In the summer of 2021, Gordon-Conwell formally transitioned to new degree programs. Learn More. The program below remains active for students who entered before that time who have not yet graduated. No new students are being accepted into this specific program.
The Boston University School of Theology and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Hamilton, Massachusetts, are partnering to offer a joint Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in History & Hermeneutics: Mission Studies Concentration. The program combines the Boston University School of Theology’s broad academic resources as a mainline theological institution with a respected, university-based doctoral degree; and Gordon-Conwell’s recognized faculty, research facilities and worldwide contacts as one of the largest evangelical seminaries in North America. Not only is Boston University the largest private research university in New England, it also has one of the largest international student populations in the United States.
The program’s core faculty, representing the disciplines of mission history, missiology, evangelism, world religions and the social sciences, draws from both schools. Students enrolled in the program may take courses at the appropriate academic level from all faculty at the two institutions, and have access to the libraries, specialized centers and research facilities of both schools.
At Boston University, these resources include faculty in the disciplines of missiology, evangelism, the philosophy and history of religions, comparative global ethics, congregational studies and the social sciences, including renowned scholars such as Dana Robert, M.L. Daneel and Bryan Stone. The School of Theology has major holdings in mission history, Bible translations, hymnody, and the ecumenical movement; the university library has one of the best African Studies collections in the world. University resources include departments of anthropology, sociology, religious studies (which covers world religions including Judaic Studies, Islamic Studies and South and East Asian Religions), the Danielsen Institute and the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs. The Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University School of Theology sponsors a speaker series, library resources in missiology, and research by faculty in non-western mission and history of Christianity. Missiology students can receive training in media through the university’s College of Communications, ranked one of the best in the country.
Gordon-Conwell resources for doctoral students include faculty in missiology, apologetics, theology and church history. The extensive library holdings of its three campuses in South Hamilton and Boston, Massachusetts, and Charlotte, North Carolina, include the urbanology collection of its multicultural, multiethnic campus in inner city Boston, the Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME). The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell, with the research strengths of internationally recognized statisticians Drs. David Barrett and Todd Johnson, editors of the World Christian Encyclopedia (Oxford University Press) serves as a resource for the study and understanding of Christianity internationally. The J Christy Wilson Jr. Center for World Missions offers lectures, events and overseas missions opportunities for students, and resources for missions scholars-in-residence.
Also available to doctoral students are the scholarly resources of all the theological institutions in the Boston Theological Institute (BTI), including those in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Strong relationships the two partnering institutions have with the World Council of Churches and the Lausanne Movement further extend resources for doctoral candidates.
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in History and Hermeneutics: Mission Studies Concentration is offered in partnership with Boston University. Please contact Boston University directly at (617) 353-3036 or [email protected].