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Objectives
Admission Requirements
Program Requirements
Time Limit for Degree Completion
Withdrawal & Re-admission Procedures
Leave of Absence
Oral Interview & Admission to Doctoral Study
Comprehensive Examinations
Admission to Candidacy
Dissertation
Final Oral Examination
Graduation Requirements
Residency Requirement

Objectives

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Intercultural Education equips Christians for professional careers in the field of formal, non-formal, and informal arenas of education. Our chief goal in the program is to produce graduates who can think Christianly about their field, and engage in research and writing which helps contribute to new understandings of cross-cultural issues in education. The skills gained in pursuit of the degree involve teaching, academic mentoring, research, and writing. The Ph.D. in Intercultural Education allows the student to pursue knowledge and understanding of the cultural components of the educational process in diverse contexts.

Admission Requirements

1. Applicants to the Ph.D. in Intercultural Education program must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average. Graduates from approved unaccredited colleges, if accepted, will be granted provisional acceptance, if GPA is 3.4 or higher. Graduates from approved unaccredited colleges may be required to take additional liberal arts course work (not applicable toward the graduate degree), if their undergraduate program did not include these courses.
2. Those without intercultural/missions or Bible/theology may have additional coursework added to their program.
3. Applicants must submit a written statement outlining their vocational objectives and how the degree will relate to those objectives. Applicants should attach a one-page, typewritten letter to the application.
4. Three letters of references on forms supplied by the school are required.
5. Official transcripts for all previous schools attended are required.
6. Application deadlines. M.A. programs and D.Miss.: Fall is August 1, Spring is January 1; Ph.D.: Fall is April 15, Spring is October 15. Applications may be submitted after deadlines (late fee of $55) but will only be considered if space and time allow. Late applications may be postponed to later terms.

Note: Official documents presented for admission or evaluation become part of the student's academic file and normally cannot be returned or copied for distribution.

An accredited master's degree or its equivalent appropriate to the Ph.D. in Intercultural Education is required for admission. Students must have a GPA of 3.30 in their previous graduate studies. Three years of cross-cultural experience plus proficiency in a second language is expected of students pursuing the intercultural emphasis. Three years of teaching experience in a multicultural setting or its equivalent is expected of students pursuing the multicultural emphasis.

Program Requirements

The Ph.D. in Intercultural Education program requires a minimum of 60 units past the appropriate master's degree, with 48 semester hours of course work and 12 semester hours of dissertation research.

The 48–unit component of the program contains a 15–unit education core requirement, a 9–unit sequence of education research requirements and 9 units of theological reflection and integration. This allows the student to select an emphasis from the remaining 15 required units from a wide variety of courses offered across the University curriculum.

If a student has completed a master's degree that does not contain the background necessary for the Ph.D. in Intercultural Education program, the total program will be longer than 60 units, as determined by the program director. A faculty advisor will guide each student in planning a program of study to serve his or her career needs. The degree offers an emphasis in either intercultural or multicultural education. Students are expected to choose the emphasis most appropriate to their research interest.

Education Core (15 units)

ISCL 815	Educational Philosophies in the Great Religious Traditions	3
ISCL 765	Crosscultural Leadership	3
ISCL 823	Crosscultural Teaching / Learning Strategies for Curriculum	3
ISCL 816	Educational Theory	3
ISCL 825	Comparative Human Development	3

Education Research (12 Units)

ISCL 875	Strategies in Library Research	1
ISCL 803	Qualitative Research	3
ISCL 879	Research Design	3
ISCL 891	Dissertation Proposal	3
ISCL 896	Ph.D. Research Seminars	1–3

Theology / Integration (9 Units)

Students in the Ph.D. in Intercultural Education program may select Bible/theology courses from a wide range of courses taught by the faculty at Biola University's seminary, Talbot School of Theology, or from among the theological integration courses offered by qualified faculty within the School of Intercultural Studies. Students with no formal biblical/theological training prior to entering the program must have the selection approved by the program director.

Emphasis (15 Units)

In consultation with the academic advisors, a student is encouraged to select courses from the broad range of expertise available across the university campus in support of his or her particular research interests.

Dissertation (9–12 Units)

Time Limit for Degree Completion

All course and academic requirements for the Ph.D. in Intercultural Education degree should be completed within seven years, beginning on the date of the student's first registration. Petitions for extension beyond seven years will be considered on a case-by-case basis for students who may encounter extensive field research requirements.

Withdrawal & Re-admission Procedures

A student who must drop out of school or is planning to return to field service must go through the formal withdrawal process. To return to active status the student should contact the program director and file a readmission form with the Office of Admissions.

Leave of Absence

Inactive students are those who have requested and been granted Leave of Absence from the program. A Leave of Absence may be granted upon petition for change of status if there is deemed sufficient reason for interrupting the program and intention to return to the program.

A Leave of Absence must be renewed by petition each semester and may not exceed two consecutive semesters. A Leave of Absence longer than two semesters will require withdrawal from the program and a petition for readmission if the student later wishes to regain active status. Each leave of absence must receive the approval of the student’s program advisor and the Dean of the school. Students on leave are required to register for ISCL 893 Leave of Absence each term.

Oral Interview & Admission to Doctoral Study

All students are required to participate in an oral interview with a committee of the faculty to evaluate their progress and potential for successful completion of the doctoral program. The interview is scheduled after one semester in residence. Submission of at least one significant piece of written work demonstrating the student’s capacity to produce satisfactory doctoral research and writing is required prior to the interview. If needed, an oral interview with a faculty committee may be held to evaluate a student’s progress and potential for successful completion of the doctoral program. The interview will be scheduled after at least one significant piece of written work demonstrating the student’s skill in research writing is completed. The result of the interview will determine the student’s status within the program.

Comprehensive Examinations

Doctoral students are required to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of their field of study by examination. The content of the comprehensive written exams includes material from the core areas of the curriculum and the student’s particular specialization. These exams are normally taken at the conclusion of all the coursework, but field personnel may negotiate the timing of these in consultation with the director of the program.

Admission to Candidacy

Achievement of candidacy for the doctorate follows successful completion of the comprehensive examinations.

Upon reaching candidacy a student must register for a total of 12 dissertation units prior to graduation. Units are ordinarily taken at the rate of three or more units per term during the dissertation stage and this constitutes full-time enrollment. During dissertation phase doctoral students are considered full time for a maximum of two years.

Candidates will select a chairperson from the graduate faculty to guide their dissertation research.

If the doctoral candidate has not defended the dissertation by the time the 12 dissertation units are completed, the candidate must enroll continuously, in ISCL 892 Ph.D. Continuous Research, each semester until graduation. This enrollment carries no academic credit but maintains the student’s continuous registration.

Students who have advanced to the level of candidacy who are unable to register in person for their dissertation research or continuous enrollment courses may register in absentia by sending a written request to the Office of the Dean. A special fee of $45 applies.

Dissertation

The dissertation process begins with approval of a candidate’s proposal before one’s doctoral committee prior to beginning the student’s field research.

The doctoral dissertation is based upon research grounded in educational and cultural theory appropriate to the candidate’s emphasis and conducted in some aspect of educational theory or practice. The dissertation is expected to demonstrate the candidate’s capacity to complete original research that contributes to the understanding and practice of education in its cultural context.

Final Oral Examination

The final examination is an oral defense of the dissertation before the doctoral committee and other invited professionals. Successful defense of the dissertation completes the candidate’s responsibilities for the degree which is conferred in the scheduled graduation ceremony immediately following the defense.

Graduation Requirements

All students must present an acceptable dissertation, have satisfactorily passed their comprehensive examinations and completed all required course work with a minimum 3.3 GPA to qualify for graduation.

Residency Requirement

SICS Ph.D. students taking coursework at Biola's School of Intercultural Studies extensions must take at least 50% (24 units) of the coursework at Biola's main Southern California campus in La Mirada.