Does anybody know whether I would possibly be able to enroll in a PhD program at an ATS accredited seminary with a Master of Theological Studies degree under my belt? Or do you think that I would need a ThM? Thanks for any input!
I think it's going to depend on what kind of PhD you're interested in. I think you'd have a great chance of getting accepted into Tennessee Temple's PhD in Leadership or Johnson University's PhD in Leadership Studies program. Each degree offers track options in Business, Education or Ministry. Tennessee Temple is TRACS accredited and well respected. Johnson University is regionally accredited. Tennessee Temple's program runs about $18k, Johnson's is 24k. Both are extremely affordable as far as accredited, doctorate level study goes. Depending on your specific needs and/or wants, either program would be a solid choice. If regional accreditation is a must for you, Johnson may be your answer.
It depends Hard to say. It may depend on whether or not they want to see a completed thesis (generally optional in and MTS program). If the school is also regionally accredited there is bound to be a GRE requirement. There isn't a yes or no answer to this question, it just depends. Most people I know who have started a Ph.D., completed the coursework, and not made it through the dissertation have stumbled when trying to meet the languages requirement. The Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, requires an M.A. or M.Div. and also requires two modern and two ancient languages for most areas. Language exams have to be passed by the end of the second year. While the GTU does not (yet) offer any purely online degrees they do offer about 40 courses online each semester. See Ph.D./Th.D. Application Information | Graduate Theological Union for their admissions requirement. BTW their doctoral students are also admitted to UC Berkeley and are generally expected to have a CAL faculty member on their dissertation committee. - lifelonglearner
Actually, the usual path to the PhD or ThD is either the MA or ThM/MTh. The usual degree for entry to a Doctor of Ministry degree is the MDiv. The reason is that the MDiv is a practitioner degree, which lays the groundwork for a professional doctorate--the DMin. The MA or ThM/MTh is an academic degree, which lays the groundwork for the academic doctorate--the PhD/ThD. Of course, there are variables to both routes; however, the normal/typical/suggested route is described above.