Doctoral Studies in Theology
PhD (Theology) / DMin Admission Open for July 2025 Batch
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Important Dates
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July 1, 2025
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Last date for submission of PhD application.
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July 16, 2025
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Entrance test (Online)
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July 18, 2025
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Interview (Online)
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July 22, 2025
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Declaration of Results
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August 01, 2025
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PhD Orientation Programme
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August 11, 2025
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Online PhD Coursework
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About The Programme
The University shall award the PhD in Theology, PhD in Christian Studies, Christian Management and Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree to candidates who satisfactorily complete the requirements in this scheme of regulations. The degree certificate shall indicate the faculty under which the degree is pursued and mention the thesis title.
Eligibility and Duration of Programmes
PhD in Theology
Duration
- The maximum duration shall be three years and a maximum of six years, which the Doctoral Committee may extend up to one year only in exceptional circumstances.
- After completing six years and any permitted extension period, the candidate should apply for readmission. Readmission will include the entrance test, the coursework, and the fees currently charged at the time of the new application. Such candidates have to petition the Doctoral Committee for approval to reapply.
- The admission date will be counted from the date the admission letter is sent, soon after the announcement of the entrance test results.
- Women candidates may be provided with an extension of the PhD for an additional 240 days. Scholars who wish to take advantage of this provision will write to the Dean of Research stating the reason for such extension.
Eligibility
- MTh., or its equivalent, recognised by the FTRS and approved by the Doctoral Committee of MLCU.
- A Minimum of 2 years of ministerial experience.
- Competence in the chosen field for the Master's degree in research.
OR
Since the M.Phil. is discontinued under the NEP policy, a four-year B.D./MDiv can be considered for a one-year research degree to pursue a PhD and obtain competence in a chosen field of research.
PhD in Christian Studies
Duration
- Minimum duration of three years.
- The maximum duration shall be six years, which the Doctoral Committee may extend up to one year only in exceptional circumstances.
- After completing six years and any permitted extension period, the candidate should apply for readmission. Readmission will include the entrance test, the coursework, and the fees currently charged at the time of the new application. Such candidates must petition the Doctoral Committee for approval to reapply.
- The admission date will be counted from the date the admission letter is sent, soon after the announcement of the entrance test results.
- Women candidates may be provided with an extension of the PhD for an additional 240 days. Scholars who wish to take advantage of this provision will write to the Dean of Research stating the reason for such extension.
Eligibility
- A postgraduate degree in any field or a B.D./MDiv with a one-year research degree to pursue a PhD to obtain competence in a chosen field of research.
- Minimum two years of experience in ministry or teaching experience.
- The Doctoral Committee will determine competence in researching in the specialisation chosen.
PhD in Christian Management Studies
The world is not in danger of a shortage of resources, but it is at risk of a shortage of faithful stewards. Jesus came to seek, restore, and redeem a broken world. The fundamental principle of a PhD in Christian Management is the practice of redemptive stewardship, which aims to transform the world with commitment, dedication and faithfulness to God's resources entrusted to humanity. It seeks to serve the Church's management resources and the management of NGOs to be good stewards of the resources.
PhD in Christian Management is:
- To enhance advanced thinking and discovery of knowledge in the management of Church management and NGOs with the Christian principles and practices.
- To develop skills to conduct scholarly research with adequate skills in current research trends, practices, and implications for future research in Christian management.
Duration
- Minimum duration of three years.
- The maximum duration shall be six years, which the Doctoral Committee may extend up to one year only in exceptional circumstances.
- After completing six years and any permitted extension period, the candidate should apply for readmission. Readmission will include the entrance test, the coursework, and the fees currently charged at the time of the new application. Such candidates must petition the Doctoral Committee for approval to reapply.
- The admission date will be counted from the date the admission letter is sent, soon after the announcement of the entrance test results.
- Women candidates may be provided with an extension of the PhD for an additional 240 days. Scholars who wish to take advantage of this provision will write to the Dean of Research stating the reason for such extension.
Eligibility
- Master's degree (MA) in Christian Management or its equivalent postgraduate degree from any recognised university OR
- MTh., with a bridge course in management studies and accepted by the FTRS (Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies) of MLCU.
- MBA or an equivalent degree in management with a bridge course in Biblical and Theological foundations on Christian leadership and stewardship, recognised by FTRS and approved by the Doctoral Committee of MLCU.
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Duration
- Minimum duration of three years.
- The maximum duration shall be six years, which the Doctoral Committee may extend up to one year only in exceptional circumstances.
- After completing six years and any permitted extension period, the candidate should apply for readmission. Readmission will include the entrance test, the coursework, and the fees currently charged at the time of the new application. Such candidates must petition the Doctoral Committee for approval to reapply.
- The admission date will be counted from the date the admission letter is sent, soon after the announcement of the entrance test results.
- Women candidates may be provided with an extension of the PhD for an additional 240 days. Scholars who wish to take advantage of this provision will write to the Dean of Research stating the reason for such extension.
Eligibility
- A BD or MDiv or its equivalent recognised by the FTRS and approved by the Martin Luther Christian University Doctoral Committee.
- Minimum of five years of experience in pastoral ministry.
DMin to PhD
Duration
- Minimum duration of three years.
- The maximum duration shall be six years, which the Doctoral Committee may extend up to one year only in exceptional circumstances.
- After completing six years and any permitted extension period, the candidate should apply for readmission. Readmission will include the entrance test, the coursework, and the fees currently charged at the time of the new application. Such candidates must petition the Doctoral Committee for approval to reapply.
- The admission date will be counted from the date the admission letter is sent, soon after the announcement of the entrance test results.
- Women candidates may be provided with an extension of the PhD for an additional 240 days. Scholars who wish to take advantage of this provision will write to the Dean of Research stating the reason for such extension.
Eligibility
- A DMin Degree from a recognised University/Board approved by the FTRS.
- A minimum of five years of ministerial experience.
- Competence in doing research in the specialised field of Christian Ministry.
Admission to The Programme
- a. The candidates shall apply to the University in the prescribed form, attaching the required documents and fees. Besides, the candidate shall submit an essay of about 500 words on why the applicant wishes to pursue a doctoral study for the degree applied and a tentative research proposal of approximately 1500 words with 5 to 10 academic references.
- The entrance exam will test the candidates in the following areas :
1. English competency
2. Research Methods / Methodological Approaches related to the Field of Research.
3. Analytical skills
4. Community Orientation - The interview will test the candidate's competencies in research in the chosen discipline, motivation for research, and capacity to pursue doctoral studies.
- A candidate shall ordinarily be admitted based on satisfactory performance in the entrance test and the interview. The qualifying marks for the entrance test shall be 50%. The candidate will be admitted to the doctoral study after being declared successful in the entrance test and interview.
- As required by the UGC, the candidate should complete coursework comprising two modules: module 1 – Social Science research and teaching pedagogy for 11 credits and module 2 – Theological research methodology and academic writing skills for nine credits, totalling 20 credits.
- The coursework duration should be completed within six to 12 months with a research proposal.
- After completing the coursework as prescribed, the candidate should submit a research proposal to the Doctoral Committee in the format specified in the Manual for PhD in Theology and Christian Studies.
- Suppose a candidate does not complete the prescribed coursework satisfactorily within eighteen months. The candidate must reappear and pass the entrance test to continue the PhD study.
- The candidate shall not have simultaneous PhD registration with other Universities/boards/institutions.
Fees
- All applicants will submit a filled-in application form, the required documents and the application fee. The candidate will pay the entrance test fee on being declared eligible to appear for the entrance test.
- Applicants who pass the entrance test and interview shall pay the registration and first-year tuition fees together.
- The candidate must pay the Research Proposal fees on submission of the research proposal.
- The annual fees must be paid until the candidate's results are declared.
- Candidates will be required to pay the examination fees along with the submission of the thesis.
Click on the link below to view the fee structure.