DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY (S.T.D.)

Scope

       The scope of the Third Cycle envisages the completion of the academic studies. During this period the students engage themselves in some teaching activity, and carry out research on a particular topic that will contribute to the progress of the Sacred Sciences and allied disciplines.

Eligibility

        For admission to the Third Cycle of Theology leading to Doctorate in Theology (S.T.D.), the applicant must hold a canonically valid Master’s degree in Theology or its equivalent in the field of his/her doctoral research with at least a high first class. In the latter case, the student should pass a qualifying examination conducted by the Institute.

       Besides English, the doctoral candidates shall be required to have an advanced knowledge of the classical languages, such as Hebrew, Greek (in the case of Biblical studies) and a working knowledge of modern languages such as German and French or Spanish as may be required by the nature of the research.

Duration

       Students in the Third cycle are required to spend at least four semesters (two years) in research work, normally to be spent in Bangalore in regular contact with the Institute. Every year the registration should be renewed. The duration of the doctoral programme may be extended upto five years from the date of the registration of the topic of research.

Requirements

       In the first year, the student is to attend the Methodology Seminar and the Inter-Disciplinary Seminar organized by the Faculty and validate the specialized courses prescribed by his / her moderator in consultation with the concerned H.O.D. In the second year, the student shall participate in the Doctoral Symposium organized by the respective departments. The student is expected to publish atleast one article preferably making use of his research materials in a recognized journal during the time of his research. 

Moderators

           The research will be conducted under the guidance of a moderator chosen by the candidate and approved by the Board of Post-Graduate Studies.  Depending on the nature of  the research, the Board, if it deems it necessary, can suggest the second moderator already at the time of the registration of the topic. The first moderator should be a qualified member of the Faculty. In rare cases if necessary the Board can permit the first moderator from outside the Faculty. In such cases the second moderator should be from the Institute.

Dissertation

       The Doctoral Thesis proposal has to be examined and approved by the Board of Post-Graduate Studies along with the moderator and two or three members from the concerned department.

            The candidate shall meet his moderator regularly to discuss the progress of his research. The moderator is required to prepare an annual report on the performance  and the progress of the candidate and send it to the Director of the Board of Post-Graduate Studies.

       Upon the completion of the research, unbound copies of the thesis are to be submitted by the candidate to the Registrar. The page limit for the Doctoral thesis is 250 - 400, excluding the Bibliography and the Appendices. The thesis, before being defended, has to be evaluated by his moderator and by two other readers, one of whom may be preferably from outside the Institute. The second and the third readers are to be fixed by the Director in consultation with the Head of the concerned Department. The readers shall submit their reports of the thesis within four to six weeks. Only when two of the three readers have given their approval in writing, the thesis will be accepted for the final defense. The candidate is expected to incorporate the corrections and suggestions given by his moderator and the two readers and submit four copies to the Registrar. If the thesis is found below the required standard, it shall be returned to the candidate for further improvement and a second session may be arranged for approval after six months.

The format of the dissertation should be according to the prescribed norms of the Institute (cf.p. 151-152).

Public Defence

Upon the submission of the corrected copies of the thesis, the Director of the Board of Post-Graduate Studies shall fix  the date of defence after consulting  the Registrar. The defense shall be for the duration of one and a half hours. The moderator and the two readers along with the President of the jury will constitute the panel of examiners.

Marks and Grading System

The grade is determined taking into consideration the aggregate of the marks obtained from the Seminars, Courses and the Dissertation in the following proportions:

Research Papers, Seminars and other courses: 20%

Written Dissertation: 60%

Public Defence: 20%.

Special Fees

Besides the annual fees the candidates shall pay special fees as prescribed in the Handbook for the Research proposal, Dissertation approval and for the Public Defence.

Publication of the Thesis

To obtain the Doctoral Certificate, the candidate has to publish his Dissertation wholly or partially as recommended by the jury and shall submit 30 copies of the same to the Institute