Description of program: This program is 1 of 3 doctoral programs in Practical Theology (the others are Christian Education and Homiletics). The Pastoral Theology program is primarily designed for persons intending to teach in seminaries. Its graduates, however, also pursue careers in pastoral counseling and other ministries.

Faculty: Donald Capps (Ph.D., University of Chicago); Robert Dykstra (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary); and Deborah ran Deusen Hunsinger (Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary in New York). Their particular interests are listed in the Ph.D. program announcements available from the Ph.D. Studies Office.

Admission requirements: The B.A. and M.Div. or their equivalents. Prior experience in some form of pastoral ministry is also expected. Campus visits are strongly encouraged. The application deadline is in early January for matriculation for the following September.

Program requirements: The curriculum consists of 8 doctoral-level seminars in the first 2 years of residence; a set of comprehensive examinations normally taken in the third year; and the writing of a dissertation normally completed by or before the end of the fifth year. Proficiency in 2 foreign languages (usually French and German) must also be demonstrated. Among the 8 doctoral seminars, 4 are required in Pastoral Theology, 2 in interdisciplinary seminars designed for all Practical Theology doctoral candidates, and 2 electives. Pastoral Theology students are encouraged to take seminars in other areas of the seminary curriculum. Because the doctoral seminars are quite specialized, applicants are strongly advised to have taken several pastoral care and related courses in their M.Div. and/or Th.M. studies.

Clinical component: Clinical opportunities are provided through Trinity Counseling Service in Princeton, a pastoral counseling center. Other clinical options are available in the Philadelphia to New York corridor. Princeton Theological Seminary has a reciprocal relationship with Princeton University which allows seminary students to take courses and seminars at the University for no extra charge. Pastoral Theology doctoral students may gain substantial teaching experience as teaching assistants in M.Div. courses.

Titles of recent dissertations: 1) Young Hwang, A study of Hwa-Byang in Korean society: narcissistic/masochistic self disorder in Christian conversion; 2) Antoinette Goodwin, The father of personal prehistory: a psychoanalytic and pyschotherapeutic study of women's search for a living faith.

Cost and financial aid: Students admitted to the program may receive fellowships (tuition plus $12,000) or merit tuition scholarships (full tuition) plus need-based grants for up to $6,500 for single students and married students with no children; and up to $11,000 for students with dependent children, for up to 4 consecutive years.

Graduate placement: Recent graduates are serving as seminary professors, pastoral counselors, hospital chaplains, and congregational pastors.

Current number of students: Usually 7 to 8 students in residence in Pastoral Theology.

Contact person: The Ph.D. Studies Office, Princeton Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 821, Princeton, NJ 8542-0803, 609-497-7818, www.ptsem.edu. Feel free to contact faculty members directly: Donald Capps, 609-497-7988; Robert Dykstra, 609-252-2115; or Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, 609-497-7884.

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