Satisfactions for Graduation Upon Completion of ATS Programs
Prerequisites
- A Master of Theological Studies (M.A.T.S.) or its equivalent 60 academic hour Master’s degree (Students with a non-theological degree need at least 45 academic hours of Master’s level theological courses). Working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew is suggested which normally consists of one grammar and one exegesis course in each language.
- Active in theological training at graduate and/or post-graduate level and with MINTS
- Willing to have one’s course materials be posted on MINTS web site and be used for a MINTS course
- Approved by the MINTS Doctoral Program Coordinator.
- Able to demonstrate that studies can be completed in 5 years.
Program Goals
- Provide mentorship for theological curriculum developers by D.Min. and Ph.D. credentialed professors of education and theology
- Produce theological curriculum materials in different languages. The courses will be posted on MINTS websites.
- Prepare the graduates to be doctoral program mentors in their language and field of work.
- Develop teams of doctoral mentors to develop contextualized courses for regional study centers.
Course Requirements
- The completion of 5 modules of study.
- Each module of study is supervised by a D.Min. or Ph.D. professor, approved by the Doctoral Program Coordinator and final reading committee.
- The course will be no less than 100 pages (8’ by 11’, 12 font, 1.5 spacing) and no more than 150 pages, not including the appendix.
- At least 5,000 pages of annotated bibliography will be read and annotated for each module entry (a total of 25,000 annotated bibliographies)
Academic Requirements
To register for academic credit, the following time requirements apply: one academic credit constitutes 30 hours of academic work including lectures, assignments, and/or project work.
For every three-hour course, the following tasks will be completed for Bachelor and Master levels:
- Minimum of 15 hours of class time or interaction time in on-line courses and correspondence courses.
- 15 hours of homework outside of class that is reported on in class
- Reading: 300 pages for BA, 600 pages for MA; book report, class presentation
- Essay: 10 pages for BA, 15-20 pages for MA
- An examination on the course content
- An evaluated assignment or equivalent educational evaluated activities
- Purpose
The Ph.D. in Theological Studies is oriented to the mastery of theological knowledge through research and writing with the goal of developing curriculum to make a significant impact in international theological education.
- Prerequisites
- A Master of Divinity degree (minimum 90 credits) or its equivalent. MINTS D.Min. graduates enter directly.
- A working knowledge of the Biblical languages, English, and native language if not English.
- Active in theological training at the graduate and/or post-graduate level.
- Willing to have one’s research results posted on the MINTS website.
- Approved by the MINTS Academic Dean and Ph.D. program director.
- Able to demonstrate that studies can be completed in 5 years.
- Program Goals
(1) Provide mentorship for theological research by Ph.D. credentialed theology professors.
(2) Produce curriculum materials in the language of target field of study.
(3) Implement Ph.D. studies in international theological distance education programs.
(4) Establish the potential of setting up the full range of theological study programs in national and international centers, including a Certificate of Theological Studies as well as the Associate, Bachelor, Masters, and D.Min, Ph.D. in Theological Studies.
- Principal Course Requirements
- The completion of 8 modules of study.
(a) Each module of study will be supervised by a Ph.D. professor
(b) At least 5,000 pages of bibliography will be read and annotated per module
(c) Each module will require a module contract signed by the student, the supervising professor, and the mentor, as well as the first and second readers.
- Five modules will be dedicated to writing theological curriculum
(a) Students will be assigned a course mentor by the MINTS Doctoral Program Coordinator.
(b) The curriculum development undertaken by students will be approved by the Ph.D. Program Coordinator.
(c) MINTS will assign two Ph.D. readers (a primary reader and a secondary reader) who will review the materials
(d) Courses may be taken in the language of the student’s choice if Ph.D. readers can be identified to read the student’s research and writings
(e) The MINTS guidelines as stated in How to Write a Theological Course will be followed
(f) The guidelines of the MLA Handbook for writers of Research Papers or other MINTS approved guides will be used.
(g) The five courses written at the D.Min. level can be used as the first five modules of the Ph.D. program.
- In addition to the Ph.D. dissertation, two modules will be taken in the area of study specialty
(a) The student’s area of theological study interest will be identified in conjunction with the MINTS Doctoral Program Coordinator.
(b) Two modules in the area of theological distance education interest will be developed under the supervision of Ph.D. mentors.
(c) The first module is to present an annotated bibliography of 50,000 pages in the area of the student’s interest. Special attention will be given to materials available on web sites and in digital form.
(d) The second module is to develop a new strategy for implementing distance theological education.
- The Ph.D. Dissertation
(a) The doctoral student will be assigned a Ph.D. dissertation-supervisory professor by the Doctoral Program
Coordinator.
(b) The student and supervisory professor will present a thesis proposal to the Doctoral Program Coordinator for approval.
(c) The dissertation will include 10,000 pages of annotated bibliography that is generally accessible to the reader. This bibliography will be part of the 50,000-page project.
(d) The dissertation will be written in standard form (Chicago, APA or MLA if in English and its equivalent otherwise)
(e) The dissertation may be written in a language other than English if the supervisory professor and reading committee are able to do research in the designated language
(f) The dissertation will be no less than 100 pages (8’ by 11’, 12 font, 1.5. spacing) and no more than 200 pages
(g) Dissertation correspondence may be via the Internet
(h) The dissertation will be presented and defended orally in a previously agreed upon on-site location
(i) One copy will be provided to each of the MINTS Ph.D. professors, staff, board members, and two for the library
(j) Arrangements for publication of the dissertation will be approved by MINTS prior to the student’s graduation.
- Program Duration
Doctoral students will have five years to complete the writing of the 5 curriculum development courses, two years to complete the two special courses, and one year to complete the dissertation. Students who have been accepted into the Ph.D. in Theological Studies program will be guaranteed to finish the program if courses are satisfactorily completed in the allotted 5 years. Yearly program extensions may be granted for up to 5 more years.
Class Conduct
All classes will begin with prayer.
Class attendance is required. 80% attendance is required for classes. Less than 80% attendance may result in a failing grade. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the professor in case of absence and to make arrangements for all necessary work. The professor, after consulting with the Vice President of Academic Affairs, has the authority to
cancel and/or reschedule class.
Assignments
Students’ course progress will be evaluated through graded assignments. All final exams must
state clearly at the top of the examination what tools or materials may be used in the exam.
Re-examination may be permitted at the discretion of the course instructor. Students may complete assignments and take exams in appropriate languages. The professor will announce the language choices at the beginning of the course and the student will indicate his other preference.
Course Evaluation
Every course will be graded using the following format:
- Attendance – 15%
- Homework – 25%
- Book Reading – 25%
- Project – 25%
- Final Exam – 10%
The students are required to read a book for every course as part of their evaluation as well as writing a book report or review according to the instructor’s instructions. Students are also required to submit a project paper by the end of the semester in order to be graded. Students who fail the exam that is score less than 50% of the exam are required to resit the exam.
Grading
| A+ | 4.0 | 97-100 |
| A | 4.0 | 93-96 |
| A- | 3.7 | 90-92 |
| B+ | 3.3 | 87-89 |
| B | 3.0 | 83-86 |
| B- | 2.7 | 80-82 |
| C+ | 2.3 | 77-79 |
| C | 2.0 | 73-76 |
| C- | 1.7 | 70-72 |
| D+ | 1.3 | 67-69 |
| D | 1.0 | 63-66 |
| D- | 0.7 | 60-62 |
| F | 59 and under |
Required courses in which a student receives an “F” must be retaken in order to fulfill graduation requirements. To improve a course grade by no more than 15%, the course may be retaken. The final due date for all course assignments is the last examination day of each trimester. Work turned in after the trimester deadline may be penalized one percentage point per week up to 20%at the discretion of the professor. Course assignments more than three months late will not be accepted. All deadlines are set by Local Center Coordinator. Only a professor, in consultation with the Regional Academic Dean can change a student’s grade.
Graduation
The ATS graduation date is set for every 3rd Friday of June. Students will be allowed to graduate only if they have cleared their school fee and have passed all courses according to MINTS requirements. All graduands are required to pay a graduation fee of Kshs 3000 to the financial registrar or to the school bank account.
Please read this whole document carefully before committing to Agano Theological School. For more information please use the following details to contact the school:
Tel: +254704486616
Email: info.ats@gmail.com
P.O BOX 19343-20100
Pastor Keith Waweru,
Academic Dean, Agano Theological School.