Admission Prerequisites

• Students desiring admission to the Doctor of Education program must have earned a regionally-accredited Master’s degree totaling no fewer than 48 hours, with at least twelve hours in biblical or theological studies and at least twelve hours in leadership, administration, education, or ministry studies.
• Students having earned a Master’s degree but lacking required hours may complete the additional hours through online or on-campus study at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
• The student must have completed his or her Master’s degree with a minimum grade point average of B+ (3.3 on a 4.0 scale).

Actions Required for Admission

• TOEFL: Non-native English speakers, including those who have graduated from any U.S. school, must submit an official score report of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL scores must meet a minimum of 90 for internet-based test (iBT), 233 for computer-based test (CBT) or 575 for paper-based test (PBT).
• GRE: All students must submit an official copy of the GRE score. All test scores must be less than three years old and must be officially submitted to the Admissions Office by January 15 in order to be considered for admission into the following spring/summer term.
• Graduate Field Essay: Applicants who have completed the application requirements by the appropriate deadline and who are believed to have a reasonable possibility of acceptance may be invited to take the Graduate Field Essay. The Graduate Field Essay is offered for EdD applicants in February each year on the campus of Southern Seminary. (Applicants residing outside the contiguous United States should contact the Research Doctoral Studies office for additional testing information.)
• Interview: A member of the faculty in the applicant’s desired area of study will interview each applicant. Applicants who are invited to take the Graduate Field Essay will be scheduled for their faculty interview on the same day that the Graduate Field Essay is taken.
• Research paper: A graduate-level research paper in a field related to leadership, education, or ministry be submitted with the application.
• Vita: Students should also include with the application a personal vita, no more than two pages in length, which includes previous academic studies, rationale for doctoral studies, personal goals, area of research interest, and description of current and past ministry responsibilities.