PTS Catalogue - Princeton Theological Seminary

completion of the Comprehensive Examinations. The proposal should contain
within it a recommendation for the constitution of a Dissertation Committee. The
Department will record the area colleagues’ evaluation of the proposal and will act
on the recommendation for a Dissertation Committee, forwarding both findings
onto the Office of Academic Affairs, Ph.D. Studies.
AREA II: History and Ecumenics
1. Church History and History of Doctrine
At PTS, the history of Christianity, commonly referred to as Church History and the
History of Doctrine, is an integrative, interdisciplinary program that encompasses
social, theological, institutional, and cultural history of the world’s Christian communities,
their ideas, and their practices. It also offers resources from related fields
in the history of religions, history of worship, sociology of religion, missiology, and
ecumenism. The program’s goal is to train scholars to develop an area of specialization
within a context of breadth, balancing particular interests with an attention to
Christianity’s larger history and global expansion.
Residence Requirements
The program in Church History and History of Doctrine includes five eras: the early
church, the medieval church, the Reformation, the modern European church,
the American church. Over the two years of residence, a student must successfully
complete eight doctoral seminars. The purpose of coursework is to develop
historical breadth, hone research skills, and prepare for comprehensive exams.
Students must choose these seminars in consultation with their advisers
to constitute a coherent core of studies while meeting the following
distribution requirements:
1. A departmental seminar or individual tutorial on historical method
2. Church History seminars in at least three different eras (early, medieval,
Reformation, modern, American)
3. One seminar chosen from doctoral offerings at Princeton University
4. At least one seminar from among the department’s broader offerings,
such as mission, ecumenics, history of religions, and sociology of religion
5. Two electives, chosen from doctoral courses of the department, the rest
of the Seminary, or the University
Ph.D. candidates are free to audit other courses in the Seminary catalogue, such
as those offered in the master’s program. If such courses are taken for Ph.D. credit,
additional work will usually be required.
Language proficiency in French and German is required. Ph.D. candidates are
also encouraged to develop further language skills through auditing Seminary
courses or enrolling in appropriate University courses. These opportunities, however,
do not count toward the eight seminars.
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