After three years of innovation, dedication, and academic excellence, Columbia Biblical Seminary (CBS) at Columbia International University has officially received accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) to continue offering its flexible, non-residential Ph.D. program.
Offered entirely online, the program allows students to pursue a doctoral degree without leaving their career or ministry. With guidance from an experienced faculty mentor, students also receive academic support and are challenged to grow spiritually into a well-rounded scholar.
Dr. John Harvey, the Ph.D. program director, describes the program as dissertation-centric resembling European programs, but incorporates coursework similar to North American programs.
“The difference is that the coursework focuses on refining students’ topics rather than on adding more content as North American programs do,” Harvey said. “It is particularly attractive to men and women who have solid Bible and theology backgrounds and want to get started on their research early in their program rather than waiting to work through two years of courses.”
That drew retired pastor Charles Stone of Laurel, Mississippi to the program. These days he consults churches, coaches pastors and writes books.
“It allowed me to finish a Ph.D. at my pace, and not in a five to six-year program,” Stone said.
Josh Waltman, a theology professor from Rustburg, Virginia calls the CIU Ph.D. program, “outstanding on every front.”
“CIU has developed a reputation as a place that produces Great Commission Scholars,” Waltman said. “I am absolutely thrilled to be ‘branded’ in this way with other alumni, and it has helped me narrate my theological commitments and goals to employers.”
No Residency Requirements
Harvey notes that most online Ph.D. programs have required residency periods during which students must travel to and study on the seminary campus, usually for one or two weeks. But in the CBS program, students never have to leave home, and can realistically complete their degrees in three, four, or five years while studying alongside their full-time ministry or employment.
“CBS students never need to come to campus because the Association of Theological Schools has given us a permanent exception to the residency requirement for the Ph.D. degree in their accrediting standards,” Harvey said.
Another Advantage: Mentorship
Harvey also notes that students have the advantage of entering the program with a preliminary idea for their dissertation topics. Three foundational courses intentionally help sharpen and focus the topics before students begin their dissertation research and writing.
“Eighty percent of the program, then, is devoted to research, writing, and defense under the direction of a dissertation mentor who is an expert on the student’s topic,” Harvey said. “CBS recruits dissertation mentors from outside the university to work with students on the basis of how closely their interests and expertise align with a student’s research topic. That approach means that the sky is nearly the limit on topics that students investigate.”
Pastor Stone appreciated his mentor calling him, “a good sounding board and a source for ideas” as he worked on his dissertation on “Pastors and Stress: Enhancing Their Resilience to and Recovery from Stress.”
Waltman, the Virginia professor, says the mentorship aspect of the program sets CIU apart from similar programs noting that his mentor was “an encourager, coach, and model for how to approach scholarship as a follower of Christ.”
“He helped me work through the research even when it was challenging, prayed for me and my family regularly, made suggestions for next steps in scholarship, and ensured I was really ready to complete the program when the time came.”
Currently, there are 70 students working on 70 different topics with 70 different dissertation mentors. Students have the option of three concentrations:
Another attractive aspect of the program: it costs 20-50% less than most Ph.D. programs in the United States and Europe!
Importance of Accreditation
Harvey says ATS accreditation is considered “the gold standard” for institutions that offer graduate theological education adding that “The ATS standards represent the best thinking of over 270 graduate theology schools in North America.”
With ATS accreditation, CBS programs have national (ABHE – The Association for Biblical Higher Education), regional (SACSCOC – The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges), and professional (ATS) stamps of approval.
Learn more about the Ph.D. programs at Columbia Biblical Seminary in these YouTube videos:
- What is the Modified European Model? – YouTube
- Ph.D. Programs at Columbia Biblical Seminary – YouTube
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