The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program equips students for research and writing within the scholarly community as well as teaching in colleges and theological seminaries.

Speaking broadly, Christian higher education is offered at three levels. The purpose of the Bible college is to train Christian workers. The mission of the seminary is to educate Christian leaders. The purpose of postgraduate studies is to equip Christian scholars.

The Ph.D. is the recognized terminal degree that students take in most disciplines as preparation for a life of scholarship. Central Baptist Theological Seminary offers this degree to prepare scholars for research, writing, and teaching within the biblical and theological disciplines.

The Ph.D. program at Central Baptist Theological Seminary is explicitly academic and not professional in nature. The program does not aim to equip people for work as pastors, missionaries, or evangelists. Of course, the pastorate (for example) is not necessarily incompatible with scholarly pursuits, and some pastors do contribute to the world of scholarship. Therefore, we do not exclude pastors or other Christian workers from the Ph.D. program, but Christian workers whose only goal is to increase their stock of ministry skills should seek a different kind of program.