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This degree has been designed to prepare students who wish to pursue doctoral studies (Ph.D. or Th.D.). It requires a more focused concentration of courses beyond the core curriculum.
Upon completion of the Master of Divinity, Research Track, students should:
- Have a capability in the original languages.
- Have a competent grasp of the biblical story.
- Be able to effectively communicate the message of the biblical text and its application to their audience.
- Possess the skills to exegete the context in which they live so as to intersect their culture with the message of the Bible in a relevant manner.
- Be actively involved in spiritual formation on an individual and corporate level.
- Have the appropriate leadership philosophy and skills development that permit them to serve the church effectively.
- Possess a competent overview of theology from a biblical, historical, and systematic perspective;
- Be able to reflect theologically upon an issue.
- Have an understanding of the church as a spiritual organism and organization.
- Know how to do quantitative and/or qualitative research.
- Have a competence in communicating the facts and importance of research they have done in a particular area.
- Have a superior knowledge of the discipline in which their research has taken place.
The MDiv research degree is designed for a limited number of exceptional students who plan to pursue further studies toward a research doctorate. The program includes a thesis and requires 96 credit hours instead of the 90 required in other MDiv tracks. The thesis will be 100-125 pages in length, and it must be defended in an oral exam conducted by the seminary faculty. For graduation students must obtain a grade of at least 75% in all Bible and theology courses and the thesis. Students may enter the seminary with an intention to pursue the research track, but formal admission to the program is given only after the student has completed at least 10 courses.
Students admitted to the research track must have at least a 3.25 GPA in their undergraduate degree program; must have completed at least 10 seminary courses with an average grade of at least 88%; and must have research interests that can be adequately supported by a Heritage professor. Appropriate areas of research are those that are related to courses available at the seminary and are connected to specific areas of research in which seminary faculty are involved. In other words, some thesis topics may be inherently interesting and appropriate in some setting, but not at Heritage Seminary at a particular point in time.
Students who have completed at least 10 courses and wish to apply for the program must submit to the academic dean a written proposal indicating a clearly defined topic to be explored in a thesis. Applicants would be wise to consult with faculty members in advance to discuss possible topics and to determine informally whether there is a professor able and available to direct the research. After receiving a proposal, the dean will consult with faculty members to see if there is a professor who can serve as a director for the thesis, and if the dean and professor agree to support the proposal, then it will be brought to the faculty for final approval.
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Academics 
