Chapter 9.8: Doctor of Sacred Theology
Introduction
Doctorate in Sacred Theology The Doctorate in Sacred Theology (STD) is the highest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical degree in advanced theological study, and is intended to further students’ theological expertise in preparation for scholarly careers in service to the Church. In keeping with the intellectual tradition and apostolic priority of the Society of Jesus, the program cultivates a critical fidelity to the Roman Catholic tradition, in service of the faith that does justice. It enables students to understand the interplay between faith and culture, preparing them to address theological and pastoral issues that emerge in diverse cultural contexts. The STD is the third cycle in the program of ecclesiastical degrees (Veritatis Gaudium, part VII, articles 47-50), intended to complete the scientific theological formation, especially through the writing of a doctoral dissertation.
The Jesuit School of Theology offers the Doctorate in Sacred Theology (STD) in the following broad disciplinary areas:
Biblical Studies (Old and New Testaments)
Theological Ethics (including Social Ethics)
Historical and Systematic Theology (including History of Christianity)
Practical Theology (Missiology, Liturgical Studies, Christian Spirituality, Pastoral Theology)
Students’ progress through the STD degree is guided by the academic advisor, who generally serves as the dissertation director; and the STD Program Director. Students are encouraged to meet regularly with their director to assure that they are making satisfactory progress toward completing the degree. This handbook presents program requirements to earn the STD degree as well as protocols and forms. All forms for the STD program can be found at the end of this handbook or on the JST website at: Office of the Registrar.
Goals & Objectives
A) Institutional Learning Goals (Shared across all academic programs)
Students will gain a broad foundation in Christian theology, with a focus on the Roman Catholic tradition.
Students will demonstrate a critically-informed approach to faith that promotes social justice for the common good, especially for the benefit of those in greatest need.
Students will recognize the interplay between faith and culture in addressing issues that emerge in diverse cultural contexts.
B) STD Student Learning Outcomes
In addition to the Institutional Learning Goals listed above,
Students will acquire a depth of knowledge, practical skills, and strong preparation for research and teaching within a particular area of concentration, and hone these in preparation for scholarly careers in service to the Church.
The STD is the third cycle in the program of ecclesiastical degrees (Veritatis Gaudium, part VII, articles 47-50), intended to complete the scientific theological formation, especially through the writing of a doctoral dissertation, which demonstrates original and independent research and that represents advanced scholarly achievement.
Admission to the STD Program
To complete the application to the STD program, applicants must:
Submit a completed application, which is generally submitted online through the JST admission site, at https://slate.scu.edu/apply/.
Submit a statement of purpose designating the intended field of concentration and stating reasons for choosing the program as well as how the STD will support subsequent career plans.
An official transcript documenting an earned Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (SSL) or Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). Note: the SSL or STL with a Grade Point Average not less than 3.7 is a prerequisite for admission.
Arrange for two letters of recommendation, preferably from a recent professor or instructor, which address the applicant’s academic qualifications for the STD.
Evidence of proficiency in (1) Latin; (2) one modern language (other than the students’ first language) which is suitable for theological research in the intended area of study; and (3) for Biblical Studies applicants, one Biblical language. A transcript documenting coursework or a language translation exam is generally sufficient.
Submit one major research paper from the SSL or STL Program, which demonstrates the applicant’s research and writing abilities.
Students whose first language is not English must submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores, including scores for the reading, writing, and speaking portions of the examination. Applicants who have successfully completed a degree program where English is the medium of instruction may petition for a waiver of the TOEFL exam.
NOTES:
Preference for admission will be given to applicants from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Applications from persons from other regions of the world are welcome and will be given serious consideration. Students accepted into the STD program may defer matriculation for one-year without being required to re-apply.
Successful applicants to the STD program will generally not be awarded advance standing for credits earned at other institutions.
Degree Requirements
To earn the STD degree, students must complete all of the requirements listed below:
Complete the term of residency which is generally two-years of full-time enrollment at JST, normally after the passing the comprehensive exams.
Complete all requirements for the STD degree within five calendar years of first enrollment.
Complete a diagnostic interview during the first semester of study. The interview, which the student should arrange, will be conducted by her or his academic advisor/dissertation director and the STD program director and should cover such topics as future professional aspirations, academic and disciplinary strengths and weaknesses coming into the program, course work, needed languages, possible dissertation topic and potential committee members, and projected timeline. The advisor should write a summary report letter and send it to the director, registrar, and student for their files.
Complete four courses or seminars in the area of specialization or related topics, beyond the STL during the first year of STD studies. If the student has an STL thesis in an area not related to the STD dissertation, they may be required to do additional relevant coursework. Students in the Spirituality concentration must complete five courses. The course should normally be at the 4000 and above or its equivalent (upgraded, SRC-8888). Student may opt for a Special Reading Course - SRC 9999 as appropriated. Except for the Research Practicum, students may not opt for a pass/no pass grade.
Engage in pastoral work for the duration of their program and enroll in the Research Practicum, FE-4401, every semester. All students will have a ministry placement each semester. (International students in F-1 status must complete a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Cooperative Agreement. FE-4401provides a forum for theological reflection on this practical experience, as students deepen their understanding of how faith is inculturated in real-world contexts and how culture shapes one’s approach to ministry and theology. The course also supports and guides students through the research and writing process as they move towards completion of their dissertation (see Degree Requirement on page 6).
Demonstrate proficiency in one additional foreign language (other than English and other than the language proficiency achieved for the STL). See FORMS – Language Proficiency Forms.
Required languages must be approved by the student’s advisor and dissertation director. They are normally drawn from primary/secondary sources that are used for scholarly research in theology and religious studies. Other languages may be considered if relevant to the dissertation research.
Language proficiency is demonstrated by:
passing a written language proficiency exam offered by the GTU, by the University of California (Berkeley), or by JST;
four semesters of undergraduate language study with a B in the final semester;
one semester of full-time graduate study in a foreign university in which the language of certification was used for instruction and written work, and for which the student earned the equivalent of a B grade;
or, in certain cases, orally.
Students are normally expected to take the comprehensive exams unless they are waived due to previous completion as part of an SSL or STL. The decision will be made on a case-by- 7 case basis. (See the Comprehensive Exam Requirements on page 11 for the preparation and taking the exams.) In the semester in which they take comprehensive exams, students must register for STD 6600 Comprehensives (6 credits). Students will not be allowed to submit a dissertation proposal unless they have completed their comprehensive exams.
Register for at least six (6) credits of registration in STD 6601 Dissertation Preparation. Please see the Dissertation Requirements on pages 11 and following.
Timelines
The First Year should be concentrated on coursework, research readiness, and language preparation. During this year, the student will gain deeper knowledge in the selected area of specialization, gain greater familiarity with JST/GTU faculty who may serve on the Comprehensive and/or Dissertation Committees, as well as develop the required mastery in scholarly research and writing.
The Second Year should mostly focus on comprehensive examination and taking additional coursework as appropriate. Through the comprehensive examination, normally taken in the third or fourth semester, the student demonstrates a deep knowledge and integration of both the general area of the field of study as well as the mastery of the pertinent literature in the area of specialization, which will be further developed in the dissertation. The research readiness must be completed by the summer of the second year.
Either also in the second year, or carrying on into the Third Year, the student should work on the dissertation proposal. Once the proposal is approved by JST, the student’s status is changed to “STD candidate,” and they can start writing the dissertation. Students must complete all language requirements prior to submitting their dissertation proposal.
The Fourth Year is to complete the dissertation and successfully defend it. The student concentrates on the research, writing, and revision of the dissertation itself, in close contact with the dissertation director and the other members of the dissertation committee.
If the dissertation is not finished and defended in the fourth year, this project must be completed in the Fifth Year.
Faculty Roles to Advise Students
Faculty members play a number of roles for students in addition to teaching.
Academic Advisor
All students have an academic advisor. Faculty advisors must be permanent faculty (tenured, tenure track, senior lecturer or lecturer). Academic advisors guide students as they pick courses to meet degree requirements. Generally, the academic advisor is in the student’s area of concentration. Students should meet with their academic advisor during each registration period (early registration and regular). The advisor will help the students pick classes, set up SRCs, and consult with the student in case of academic questions and difficulties (incompletes, accommodations, pass/no pass, or leaves of absence). The academic advisor is the first faculty member the student should consult on any academic matter.
Dissertation or thesis advisor
This faculty member guides STD students during the completion of their major paper. This professor also guides students as they prepared for doctoral comprehensive exams. The thesis advisor must be qualified with academic expertise in the student’s concentration area. This expertise will be complemented by readers’ expertise when the thesis readers are selected. Very often the thesis advisor is also the academic advisor, but not always. The thesis advisor is responsible for keeping the student moving toward completion of the project and, in consultation with the readers, determining if the student’s thesis meets the requirements for earning the degree. The thesis advisor will consult with the Program Director and then the Associate Dean when necessary about a student’s work and progress toward degree.
Initial Academic Advisor
Students are assigned an initial academic advisor during the application process. All applications for STD degree program are reviewed by the Assistant Dean of Enrollment, the STD director, the potential advisor, and the Associate Dean and the Dean. During the admission process, the STD director invites one or more faculty members in the applicant’s area of interest to consider working with the student as the initial academic advisor and potential but not necessarily the dissertation advisor. The Associate Dean assigns the academic advisor and the Dean makes the final determination of admission based on inputs from all reviewers.
Changing Advisors
Changing Academic Advisors
For reasons of personality, expertise or availability, students sometimes need to change advisors. This begins as an informal process where the student consults the current academic advisor, other faculty members who might serve as academic advisor and the Program Director. If everyone agrees, the student will email the Associate Dean a request to change advisors, copying the current advisor, the new advisor and the Program Director. If there is some uncertainty or difficulty consulting with the current advisor, students should consult with the Program Director who can help them identify a new advisor. Changes will be shared with the Registrar who tracks academic advisors.
Changing Thesis or Comps Advisors
If a student is finding difficulty working with a current thesis advisor, s/he should first consult with the advisor directly to discuss difficulties. The Program Director is available to help negotiate difficult conversations and suggest paths forward. If it is not possible for the student and the thesis advisor to continue working together (because of content developments, availability or interpersonal matters), the student should work first with the Program Director to identify a suitable director. Then the Program Director should make a formal recommendation to the Associate Dean to change thesis advisors, which are usually honored.
Temporary Advisor Changes
When a thesis advisor or an academic advisor is on leave, it is the advisor’s responsibility to:
Help the student make preliminary selections for classes for one or two semesters in advance.
Help the student to identify a substitute advisor and notify the Program Director about the arrangement.
NOTE: If no other arrangement has been made, the Program Directors shall serve as the advisor for the students in their programs when faculty members are on leave.
Comprehensive Examination Requirements
STD students should consult with their academic advisor to determine when they are ready to take the comprehensive exams. The exams must be completed before the student can submit a dissertation proposal. The general procedures for comprehensive exams are as follows:
Students must register for six (6) credits of STD 6600 Comprehensives for the semester in which they take comprehensive exams.
Academic advisors will manage the coordination of the STD comprehensive examinations and their administration for their respective students.
The student’s advisor in the area of concentration will oversee the preparation of the relevant bibliographies for the exams. In addition, the advisor consults with the student about the procedures and preparation for exams and attends to the student’s particular interests and the theologians most relevant to the student’s work.
Examinations will be administered by an exam board of minimum two faculty (the academic advisor, another faculty member in the student’s area, suggested by the STD director, and if necessary, a third examiner from another area or school) with assistance from the Associate Dean’s Office. The exam board is responsible for writing the exam questions, and the office of the Associate Dean will help proctor them.
The written comprehensive exam covers two days. The first day will be on the general subject areas, cover the methodology, issues, authors, and concern of the concentration field. The second day will be more specific in the areas of student’s focus and the background for dissertation. Students generally have three hours per day to write; students whose native language is not English may petition for an extension of time to 4.5 hours per day.
An oral comprehensive will be required in all circumstances; this will be a one-hour oral with the readers incorporating the content of all written exams and time permitting, including some relevant aspects in terms of focusing the dissertation topic.
The two possible grades for the comprehensive examinations are pass and no pass, as determined by the board. The academic advisor is responsible for communicating the results of the exams to the Registrar and the student.
If a student does not pass the comprehensive examination, one further attempt may be undertaken, but no sooner than 90 days after the first written examination.
Satisfactory Academic Progress While in Continuing Registration Status Generally,
Satisfactory Academic Progress for STD students is governed by the Academic Policies and Procedures, posted on JST’s website. This policy pertains only to students who are in continuing registration status.
While a student is in continuing registration for the STD program, the program director in consulting with the dissertation director will review whether the student is making satisfactory academic during each semester. This determination will be based on: (a) the frequency and quality of contact between the student and their director and (b) the student’s making progress in research and writing of their dissertation. The director will inform the student is a letter communicating their progress, and if necessary, will inform the Associate Dean if the student fail to make satisfactory progress.
If the student is not making satisfactory academic progress, the Associate Dean will place the student on academic probation, informing the Registrar, the director and the student of this change in status. Students on academic probation will not be eligible for institutional aid from the school.
Students who are on academic probation will be permitted to enroll in one additional semester of continuing registration in order to make progress toward their degree. If any student does not make satisfactory progress during the semester on academic probation, the Associate Dean will consult with the student’s director to determine whether to dismiss the student for academic reasons or to continue the student and on what terms. The student, the director, and the Registrar will be informed of the outcome of the determination.
Dissertation Requirements
This section describes in greater detail the process and requirements for completing the dissertation for the STD degree. The major steps are demonstrating research readiness, the formation of the dissertation committee, the submission of the proposal, the completion of the dissertation and defense, and the final submission of the dissertation to JST, SCU and the GTU.
Research Readiness:
To ensure that students are given concrete, constructive feedback early in their STD Program, there will be a Research Readiness Review of each student generally at the beginning of the third semester of enrollment.
The STD Program Director will send a letter of notification to every student who must meet the Research Readiness Review. The Director will direct such students to arrange an appointment with their academic advisor at the beginning of the semester. A copy of the letter will be sent to the academic advisor and the Registrar.
Students should request that professors in TWO courses submit an evaluation of a paper of at least 20 pages completed in the professors’ respective courses. Note: Students who earned the STL at JST need only submit ONE form to be completed by a faculty member other than the person who directed the student’s STL thesis/paper. Students who completed the STL at another institution may, with the advisor’s approval, submit their STL thesis for Research Readiness Review by a JST faculty member, and submit one other paper for review.
Using the Research Readiness Form, faculty members will evaluate the student’s paper and forward the completed form to the student’s academic advisor. The academic advisor, in conjunction with one other faculty member, evaluates the review materials with particular attention to identifying strengths and weaknesses, and to offering suggestions for addressing the weaknesses and promoting the strengths. The academic advisor will communicate the substance of this evaluation to the student in writing and to STD Program Director.
The Research Readiness forms, the graded papers provided by the student and the academic advisor’s evaluation will become part of the student’s research readiness file, which is maintained in the JST Registrar’s Office. The academic advisor is responsible for gathering and submitting the materials.
Successful completion of this research readiness review is required before the students submit their dissertation proposal.
Forming the Committee:
All STD dissertations will be directed by a committee of three scholars, the chair of which must ordinarily be a member of the JST full-time permanent faculty and will serve as the dissertation director.
Working with the dissertation director, the student will choose two other committee members, who have expertise in the proposal subject matter, at least one of whom is also a fulltime JST faculty member. The third reader may be from JST, or from an accredited university or graduate theological school other than JST.
With approval from their dissertation directors, students may request approval for other qualified readers from the Associate Dean, submitting a curriculum vitae with this petition.
Dissertation Proposal:
All students must submit a dissertation proposal before commencing work on the dissertation. See FORMS – Dissertation Proposal.
A dissertation proposal should adhere to the following guidelines:
The proposal should be 5-7 double-spaced pages (excluding the bibliography) with one-inch margins and 12 point readable type. Footnotes should appear at the bottom of the appropriate page(s). The proposal should include the following sections and accompanying headings in the following order:
Title page: (Should include not only student name and proposed title of the dissertation but also the name of the director, readers, and the date the proposal is being submitted). Names of director and that of readers may only appear if they have read and given their approval to the proposal in its present form.
Introduction: Introduce your topic and why/how you became interested in it. o Scope and Nature: Situate the topic in the field of discourse in which it is located/give its context/background (internal boundaries); indicate the history of this topic in prior literature; that is, to what conversation are you trying to make a contribution? Indicate the limits of your work, things that won’t be covered that might be expected (external boundaries).
Thesis Statement: In one or two sentences, state what the work will attempt to demonstrate or accomplish (that is, if not accomplished, the dissertation changes drastically). Put another way, indicate the question (a gap, a problem, a puzzle to be solved) your thesis will attempt to answer: Then state the claim you will defend: your argument/thesis as answer to the question.
Methodology: Explain the theoretical frameworks and specific methodological tools that will be used for research and/or analysis. This is not a question about how the text/research will be organized.
Significance: Discuss the significance of the work within the discipline and possibly other communities (religious, local, political, national, etc.) and possibly for the scholar. That is, why is this work important? What difference will it make and to whom?
Chapter Outline: Give a clear indication of what each chapter of the dissertation will include. (NOTE: the chapter outline must comply with the spacing requirements of the proposal, i.e. that it is double- and not single-spaced text.)
Short Bibliography: In addition to the 5-7 page proposal, the student must include a short bibliography (no more than 4-6 pages) consisting of the most significant works/materials that will be used in the research/work, preferably arranged by topical heading. Students should include references in languages other than English when appropriate.
The dissertation proposal must be written in English, although the dissertation may be written in other languages familiar to the director and committee.
A yearly appointed committee of three faculty members, one being the program director, will be assigned to review and approve each dissertation proposal after it has been approved by the Dissertation Director and the readers on the committee. The Dean will appoint faculty members to serve on this committee. The Committee will review proposals and determine whether to approve, reject or recommend a revised proposal, providing brief feedback to the student via the dissertation director. For the present, the faculty approval committee should use the JST’s “Dissertation Proposal Evaluation Form” which appears in this handbook’s form section.
The dissertation director will inform the JST Registrar when a proposal receives approval, making sure that the necessary “Dissertation Proposal Approval” form is signed and submitted (see forms sections of this handbook).
Writing and Defending the Dissertation:
The STD dissertation should be written between 60,000 to 80,000 words in length, including notes, bibliography and appendices. It should be typed double-space with letter quality printing following The Chicago Manual of Style/Turabian Manual for Writers.
Students must submit all completed chapters for review to their dissertation director before circulating them to members of the dissertation committee. Some readers will prefer to see the entire first draft when it is ready, others, with the approval of the director, will opt to read the dissertation chapter by chapter.
When the director deems the dissertation ready for oral defense, s/he will seek agreement from all committee members that the dissertation is defensible in their professional academic judgment before directing the student to schedule the defense.
Students must register for at least six (6) semester units of STD 6601. They will continue to register in STD 6601 thereafter, with enough units to remain full time, until they move into Continuing Registration status.
Upon receiving approval to defend the dissertation, it is the student’s responsibility, under the supervision of the advisor, to schedule the defense on the JST campus. The student will defend her/his dissertation in a session with the committee, open to the academic community of JST and GTU faculty and students. The grade (and honors, if any) will be communicated to the student after the defense. After passing the defense, the student will have an opportunity to give a public lecture on their dissertation in an event organized by JST to share the fruit of their scholarship to the public.
The defense is generally scheduled for two hours at a date agreed upon by all the members and at least two of the three readers must be present in person. (The third reader may be present by means of a video conference call)
The defense must be scheduled at least three weeks prior to the proposed defense date.
Students must work with the Academic Operations Associate to schedule a room at JST, submit an abstract, and make provisions for publicizing the event in a public manner.
The defense will be conducted as follows:
At the beginning of the defense, the student will have between 15 to 20 minutes to explain the content of the dissertation to the assembled group.
The committee will have appropriate time to question the student both individually and as a group.
Once the committee has finished its own questioning, the chair of the committee may invite questions from the audience. This public question period should not last more than about 10 minutes.
Once the public questioning is completed, the committee will go to another room and meet privately for post-defense deliberations with the program director. During this deliberation, the committee determines the following matters:
whether the student demonstrates that he or she has met the standard of a doctoral dissertation both in written work and oral performance. Each member of the committee completes a separate ballot.
whether revisions must be made in the written dissertation. It is the director's responsibility to follow up with the students for the revision. Major revisions to the dissertation must be approved by the whole committee before the final submission. Minor revisions need to be approved by the director only.
whether to award honors to the dissertation. There is a separate form for it.
during the post-defense meeting, the STD director will ensure that all appropriate forms are completed and signed, i.e., the STD ballots and the form for the award of honors. The STD director will collect them and return them to the registrar.
After their deliberations, the dissertation committee reconvenes the oral defense. The STD director will publicly announce whether the student has passed the STD or not. The STD director will also inform the honor (if there is any) privately to the student in an email. No public announcement of honor occurs at the defense.
The defense is ended, hopefully within two hours of the scheduled time.
Honors and Revisions:
The granting of honors (if any) will be considered after dissertation is satisfactorily defended as determined by the dissertation committee. The decision to confer honors must be agreed unanimously by the whole committee, based on the quality and creativity of the written work and the quality of performance at the oral defense and not taking into account the student’s GPA. The committee will NOT announce publically at the dissertation defense whether or not the candidate has been awarded honors. The STD director will inform the student of the committee’s deliberation privately via e-mail, copying the Registrar on the notification. S
TD Dissertation may be awarded honors as follows:
Pass: Dissertation is accepted with major or minor revision and satisfactory performance at the oral defense.
Pass cum laude: Dissertation is accepted with no or little revision and outstanding performance at the oral defense (equivalent to A- grade).
Pass magna cum laude: Dissertation has the potential for publication and excellent performance at the oral defense (equivalent to A grade).
Pass summa cum laude: Dissertation constitutes a substantial contribution to the field and exceptional performance at the oral defense (equivalent to A+ grade).
Filing of the Dissertation:
For style, formatting, copies and other requirements for submission of STD dissertation, please see the Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation submission guidelines and associated forms here and available online on the Registrar’s page at http://www.scu.edu/jst/academics/registrar.
Filing Deadline: STD dissertations must be defended, graded, corrected, signed, approved by the GTU Library and submitted to the Registrar for May graduation with all fees paid by the first Monday in May and for Fall graduates by the late registration deadline for Fall Semester registration.
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