Courses | Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies

Program Requirements

The Talbot School of Theology offers Ph.D. degrees in Intercultural Studies and Educational Studies. Each program requires a minimum of 51 credits past the appropriate master's degree.

Time Limit for Degree Completion

All course and academic requirements for the Ph.D. 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. At times, students may need to interrupt their programs for a semester or more for a variety of personal or work-related reasons. See a full description of the policies regarding leave of absences below.  

Withdrawal and Re-Admission Procedures

A student who must drop out of school 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 TTDS 8500 Leave of Absence each term.

Dismissal

Students may be dismissed from the program for the following reasons:

1. Failing the proposal defense
2. Failing 3 or more classes (with grades less than a B-)
3. Failing to attain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or more
4. Any form of plagiarism (defined in the Graduate Student Handbook)
5. Failing to complete an approved dissertation within the 7 years allotted

Curriculum Requirements

Ph.D. students may take hybrid courses, which includes both on-campus courses and online courses, to complete their program. 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Program Courses
TTDS 7000	Cross-Cultural Leadership	3
TTDS 7010	Method and Theory in Cross-Cultural Studies	3
TTDS 7020	Social Anthropology	3
TTDS 7030	Dynamics of the Religious Experience	3
TTDS 7040	Culture and Transformation	3
TTDS 7050	Intercultural Communication	3
TTDS 8010	Philosophical Issues in Doctoral Studies	3
TTDS 8030	Theological Integration	3
TTDS 8040	Foundations of Doctoral Research	3
TTDS 8050	Qualitative Research	3
TTDS 8060	Developing a Literature Review	3
TTDS 8070	Research Design	3
TTDS 8900	Exams and Dissertation Proposal	3
TTDS 8910	Dissertation Field Research 1	6
Electives
Select 6 credits of TTDS electives		6
Total Credits		51

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After completing their coursework, students will enroll in TTDS 8910 (3 credits) for at least two semesters for a minimum of 6 credits. TTDS 8910 must be taken every semester until the successful defense of the dissertation, and students must be enrolled during the semester of graduation.