive an honor of summa cum laude from Southern National Theological Seminary: an academic level of distinction used by educational institutions to signify an academic degree which was received “with highest honor.” Summa cum laude is the highest distinction of the three commonly-used types of Latin honors recognized in the United States, the other two being magna cum laude and cum laude.
3.0 Magna cum laude: Students graduating with a 3-point average will receive the honor of magna cum laude from Southern National Theological Seminary; an academic level of distinction used by educational institutions to signify an academic degree which was received “with great honor.” Magna cum laude is one of three commonly-used types of Latin honors recognized in the United States, the other two being summa cum laude and cum laude. Magna cum laude is typically more prestigious than cum laude honors but less prestigious than summa cum laude honors.
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Saint Petersburg, FL 33702
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Southern National Theological Seminary
International Student Office
7901 4th Street North Suite 8006
Saint Petersburg, FL 33702
United States of America
Students are free to withdraw from their studies at anytime. However, refunds
will be issued on a prorated basis at the Seminary’s discretion on the grounds of extreme hardship,
which must be proven by sending a letter via certified mail to the Seminary. Extreme hardships are
circumstances resulting from divorce, death in family, sudden unemployment, or illness making it impossible
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called to the services of the United States Armed Forces or the Armed Forces of the student’s country of
origin.
Submit certified letter of withdrawal to:
Southern National Theological Seminary
Administration Office
7901 4th Street North Suite 8006
Saint Petersburg, FL 33702
United States of America
Southern National Theological Seminary Procedure for Awarding
Doctorate Degrees, Th.D and D.D
A candidate must submit a project or thesis or dissertation often consisting of a body of original academic research, which is in principle worthy of publication in a peer-refereed context. The candidate must defend his/her work in an online meeting forum before a panel of expert examiners appointed by Southern National Theological Seminary, the dissertation is examined by this panel of expert examiners who must stipulate whether the dissertation is in principle passable and the issues that need to be addressed before the dissertation can be passed.
Graduate Degrees, M.Th
To Apply For Award Of An M.Th Graduate Degree, Graduate Students Must: Have an Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) on file with the Director of Graduate and Post Graduate Studies prior to filing for award of degree. Complete and submit the items listed below to the Director of Graduate and Post Graduate Studies by mail to:
Southern National Theological Seminary:
Director of Graduate Studies – THD
7901 4th Street North Suite 8006
Saint Petersburg, FL 33702
United States of America
Application for Award of a Graduate Degree – available online.
Application form signed by you and your advisor or department chair.
Application fee of $75 payment online or by mail.
All candidates’ academic records are checked for conformance to their Advancement to Candidacy (ATC), for achievement of requirements stated for that degree program on Southern National Theological Seminary official catalog.
All course work required to make-up Incomplete (I) or Satisfactory Progress (SP) grades must be submitted to the instructor prior to the date of graduation. The official “Petition for Grade Change” and/or “Report of Make-up of Incomplete” must be on file in the Director’s Office no later than two weeks after the date of graduation and must indicate that the work was completed prior to the last day of instruction . If official transcripts showing final grades are required from other institutions, they must be sent to the attention of the “Director’s of Graduate Studies” in the Graduate Studies Office within three weeks after the last day of instruction.
Notice of award of degree will be mailed within 90 days after grades have been posted, once official verification of completion of degree requirements has been concluded. Official transcripts showing award of degree may be requested from the Director of Graduate Studies’ office any time after receipt of the official notification of award of degree. Diplomas will be mailed approximately 60 days after graduation.
As a result of filing for graduation, a student will not receive mail or online registration material as a continuing student. If a student discovers that he/she will not be able to earn a degree in the semester he/she applied for graduation, and needs to enroll in another course, the student must contact the Director of Graduate Studies by email to request permission to enroll for another course. Students who are denied their graduate degree must re-file the Application for Graduation and pay another $75 fee to be considered for enrollment in a subsequent course.
Southern National Theological Seminary degree programs are designed to be completed online through a self study format. However, live online classes may be required for courses such as “Critical Thinking” or as your instructor may deem necessary. Generous advance notice will be given to students should there be a need for the student to attend online live classes. However, it is the requirement that all students must complete six sessions of online live “Critical Thinking” class as a part of the “Critical Thinking” course requirement. Live online “Critical Thinking” session is 45 minutes and is usually scheduled at the students’ convenience.
Donations are allowable to donors only to the extent that donations EXCEED the value of the services received in exchange, and because the value of the Southern National Theological Seminary Degree Programs exceeds the donation made in lieu of tuition’s; DEDUCTIONS OF DONATION MADE TO OBTAIN RELIGIOUS CERTIFICATES OR DEGREES FROM Southern National Theological Seminary ARE NOT ALLOWABLE, FOR STUDENT INCOME TAX PURPOSES.