Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond, 2nd ed.
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
What if you had a guidebook that you could turn to at each stage of your academic journey to help you navigate through the process of getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and succeeding in the academic world? This book is precisely intended to fill that need. From theory to practice, you will find discussions and answers to the most pertinent and pressing questions that prospective and current doctoral students are faced with: How do I choose a program? How can I gain admission into an elite program? How do I choose a research topic?
Alongside the “big” questions about the process, there are also a host of smaller matters: How do I publish an article? What conferences are out there in my field? Where do I start looking for a job? How do I get teaching experience? How do I write a syllabus?
This guidebook tackles all of these questions and many more in three parts: Prepare focuses on getting into a PhD program; Succeed guides you through the doctoral program, especially the writing of the dissertation; and Advance treats issues that relate to success in the academic world such as conference participation, publishing, employment, and best practices in teaching.
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- Focuses on the steps of getting into a PhD program
- Guides readers through the doctoral program and the writing of the dissertation
- Addressesn issues that relate to success in the academic world
Prepare
- Choosing a Doctoral Program
- Preparing for Doctoral Studies: From Education to Application
- Making the Application
Succeed
- Orientation to the PhD and Choosing the Research Topic
- Doctoral Exams and Dissertation Work
- How to Defend Your Work (Preparing for Your Formal Defense)
Advance
- Orientation: From PhD to Employment and Beyond
- Conference Participation and Publishing
- Teaching Experience
- Job Hunting, Interviewing, and Publishing the Dissertation
- Advancing towards a More Healthy, Diverse, and Inclusive Academy
For anyone considering doctoral work (and what follows) in biblical studies, Nijay Gupta’s book is a must-read. Full of practical advice and the wisdom of experience, Prepare, Succeed, Advance is the (survival) guide I did not read many years ago because nothing like it existed. But now it does, and it is a gem, even better the second time ‘round.
—Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary’s Seminary & University
While nothing can replace face-to-face conversation and counsel, Gupta’s eminently readable little book is one I will recommend to students as it provides a succinct but thorough guide for those who are discerning or planning to pursue an advanced degree in biblical studies. Furthermore, Gupta’s wisdom, tips for self-care, and balance are on display in each chapter.
—Joshua Jipp, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Having started seminary about a year after the first edition appeared, I was able to use Gupta’s abundance of clear-headed advice to build a path to doctoral study. I can see, as a student in a first-tier PhD program, that this journey would not have been possible had I not been able to learn the many unspoken rules Gupta outlines in this invaluable book.
—Jonathan Groce, New Testament PhD student at Emory University
