Description
What if you had a guidebook that you could turn to at each stage of your academic journey to help you navigate through the process of getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and succeeding in the academic world? Prepare, Succeed, Advance is precisely intended to fill that need. From theory to practice, you will find discussions and answers to the most pertinent and pressing questions that prospective and current doctoral students are faced with. Alongside the questions about the process, there are also smaller matters. This guidebook tackles all of these questions and many more in three parts: Prepare focuses on getting into a PhD program; Succeed guides you through the doctoral program, especially the writing of the dissertation; and Advance treats issues that relate to success in the academic world.
About the Author
Nijay K. Gupta is Associate Professor of New Testament at Portland Seminary. He has written or edited six books and has published dozens of academic articles. He is an awardwinning researcher and a member of the Society of New Testament Studies.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prepare
1. Choosing a Doctoral Program
2. Preparing for Doctoral Studies: From Education to Application
3. Making the Application
Succeed
4. Orientation to the PhD and Choosing the Research Topic
5. Doctoral Exams and Dissertation Work
6. How to Defend Your Work (Preparing for Your Formal Defense)
Advance
7. Orientation: From PhD to Employment and Beyond
8. Conference Participation and Publishing
9. Teaching Experience
10. Job Hunting, Interviewing, and Publishing the Dissertation
11. Advancing towards a More Healthy, Diverse, and Inclusive Academy
Conclusion
Bibliography
Endorsements and Reviews
This is the book I wish I’d had when I applied to PhD programs. Reading it is like having an honest heart-to-heart with a very wise friend who will guide you capably through the wilds of the PhD and into the first few years beyond.
Rebekah Eklund, Loyola University Maryland
Nijay Gupta offers a very helpful guide to students who are considering the world of theological academic scholarship. He is deeply aware of the challenges, pitfalls, and prospects facing students, and in this book offers helpful guidance for how to navigate the world facing them. It is definitely one I will be handing on to my ongoing students.
Mariam Kovalishyn, Regent College
While nothing can replace face-to-face conversation and counsel, Gupta’s eminently readable little book is one I will recommend to students as it provides a succinct but thorough guide for those who are discerning or planning to pursue an advanced degree in biblical studies. Furthermore, Gupta’s wisdom, tips for self-care, and balance are on display in each chapter.
Joshua Jipp, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
For anyone considering doctoral work (and what follows) in biblical studies, Nijay Gupta’s book is a must-read. Full of practical advice and the wisdom of experience, Prepare, Succeed, Advance is the (survival) guide I did not read many years ago because nothing like it existed. But now it does, and it is a gem, even better the second time round.
Michael J. Gorman, St Mary’s Seminary and University
In this volume Gupta, professor of NT at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL, seeks to demystify the preparation for and experience of a PhD program in biblical studies…Gupta concludes with the following principles to keep in mind: think big picture, have a support system, be patient, be creative, and take risks, be focused, be eclectic, set a benchmark, and count your blessings.
New Testament Abstracts 66/1, July 2022
