Ph.D. by Published Works

OPEN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY / DOCTORAL SCHOOL

Doctoral examination of a substantial scholarly contribution established before registration.

AWARD   PhD

CREDITS   90

NORMAL DURATION   4 - 12 months

BASIS   Earlier publications

Research route and eligibility

This selective retrospective route is for established scholars who can demonstrate an original, coherent and independently attributable contribution through previously completed research. It is not honorary recognition, an award for seniority or a degree granted merely for publication volume.

Applicants submit full core works and verification of peer review, dates, authorship and prior degree use, together with a preliminary 2,000-3,000-word synthesis. The normal article-based corpus is five to eight substantial peer-reviewed works, or an approved equivalent. All core works must have been published or unconditionally accepted before registration, with at least one already publicly available. A pre-admission eligibility review is compulsory.

Requirements and credit structure

After registration, candidates complete a fresh 3,000-5,000-word contextualisation dossier and a 20,000-30,000-word critical synthesis. The new text evaluates the research trajectory, contribution, limitations, current scholarly significance and theological implications. Previously accepted work alone cannot replace this analysis.

Assessed components

PW01   Doctoral Contextualisation and Corpus Confirmation Dossier (10 credits)

PW02   Verified Published Research Corpus (50 credits)

PW03   Critical Synthesis and Contribution to Knowledge (25 credits)

PW04   Independent Doctoral Examination (5 credits)

TOTAL   Total (90 credits)

Independent examination and timing

Two independent external examiners assess the work and question the candidate through a viva voce or approved accessible equivalent. Normal registration is 4-12 months, with earliest normal final submission at 4 months and a 12-month maximum active period. That interval is additional to the earlier years of scholarship underpinning the corpus.

Biblical foundation: 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (CSB)

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