The Center for Advanced Theological Studies prepares women
and men for teaching and academic ministries by offering programs in a broad
range of theological disciplines for both the Master of Theology (ThM) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Theology (PhD) degrees.The breadth of the
program is reflected in the available concentration options:
The PhD in Christian Ethics at Fuller prepares graduates to be knowledgeable in the history of Christian ethics and the writings of major Christian ethicists and to be able to critically assess the different approaches relating normative Christian ethics to biblical and theological grounding. They will develop their own method in Christian ethics.
Students will take seven or more seminars during Stage One of their program, choosing from a list that includes the following:
- Method for Concreteness in Christian Ethics
- Love, Justice, and Community in a Postmodern Time
- Jesus and the Moral Life
- Ethics of Reinhold and H.R. Niebuhr, and John H. Yoder
They will have the opportunity to take one or two graduate seminars in ethics at other universities in the Los Angeles area, or to spend a semester abroad at a graduate school.
Students will complete at least one modern research language and one biblical language, and have a working knowledge of another modern research language.
The PhD in Christian Worship at Fuller prepares graduates to be knowledgeable in the history of Christian worship from the apostolic churches to the contemporary churches, in the various traditions, in liturgical theology, and in ritual studies, and to be able to evaluate liturgical texts and events in their original context and language.
Students will take seven seminars in Stage One of their program, including:
- Liturgical Theology
- Liturgical History
- Ritual and the Life of Faith
- Worship and Culture
- Word and Worship OR
- Sacraments and Sacramentality
Students will complete two research languages, typically choosing from French, German, and Latin.
The PhD in Church History and Historical Theology at Fuller prepares graduates to be knowledgeable in historical methods that enable research and writing at the professional level, including a working knowledge of research languages; to understand church history and to be able to interpret the major events and issues of at least two of the following eras: the patristic era, the middle ages, the Reformation, and the modern period since the Reformation; to have a specialized mastery of a specific field within church history; and to interpret the subjects and issues of church history and historical theology to the academy, church, and culture.
All students are required to take the Historiography seminar.
In addition, they must take an additional six seminars during Stage One of their program from a list that includes the following:
- Ecclesiology in Historical Perspective
- The Church in Modern Society
- History and Development of Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements
- Evangelical Theology and History
Students will complete three research languages, typically German, French, and Latin; and both biblical languages.
The PhD in New Testament at Fuller prepares graduates to have a comprehensive knowledge of the literature, history, and theology of the New Testament; to have the appropriate linguistic skills for academic study of the New Testament; and to pursue their own research agendas in the service of the church, academy and society. Students will take the following seminars during Stage One of their program:
- Research Methods in New Testament Study
- The New Testament in Its Ancient Contexts
Students must also take Advanced Greek, as well as two seminars in one of these three areas: Synoptic Gospels, Johannine Literature, and Pauline Literature.
Students will complete at least five research languages, including Koine Greek, biblical Hebrew, and either Aramaic or Latin, as well as two modern languages, typically German and French.
The PhD in Old Testament at Fuller prepares graduates to be knowledgeable in the books of the Old Testament and the context in which they were written; to have advanced skill in Hebrew; and to have the capacity to pursue a research agenda in service of church, academy, and society. Students will take six seminars, as well as six 2-unit courses in ancient languages, in Stage One of their program. Seminars offered for Old Testament students include:
- Old Testament Critical Methods
- Ancient Near Eastern and Israelite Religion
- Old Testament Ethics
- Old Testament Hermeneutics
Within the Old Testament concentration are three emphases from which students can choose: Old Testament Language, Criticism, and Exegesis; Old Testament Hermeneutics; and Ancient Near Eastern Context of the Old Testament.
In addition to biblical languages, students will be proficient in three research languages, typically German, Aramaic, and a third language determined by the student’s focus.
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The PhD in Philosophy and Philosophical Theology at Fuller prepares graduates to be knowledgeable in major trends in modern and contemporary (largely Anglo-American) philosophy and in the literature and methods of philosophical theology; to skillfully interpret, analyze, and critique philosophical and theological texts; and to contribute to current arguments in the disciplines.
Students are required to take the following two seminars during Stage One of their program:
- Methods in Philosophy
- Theological Uses of Postmodern Philosophy
Students will study either eight units of one research language, or four units each of two research languages, choosing from French, German, and Latin.
The Practical Theology concentration focuses on the theology and practice of the church in service of the missio Dei in multi-cultural contexts with attention to biblical, theological, socio-cultural, and historic resources. Studies in the Practical Theology concentration address the question: In this cultural context, what kind of leadership is needed to create the environments for faithful discernment and praxis in the life and mission of the church?
Applicants are required to have completed the Master of Divinity degree, including Biblical Greek and Hebrew at the level required in Fuller Seminary’s Master of Divinity program, and to have had the equivalent of three years of full-time ministry experience. In order to demonstrate ministry experience, applicants must submit an executive summary of paid and volunteer positions held — including church and parachurch, part-time and full-time — sketching primary responsibilities and accomplishments.
The following are seminars that have been offered by the Ministry Division in recent years:
- Practical Theology Methods
- Conversion
- Pastoral Psychotherapy
- Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Healing
- Supervised Clinical Practice
- Christian Spirituality
In addition to demonstrated competence in Biblical Greek and Hebrew at the level required inFuller Seminary’s Master of Divinity program, students in Practical Theology concentration arerequired to complete two research languages.
Students may choose one of the following areas of specialization, in which case they will take at least three seminars in this area:
- Missional Ecclesiology, Cultures, and Leadership
- Pastoral Care
- Spirituality, Spiritual Formation, and Evangelism
- Youth, Family, and Culture
Students in the Preaching and the Arts concentration will gain a comprehensive knowledge of homiletics, and be able to influence the field of homiletics within the church.
Students in the Preaching and the Arts concentration will take the following seminars in Stage One of the program:
- Practical Theology Methods
- Theology Seminar (typically Ecclesiology)
- History Seminar (typically Historiography)
- Preaching and the Arts
- Homiletics
- Hermeneutics for Preaching
- Electives
Students are required to know both biblical languages, and will complete two modern research languages, or one modern research language and one theoretical language, or one modern language and one research methodology seminar.
Students in the Theology concentration will know the main fields of theology, the leading theologians, and will gain an understanding of the various theological methods, the various Christian traditions, and world religions.
Students in the Theology concentration are required to take the Theological Method seminar. They will also take six other seminars in Stage One of their program, choosing from a list that includes the following:
- Contemporary Christology I: European Trends
- Contemporary Christology II: Trends in Britain and North America
- The Politics of Jesus
- Bonhoeffer
- Dante’s Comedy: Art/Theology
- Current Trends in Ecclesiology
- Pneumatology
- Christian Theology of Religions
- Theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg
Students will complete three research languages—two modern, typically German and French, and one ancient, typically Latin.
Students in the Theology and Culture concentration will gain knowledge of the literature, history, and practice of the field of theology and culture, will be able to research within the discipline, and will have a thorough knowledge of a sub-discipline. All students will take a seminar in Theology and Culture: Methods and a seminar in Christian Ethics. They will choose three other seminars, one in the area of liturgical theology and worship, and two in the area of integrative theology. They will complete these seminars during Stage One of their program, choosing from a list that includes the following:
- Dante in the Context of Medieval Art and Theology
- Aesthetic Theology
- General Revelation
- Ritual and the Life of Faith
- Theological Uses of Postmodern Philosophy
- Liturgical Theology or Liturgical History
- Word and Meaning
Students will complete two research languages, choosing from Spanish, French, and German. Students who have not previously studied the biblical languages will replace one of the modern languages with a study of either Hebrew or Greek.