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Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond
What if you had a guidebook that you could turn to at each stage of your academic journey to help you navigate through the process of getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and succeeding in the academic world? This book is precisely intended to fill that need. From theory to practice, you will find discussions and answers to the most pertinent and pressing questions that prospective and current doctoral students are faced with: How do I choose a program? How can I gain admission into an elite program? How do I choose a research topic? Alongside the ""big"" questions about the process, there are also a host of smaller matters: How do I publish an article? What conferences are out there in my field? Where do I start looking for a job? How do I get teaching experience? How do I write a syllabus? This guidebook tackles all of these questions and many more in three parts: Prepare focuses on getting into a PhD program; Succeed guides you through the doctoral program, especially the writing of the dissertation; and Advance treats issues that relate to success in the academic world such as conference participation, publishing, employment, and best practices in teaching. PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION ""Gupta has kindly provided me a book version of an academic mentor. In a time when many professors are busy, Gupta walks the extra mile and makes himself present not only in person to those near him, but also in writing for those like me. I can't thank him enough!"" --Natan B. de Carvalho, College Student ""Dr. Gupta's book offered indispensable advice for me as I applied for PhD programs, completed my thesis, and applied for (and secured) tenure-track jobs. I am grateful for his service to the guild!"" --Madison N. Pierce, Assistant Professor in New Testament, TEDS ""Having started seminary about a year after the first edition appeared, I was able to use Gupta's abundance of clear-headed advice to build a path to doctoral study. I can see, as a student in a first-tier PhD program, that this journey would not have been possible had I not been able to learn the many unspoken rules Gupta outlines in this invaluable book."" --Jonathan Groce, New Testament PhD student at Emory University ""This book should be required for anyone even slightly interested in biblical higher education. I've enjoyed it so much that I've bought it three times, having given it away to two students."" --Ryan Lytton, Director of Academic Services and Adjunct Professor at Life Pacific University-Virginia ""This book has proven immensely helpful as I navigated the PhD application process. Providing useful benchmarks and invaluable suggestions, Gupta's sage advice prepared me for success."" --Benjamin Castaneda, PhD student at the University of St. Andrews ""The world of academic biblical studies can be difficult to navigate, especially for ethnic minorities. This book has prepared me well by making an opaque process clear and straightforward. I recommend it to anyone considering this path."" --Daniel K. Eng, PhD candidate, University of Cambridge ""I wanted to thank you for the invaluable guidance your book provided as I made decisions concerning my academic future. I have just completed my M.A. in Classical Studies at Villanova and was accepted into graduate programs at both Edinburgh and Oxford. Every step of the way your text provided clear and specific recommendations. It was a true blessing."" --Ken Tully, Adjunct Faculty at Villanova ""Prepare, Succeed, Advance is a tremendously helpful reference tool. As an academic advisor, I will make this the first resource I recommend to colleagues who may not have the advantage of personal experience in a PhD program. As a student, I will regularly return to Gupta's work for counsel on the next stage of academic life. Doctoral students should rejoice at having such a sure guide to academic success and commend Gupta for his contribution."" --Samuel Emadi, review in JETS 56/1 (2013) 139-141, (140-141) ""This guide is i
- GenresBiblical Studies
180 pages, Paperback
Published June 27, 2019
31 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Nijay K. Gupta
47 books197 followersNijay K. Gupta is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written or edited more than twenty books and has published dozens of academic articles. He is an award-winning researcher and a member of the Society of New Testament Studies.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 4, 2020
Better than the first edition. Very good and practical - especially helpful for the American and British scene (less so Canadian).
January 22, 2023
2023 reads: 01
Rating: 4.5 stars
Imminently practical. Gupta brings into sight many aspects of the academy and doctoral studies that are necessary if one is to succeed.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Imminently practical. Gupta brings into sight many aspects of the academy and doctoral studies that are necessary if one is to succeed.
May 4, 2020
Immensely helpful!
July 24, 2022
A primer for how to get into a PhD program. This was helpful in demystifying the academy.
May 23, 2025
Masters Reading: As I'm doing my masters presently, this little practical book was extremely helpful as I think out loud about doing a PhD in Biblical Studies and/or Theology + Church History. Really happy I stumbled across it, as it has given me a lot to think about.
1st Year PhD Reading: While the first section is no longer relevant for me, the rest of the book is incredibly helpful. Like sitting down with someone who's gone ahead and is willing to spill the practical goods. I think Gupta has pretty high standards (I know plenty of students at a few institutions who don't have the plethora of languages Gupta says they should have under their belt or who have not published a single journal article...), but it is admirable to set high goals as he suggests. Really practical nuts and bolts stuff about book reviews, article submissions and presenting at seminars/conferences that I'll surely incorporate into my work.
1st Year PhD Reading: While the first section is no longer relevant for me, the rest of the book is incredibly helpful. Like sitting down with someone who's gone ahead and is willing to spill the practical goods. I think Gupta has pretty high standards (I know plenty of students at a few institutions who don't have the plethora of languages Gupta says they should have under their belt or who have not published a single journal article...), but it is admirable to set high goals as he suggests. Really practical nuts and bolts stuff about book reviews, article submissions and presenting at seminars/conferences that I'll surely incorporate into my work.
October 27, 2023
Good book
Want to read
August 31, 20191 Choosing a Doctoral Program
There are 6 factors in choosing a doctoral program
1. Theological orientation
2. Prestige and difficulty
3. money
4. time
5. location
6. library (more important than people realize)
4 types of schools:
first-tier American schools
- 4-7 years
- mix of coursework and dissertation
- generous with aid packages
2nd-tier American schools
Seminaries
British schools
- mainly just the dissertation
- 3-4 years
There are 6 factors in choosing a doctoral program
1. Theological orientation
2. Prestige and difficulty
3. money
4. time
5. location
6. library (more important than people realize)
4 types of schools:
first-tier American schools
- 4-7 years
- mix of coursework and dissertation
- generous with aid packages
2nd-tier American schools
Seminaries
British schools
- mainly just the dissertation
- 3-4 years
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2012
Should I get a PhD? If you’ve asked yourself this question, especially about a PhD in Biblical Studies, you should read Nijay K. Gupta’s book. In Prepare, Succeed, Advance, Gupta walks through the stages of applying for a PhD (prepare), working on a PhD (succeed), and using one’s PhD to find work (advance).
In Prepare, Succeed, Advance, Gupta seeks to “provide a series of responses to a host of questions that one may encounter when travelling down the path towards a PhD in biblical studies and beyond.” The book is right on the money in this sense. While it reads through nicely, it is also the sort of work that one will want to refer to time and again–especially someone who is trying to advance through the stages of the PhD process.
In the Prepare section, Gupta guides the reader through how to select a program, including what factors to consider, such as cost, location, school prestige, and so on. Perhaps the most useful section of the book is the second chapter, in which he counsels PhD applicants in how to prepare for a PhD–what languages they’ll need to know, what reference works with which to familiarize themselves, and so on. The bibliography he provides (with comments) is a time-saver to many. He concludes the section with nuts-and-bolts advice for how to fill out a PhD program application.
The second part of the book, Succeed, is all about how to do well in a PhD program, once accepted. Gupta goes in depth with regard to how to work with one’s supervisor, how to write and plan for the dissertation, and how to prepare for the oral dissertation defense. He writes: "The point of a dissertation is not that your argumentation and evidence will convince everyone, but rather that you have made a sufficiently plausible argument using methods and evidence that are appropriate to your field and generally accepted." (He coaches to reader on how to do this, too.)
Finally, for the one who has earned her or his PhD, the final section of Advance covers everything from how to interview for a job, how and where to get teaching experience, conference involvement and article publishing (with helpful lists of journal series to shoot for), and dissertation publishing.
There is much to appreciate about this book. As a book reviewer, I particularly appreciated his section on how (and where) to write book reviews. He covered the basics well. (Key point: measure a book against its own standard; that is, does it advance its thesis successfully?)
If I have any criticism of the book (and this is hard to come by), it’s that Gupta’s section on writing the actual body of the dissertation could have included more. He gives advice like, “Individual chapters should be relatively freestanding and stand as an independent contribution to the overall argument,” but doesn’t spend much time on how to go about writing each individual chapter in the dissertation’s body. Perhaps Gupta assumes that other books on the market adequately cover how to write a dissertation, or that it varies so much from topic to topic that no general advice can be given. But something more about how to organize the argument of the dissertation and make sure its logical flow is clear and cogent would have been a good addition to the book. But this is a minor quibble. There is not much that Gupta does not cover thoroughly and winsomely.
Gupta blogs at Crux Sola. Portions of his book (PhD advice) can be found on his blog (nijaygupta.wordpress.com). But even with all that is available on his blog, this guide is indispensable to anyone thinking about a PhD. Should that day ever come for me, I plan to have this within reach on my bookshelf.
I am grateful to Wipf and Stock for the free review copy, provided in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is from abramkj.wordpress.com.
In Prepare, Succeed, Advance, Gupta seeks to “provide a series of responses to a host of questions that one may encounter when travelling down the path towards a PhD in biblical studies and beyond.” The book is right on the money in this sense. While it reads through nicely, it is also the sort of work that one will want to refer to time and again–especially someone who is trying to advance through the stages of the PhD process.
In the Prepare section, Gupta guides the reader through how to select a program, including what factors to consider, such as cost, location, school prestige, and so on. Perhaps the most useful section of the book is the second chapter, in which he counsels PhD applicants in how to prepare for a PhD–what languages they’ll need to know, what reference works with which to familiarize themselves, and so on. The bibliography he provides (with comments) is a time-saver to many. He concludes the section with nuts-and-bolts advice for how to fill out a PhD program application.
The second part of the book, Succeed, is all about how to do well in a PhD program, once accepted. Gupta goes in depth with regard to how to work with one’s supervisor, how to write and plan for the dissertation, and how to prepare for the oral dissertation defense. He writes: "The point of a dissertation is not that your argumentation and evidence will convince everyone, but rather that you have made a sufficiently plausible argument using methods and evidence that are appropriate to your field and generally accepted." (He coaches to reader on how to do this, too.)
Finally, for the one who has earned her or his PhD, the final section of Advance covers everything from how to interview for a job, how and where to get teaching experience, conference involvement and article publishing (with helpful lists of journal series to shoot for), and dissertation publishing.
There is much to appreciate about this book. As a book reviewer, I particularly appreciated his section on how (and where) to write book reviews. He covered the basics well. (Key point: measure a book against its own standard; that is, does it advance its thesis successfully?)
If I have any criticism of the book (and this is hard to come by), it’s that Gupta’s section on writing the actual body of the dissertation could have included more. He gives advice like, “Individual chapters should be relatively freestanding and stand as an independent contribution to the overall argument,” but doesn’t spend much time on how to go about writing each individual chapter in the dissertation’s body. Perhaps Gupta assumes that other books on the market adequately cover how to write a dissertation, or that it varies so much from topic to topic that no general advice can be given. But something more about how to organize the argument of the dissertation and make sure its logical flow is clear and cogent would have been a good addition to the book. But this is a minor quibble. There is not much that Gupta does not cover thoroughly and winsomely.
Gupta blogs at Crux Sola. Portions of his book (PhD advice) can be found on his blog (nijaygupta.wordpress.com). But even with all that is available on his blog, this guide is indispensable to anyone thinking about a PhD. Should that day ever come for me, I plan to have this within reach on my bookshelf.
I am grateful to Wipf and Stock for the free review copy, provided in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is from abramkj.wordpress.com.
November 7, 2014
Nijay Gupta has written a very practical guide for students in higher education who are considering a Ph.D. in Biblical and/or Theological studies. Anyone who has begun or is thinking about graduate school for theology will understand the initial overwhelming feeling of being buried under the numerous factors that come into play when considering different schools and programs. Gupta offers a systematic and chronological guide that walks the prospective student through the various phases of the oriented scholar: choosing a doctoral program, preparing and applying for programs, researching for the dissertation, defending the dissertation, orienting oneself for academic employment, publishing the dissertation, teaching in the academy, and interviewing for positions.
This book is targeted for graduate students who are looking into Ph.D. programs for Biblical studies. This is partly due to the advantage of looking a few steps ahead, which could help people who are not currently enrolled in graduate programs decide beforehand which graduate programs strategically work best for their ideal Ph.D. endeavor. Moreover, placing the emphasis on Biblical studies is because Gupta himself is a Biblical scholar and can speak confidently in that arena. He has a firm understanding and grasp of the changing nature of theological schools and scholars and writes sensitively to guide prospective students in order to help them think critically about which factors matter the most to them when looking at programs like funding, location, duration of study, etc. As mentioned above, to the undergraduate, this book is greatly advantageous because it helps him/her consider long-term goals thereby navigate short term goals accordingly at the masters level. This guide is inclusive to all students with diverse theological backgrounds, and while it is aimed at Biblical studies, Gupta speaks to the similarities of the different programs and believes this book is still useful for anyone who is not interested in Biblical studies.
Therefore, if you are interested in a Ph.D. for Biblical and Theological studies and are confused and overwhelmed by the process of getting there, I highly recommend this book to help you clarify ambiguities and to counsel you along the way.
This book is targeted for graduate students who are looking into Ph.D. programs for Biblical studies. This is partly due to the advantage of looking a few steps ahead, which could help people who are not currently enrolled in graduate programs decide beforehand which graduate programs strategically work best for their ideal Ph.D. endeavor. Moreover, placing the emphasis on Biblical studies is because Gupta himself is a Biblical scholar and can speak confidently in that arena. He has a firm understanding and grasp of the changing nature of theological schools and scholars and writes sensitively to guide prospective students in order to help them think critically about which factors matter the most to them when looking at programs like funding, location, duration of study, etc. As mentioned above, to the undergraduate, this book is greatly advantageous because it helps him/her consider long-term goals thereby navigate short term goals accordingly at the masters level. This guide is inclusive to all students with diverse theological backgrounds, and while it is aimed at Biblical studies, Gupta speaks to the similarities of the different programs and believes this book is still useful for anyone who is not interested in Biblical studies.
Therefore, if you are interested in a Ph.D. for Biblical and Theological studies and are confused and overwhelmed by the process of getting there, I highly recommend this book to help you clarify ambiguities and to counsel you along the way.
January 12, 2013
A good book to read early if you are at all considering a theology PhD at some point. It's aimed at those who want to be career academics, especially in New or Old Testament, and who are looking to get into the best schools (this is the first 3rd of the book). The remainder of this brief work covers the process of writing a dissertation and the job search after the PhD is completed. It's a quick, easy, helpful read. Likely a good purchase if a PhD may be in your future.
September 24, 2014
This book is essential in my opinion for anyone entering Biblical or Religious Studies. It is also helpful for people studying these areas in History Graduate Programs.
The author is very good about breaking everything down. He also provides stories of his own struggles and others he knows to offer real-life experience.
The author is very good about breaking everything down. He also provides stories of his own struggles and others he knows to offer real-life experience.
June 10, 2015
This book is solid gold for anyone interested in a PhD in biblical studies. It introduces the reader to the world of theological academia which can be daunting to newcomers. Must read for graduate students considering further study.
April 9, 2015
I'm an OT guy so some things did not apply to me. However, this is a great practical guide for anyone interested in a terminal degree in Biblical Studies.
July 20, 2019
I wish I had this book five years ago. If you are thinking about pursuing a graduate degree in biblical studies, this is where you need to start.
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August 28, 2020Ясна, практична и полезна.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews