Doctorate in Spiritual Theology (PhD)

Orientation :

Doctorate in Spiritual Theology offered by the IIS is oriented to assist doctoral students to make personal contribution to scientific and theological research through the writing of a dissertation, which is to be accomplished under the guidance of a competent professor, within a reasonable time-limit. The candidates study in depth and specialize in the various areas of Spirituality in tune with their specific field of research. The doctoral dissertation consists of a minimum of 250 pages and a maximum of 450 pages. The extent of the course may vary between the minimum duration of two years and the maximum duration of five years. However, the scholarship offered through the Institute will be for two years, with the possibility of extending it for one more year, if the student produces the approval letter of the moderator regarding the progress of his/her research.

Eligibility:

Admission to the Doctoral Studies in Spiritual Theology demands a Master's Degree in Theology (MTh) with at least a second class in the examinations or its equivalent degree in Theology, the validity of which will be adjudged by the competent authorities of the Institute. In the latter case, the student should pass a qualifying examination conducted by the Institute.

Participation:

Candidates for doctorate have to participate in the doctoral programmes organized by IIS in association with St. Peter's Pontifical Institute and in alliance with certain norms followed by the Bangalore University. These programmes are aimed at expanding the candidate's knowledge and experience through in-depth and skilled scientific and methodological training, systematic guidance, discussion with fellow researchers, consultation with professors in their areas of specialization, presentation of the results of research, publications and the development of further progressive skills through workshops, learning of source-languages and hermeneutic and analytic intellectual pursuits. Participation in the doctoral programmes is a sine qua non for obtaining the Doctor's degree in theology with specialization in Spirituality.

 Moderators:

Under the guidance of a moderator the candidate will do specialized studies in the area connected with his/her specific field of research. The work can be done in the form of courses, seminars or paper of specialization determined by the Department of Spirituality. Seminar on research methodology will be offered to students. The candidate shall also have a second moderator, and the drafts of the dissertation shall be approved also by him/her. (Need Revision: here it could be mentioned how the moderator is chosen, qualification, need to be in frequent touch with the moderator, and about the second moderator).

Requirements:

Doctoral Candidates should have a working knowledge of the classical languages, such as Hebrew, Greek and Latin as may be required by the nature of the research. They require also good mastery of the English language and a working knowledge of one of the modern languages, such as, German, Spanish, Italian or French, depending on the necessity of its usage in the research. The language requirement in each case is decided by the Head of the Department. [Candidates should meet their respective moderators regularly to discuss the progress of the research. The moderator is required to prepare a semesteral report on the performance of the candidate and send it to the Dean of the faculty]. (This part could be added under the role of moderators)

Doctoral Seminar :

Every doctoral student is expected to participate in the doctoral seminars conducted by IIS and present scientific papers for at least two doctoral seminars during the course of their research. Each doctoral seminar is equivalent to a two credit course. The doctoral seminar is to enhance the knowledge of the candidate regarding a topic of relevance and importance, within the scope of his/her study. The seminar is offered by the Institute every year under the guidance of competent professors. The topics of the seminar are allotted by the Department of Spirituality.

Doctoral Colloquim:

The doctoral colloquim conducted by IIS is intended to enhance the quality of the doctoral research of each doctoral student. Once in a year the doctoral students of IIS come together, along with the staff of IIS, for a constructive and critical evaluation of the progress of their doctoral studies. The first day of the doctoral colloquim will be dedicated for an in-put session on any one of the most relevant themes of Spirituality. Thereafter, each student will present a report of the progress of his/her research in the light of the scientific methodology, content, relevance and originality. Participants will be given an opportunity to evaluate, criticize and to suggest changes for the further betterment of the presented dissertation.

Publications:

One of the requirements to complete the Doctoral Programme in IIS is the publishing off a scientific article in a journal or publication with international distribution. The elaboration of the article has to be directed by the moderator of the candidate. The publishing of this article would be equivalent to a three credit course. In addition, the doctoral student has to publish an article in a journal or publication with a national distribution. The writing of this article has to be supervised by the moderator of the thesis. The publication of the article will be equivalent to a three credit course.

Other Requirements:

The participation of the doctoral student in various activities like, Study Meetings, Seminars, Study Trips and International Scientific Congresses would be acknowledged by the department as equivalent to a one credit course. So too, supervised study trips to other universities or research centres and a written report on it would be equivalent to a one credit course.

The Doctoral Committee and the Exam Procedures:

The Doctoral Committee stands as Board of Examiners for the doctoral programme.

• The doctoral candidate selects the main moderator in consultation with the Director of the Post-graduate Programme. Towards the end of the programme, the candidate should consult the second moderator.
  
  
• The second moderator will be appointed by the Director of the Post-graduate Programme in consultation with the members of the department.
  
  
• The third moderator will be appointed by the Director in consultation with the members of the department, preferably from outside.
  
  
• Upon the completion of the thesis, (mention the number of copies)unbound copies of the same are to be submitted by the candidate to the registrar who will give them to the three moderators. The primary task of the moderators, upon receiving the copy, is to give a written opinion whether the thesis can be admitted for defense. They shall also give suggestions and mark corrections. Only when two of the three moderators have given their approval in writing it is accepted for final defense. The corrections and suggestions of moderators have to be incorporated in the final form of the dissertation. In case moderators find the research wanting further perfection, the dissertation shall be revised and a second session may be arranged for approval after six months. The candidate is then expected to bind the corrected thesis and submit four copies to the Dean, who, in turn, will hand it over to the three moderators.
  
  
• The bound copies of the thesis are to be submitted at least one month before the defense. The duration of the defense will be one hour and a half.
  
  
• The public defence: The public defence shall be fixed by the moderator in consultation with the director of the faculty of Spirituality. It shall be for the duration of one and a half hours. The moderator and the co-moderator, along with competent staff delegated by the institute, constitute the panel of examiner.
  
  
• Marks and grading system: The final grade of the doctoral candidate will be determined by adding up the marks according to the following proportions: Out of 100, Research Papers and Seminars will occupy 20%, Written Dissertation will contribute 60% and Public Defence will complete 20%. (Pass, First Class, Distinction percentage also could be mentioned).
  
  
• Special Fees: Besides the annual fees, the candidate shall pay special fees as prescribed by the Institute for the Research Proposal, Dissertation Approval and for the Public Defence.
  
  
• Publication of the Thesis: To obtain the doctoral certificate one has to publish the whole or a part of the thesis and submit 30 copies of the same to the Institute. Books should be printed on a quality paper with the standard size (demy 1/8 = 8.5' x 5.5').

Guidelines for the Presentation of Dissertations:

• The candidate has to fill-in an application prescribed for this purpose after selecting the topic and hand it over to the Dean.
  
  
• The Dissertation should be typed in white paper of good quality and sufficient opacity. All sheets of paper used should be of the same quality. Manifold paper should not be used.
  
  
•  'A4' size paper should be used for typing the dissertation. The text of the dissertation should be typed with 1.5' line spacing, except in the case where quotations are given in indent. A space of 15' (is it 1.5?) on the left margin and a space of 1' on the right margin should be kept. A space of 1' should be kept on the top and at the bottom of the page. Dissertation should be typed only on one side of the paper.
  
  
• Number of Pages: Doctoral thesis 250 - 500; M.Th Dissertation 100 - 200; Diploma Dissertation 40 - 60. As a rule, students should limit the number of pages of the dissertation as indicated above. In special cases, with the written permission of the Moderator, a dissertation could exceed a few more pages than the prescribed limit.
  
  
• The cover page shall have the format approved by the Institute.

Fees

Scholarship

  IIS offers partial scholarship to its registered students. To be eligible for the same the students have to comply with the norms and regulations of registration within the stipulated time. The scholarship money is distributed to students at the end of the academic year.