London School of Theology Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the relationship between LST and ATS?

  • Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS) has developed a relationship with London School of Theology/University of Middlesex (LST), for the purpose of providing external supervision of postgraduate students enrolled at LST.
  • LST-ATS students are granted full library privileges, research supervision, an e-mail account, a seminary mailbox, access to student housing (Kentucky Campus) and student health insurance, and other benefits consistent with student status at ATS

2. What does the program require?

  • The Ph.D. at LST is a research degree, which emphasizes the writing and successful defense of a thesis. It typically includes minimal or no coursework. The research emphasis centers on the student’s substantive original contribution to the chosen field of study.
  • Research languages are required insofar as they are required for the research one proposes. In biblical studies, Hebrew, Greek, French, and German are base-line expectations to which other languages (e.g., Aramaic, Latin) may be added.
  • PhD students are expected to complete their work in three years of full-time study, four years of part-time study.
  • Whether the student is expected to maintain proximity to one of the geophysical campuses of ATS is subject to the requirements of the student’s supervisor. In any case, regular, substantive contact between the supervisor and student is required.
  • Applicants to the PhD, if admitted, are admitted to the MPhil, with an upgrade to the PhD expected no later than the end of the second year of enrollment.
  •  “Enrollment” into the MPhil/PhD is followed within 6 months for full-time, 10 months for part-time students, by an hour-long proposal defense, involving the student and the supervisor before a panel of two additional faculty.
  • For the PhD thesis, the maximum allowable length is 100,000 words, strictly enforced.
  • The thesis defense is held at LST; otherwise, travel to London is not a typical requirement of the program.

 3. Who would my supervisor be?

  • Postgraduate students have two supervisors — an S1 (first supervisor) and an S2 (second supervisor). Persons who are currently approved to supervise include Joel Green, Bill Arnold (Old Testament studies), Ben Witherington, David Bauer, Fred Long (New Testament studies), Zaida Perez, Larry Wood (theological/philosophical studies), Steve O’Malley, Bob Tuttle (church history), Mike Pasquarello, Lester Ruth (worship, preaching), Mike Rynkiewich (missions/ anthropology), Russell West (intercultural leadership), and Michael Matlock (Old Testament/Second Temple Judaism).
  • Upon approval by LST, other ATS faculty may serve as supervisors as needed. 

4. What does the program cost?

  • Upon admission, students are responsible to meet all enrollment and tuition obligations at LST, as well as to enroll as a Visiting Ph.D. Student (VPS status) each fall and spring semester at ATS, until they have successfully defended their dissertation.
  • The equivalent of four (for part-time status) or six (for full-time status) hours of postgraduate tuition is charged each semester at ATS. The cost of ATS tuition is generally offset by a reduced rate charged by LST

5. What about scholarship assistance?

No scholarship assistance is available from LST, but loans are available through the Sallie Mae Option Loan at www.salliemae.com. LST school identification number is 037383-00.

  • Financial assistance may occasionally be available to PhD students through the ATS’s Teaching Intern program..

6. How do I apply?

  • (1) Alert Larry Wood, coordinator for the LST/ATS PhD Affiliate Program, regarding your plans for application. (2) Visit the LST website (www.lst.ac.uk); contact LST by e-mail: research.admin@lst.ac.uk; or write to the Research Administrator, London School of Theology, Green Lane, Northwood, Middlesex, England HA6 2UW. When you request application materials, state your interest in the “externally supervised PhD program at Asbury Theological Seminary.” Unless you are proposing to relocate to England, you do not need to have the medical form completed.
  • Students with educational backgrounds in the USA, with a GPA less than 3.70 in all graduate work, are required to submit scores from the Graduate Record Exam. (To register for the GRE, visit www.gre.org. ATS School Code: 1170.) The GRE must have been completed within 5 years of application. A minimum score of 600 is expected on the Verbal section of the Exam, 5.0 on the Analytical. For persons for whom English is not the first language, a 7.0 on the IELTS is required. For information on how to register for the GRE or IELTS, contact the Office of Admissions, ATS (admissions@asburyseminary.edu).
  • The application for admissions will require a substantive research proposal, which should demonstrate the applicant’s familiarity with the chosen field of inquiry, the focus of the proposed research, and a thesis statement that evidences already the direction of the applicant’s substantive original contribution. Length: four pages.
  • Copies of the above materials must also be submitted to Larry Wood at ATS, as the admissions process will include a formal interview with him and the applicant’s prospective supervisor (larry_wood@asburyseminary.edu, or Dr. Larry Wood, Asbury Theological Seminary, 204 North Lexington Ave., Wilmore, KY 40390 USA).
  • LST bears final responsibility for student admissions.